By: Shelbie Warr
Texas A&M, the preseason No. 1 team, is 9-6 to start the season, and many fans and those around the sport feel like the sky is falling for the Aggies. Is this the case? How worried should they be at this point of the season?
The world is not ending with a "6" in the loss column before SEC play has begun. Are there concerns? Yes, and I understand that the Aggies didn't lose a non-conference game last year, so seeing that loss column before league play is different. It isn't what the top team in the land coming into the season was expecting either, but all is not lost in Aggieland. There is still plenty of time to prove themselves and find their way to the postseason- where everyone starts 0-0 again.
Some great things are going on for the Aggies right now, starting with their weekend rotation. Ryan Prager (2-0, 0.39 ERA), Justin Lamkin (1-1, 2.28 ERA), and Myles Patton (2-1, 2.28 ERA) have been every bit as advertised. They have done everything that has been asked of them and beyond. They are not a worry for this team going forward and will likely keep A&M in every weekend series as league play begins if things keep trending in the direction they currently are. The bullpen is suspect, but we saw good things from Clayton Freshcorn on Sunday- who hasn't been the most reliable as of late- which should build his confidence going into league play.
Defensively, the Aggies have gotten better than they were at the start of the season, especially since Gavin Kash moved to first base, where he has played almost all of his career. This weekend did not bring the errors that have been seen in past games this season, and that is a good sign for Texas A&M. Caden Sorrell returning to the outfield will boost that as well. According to Coach Earley, Sorrell has an MRI scheduled for March 11th to see if he will be cleared to start running at 100% again as he continues to work on coming back.
Offensively is where most of the worries have been. However, this weekend- in my opinion- showed that may be turning around. Outscoring the opponent 27-5 over the weekend is a strong indication of that, even if the record was 2-1. On Sunday, the Aggies only managed to score a lone run, courtesy of a red-hot Kaeden Kent home run in the third. However, the team was making solid contact on the ball, even though they did not always turn into runs, and that is a great sign going forward. These guys are too talented to lay an egg this season, so to speak.
Newcomers Terrence Kiel II and Wyatt Henseler have been bright spots all season for Texas A&M, and Gavin Kash is coming around. All will be needed in the upcoming weekend series against a hot Alabama team. A strong start to SEC play could be just what the doctor ordered for the Aggies.
Remember that all you have to do is make the tournament; after that, it is a battle of who gets hot at the right time, and this team has not hit its stride yet. Heck, an SEC record of .500 or better would have the Aggies right in the middle of hosting conversations. Don't count out Texas A&M as a team that could make a deep post-season run. The sky isn't falling. There is still time.
Comments