SERIES PREVIEW: vs. Mississippi State – Texas A&M Athletics


BRYAN COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies close out the regular season home table when they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a three-game series at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The series begins on Friday at 6:32 p.m. and continues with games on Saturday (2:02 p.m.) and Sunday (12:02 p.m.).

ABOUT THE AGGIES
Over the past five weekends, the Aggies have had streak wins over Kentucky, No. 10 Georgia, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 22 Vanderbilt and South Carolina. The last time the Maroon & White streaked five straight SEC series wins was in 2017, when they defeated No. 6 LSU, No. 11 at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri. Texas A&M is looking to win six straight SEC series for the first time since 2016 when they defeated Georgia, No. 8 Mississippi State, Alabama, Arkansas, No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 8 South Carolina and No. 6 Ole Miss in a seven -Series tear at the end of the regular season.

Ryan Targac strengthened his game in the league. With a batting average of just .213 with two doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI in 20 non-conference games, Targac has boomed in league play. In 24 SEC games, Targac leads the conference with 34 RBI. He has a .313 batting average with three doubles, two triples and nine homers in the first eight weeks of league play. Overall, Targac leads the team with 45 RBI and shares the Aggie Homer lead Dylan Rock with 12 things.

Dylan Rock has reached base in 37 straight games and 44 of the 45 games he has played this season, reaching base with a pinch hit three times in his only at-bat of the game. After 24 league games, Rock leads the SEC with 32 runs. He is second in on-base percentage (.496), third in walking (24), sixth in total bases (64) and slugging percentage (.711), and seventh in RBI (24).


Jack was Aggies’ most consistent hitter, beating a team high of .370, a .425 slugging percentage and a .521 on-base percentage. He has reached base in 43 of the 46 games this season. In 2022, he has a team high of 24 multi-hit games. In addition to batting average, he leads the team in hits (71) and doubles (12), and ranks third in on-base percentage (.425) and slugging percentage. Moss leads the SEC in hits per game (1.54). He ranks second in the SEC and 37th in the nation with 71 goals and is behind only Auburn’s Blake Rambusch (73) in the league.



Austin Boston has emerged as Aggie’s top hitter in the last 16 games as the Maroon & White rolled to a 12-4 mark, their best stretch of the season. Since the Aggies Series Finals against Kentucky, Bost has averaged a .475 batting (28 to 59) with a .562 base percentage and a .780 slugging percentage. Over the span, Bost has 19 runs, six doubles, four homers, 14 RBI and 12 walks. He has hits in 15 of the 16 games, including nine multi-hit attempts. The course includes a four-hit game and two three-hit performances. During the run, Bost’s batting average has gone from .299 to .361.



RECOGNIZING THE OPPONENT
The Bulldogs enter the fight with an overall score of 25-24, including a 9-15 SEC ledger. The 2021 national champion has stumbled through the 2022 campaign, lingering around the .500 mark for much of the season. Mississippi State goes into the weekend on a six-game losing streak, including losing their last two games in Missouri, a home win against Florida and Tuesday’s loss to Samford.


Mississippi State is sitting .278/.377/.478 with 84 home runs and 35 stolen bases in 49 games. Four hitters hitting over .300 lead the attack. Logan Tanner is hitting .317 with 34 carries, eight doubles, seven homers and 38 RBI. RJ Yeager hits .316 with 35 runs, 13 doubles, 16 homers and 50 RBI. Brad Cumbest hits .303 with 35 runs, 11 doubles, 12 homers and 30 RBI. Kamren James hits .303 with 41 runs, eight doubles, eight homers, 31 RBI and 12 stolen bases.


Bulldogs pitchers have a .554 ERA, a .252 opposing batting average, and 538 strikeouts in 430.2 innings.



SERIES NOTES
Texas A&M and Mississippi State have met 39 times, with the Bulldogs capitalizing on the 20-19 advantage in the series with last year’s sweep at Starkville. The programs first feuded in 1907 when the Aggies went to a 1–0 decision. The Maroon & White started hot, winning the first five games before the series went on a 74-year hiatus. Since A&M joined the SEC for the 2013 campaign, Mississippi has held a 14-11 advantage in the series.



ACTIONS

WEEKEND

  • MAKE IT GOLD – Aggie Baseball and Turn It Gold partner to raise awareness of childhood cancer.
    • Turn It Gold will be on site all weekend selling gold bubble machines, bracelets and t-shirts while supplies last.
    • Visit www.12thMan.com/turnitgold for more information.

FRIDAY

  • 12th Man Centennial Celebration – SEC Fireworks Friday Night – All season long, fans can enjoy a post-game pyrotechnic show after the SEC’s home games on Friday.
  • 12th Man Centennial Statue Giveaway – 12th Man Centennial desk statues will be awarded to the first 2,000 fans (marketing chart behind Section 104 and Section 12).
  • Graduation Ceremony – Three Aggie baseball players receive their pre-game diplomas

SATURDAY

  • senior day Aggie Senior Class Audition Celebration.

SUNDAY

  • Children’s Sunday – Face painting before the game at the playground.
    • Buy 1 full price GA ticket ($10) and bring up to 4 children FREE. No advance sale.
    • Face painting before the game – Face painting before the game at the playground.
    • Raising Canes Anthem Buddies Pre-Game – Children under 12 can join the Aggies on the national anthem pitch.
    • Postgame Kids Run the Bases/Team Autographs – Children have the opportunity to walk the bases and get autographs from the team.
    • Little League Sundays – Children under the age of 12 in their Little League uniform may enter the venue two hours before the first pitch to watch batting practice.

  • National Chocolate Chip Day – Free Tiff’s Treats chocolate chip cookies for the first 500 fans (marketing chart behind section 104).

FOLLOW THE AGGIES

Sunday’s game will be televised on SEC Network with Steve Lenox (play-by-play) and Roddy Jones (color). All three games can be streamed on SEC+. Fans can tune in locally on 1150 AM/93.7 FM or on the 12th floorth Man Mobile App.

Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @AggieBaseball.








Comments are closed.