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NCAA Series of the Week and Other Interesting Match-Ups: 5/18-5/20 Edition |
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Contributed by Dean Jones Jr.
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Saturday, 19 May 2007 |
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For most of the conferences in college baseball, this weekend marks the final regular season tests before tournament season begins. Only the Pac-10 and Big West teams play standard three-game series next weekend.
What does this mean for the slate of games scheduled for this weekend? Well, there are five series between teams ranked in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association poll. Two of these matchups come from the Big 12, where No. 5 Texas travels across the state to take on the ninth-ranked Aggies of Texas A&M and No. 20 Missouri heads to 10th-ranked Oklahoma State. In the ACC, No. 15 Clemson heads to 30th-ranked North Carolina State. No. 6 Arizona State and No. 18 Oregon State meet in Pac-10 play, while 21st-ranked Ole Miss heads to No. 11 Arkansas. The series that stands out above all of the other ones this weekend is the in-state meeting between the Aggies and Longhorns down in the Lone Star State. So, for this week’s ‘Series of the Week’, here is a breakdown of each of the Big 12 schools.
Series of the Week: Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies
TEXAS: After a 2-4 start that included two losses at home to San Diego and two at Long Beach State, the Longhorns have gone 37-10, including 18-6 in conference, to lead the Big 12. The Longhorns are 9-2 on the road in conference and have won five straight road conference games. Sophomore sensation Kyle Russell continues to lead the Longhorns. The 6-foot-5 outfielder is hitting .358 with 26 home runs and 67 RBIs in only 53 games. Bradley Suttle provides a formidable counter to Russell, with a team-leading .359 average, 10 home runs and 54 RBIs. Adrian Alaniz leads the rotation with a 12-2 record and 2.37 ERA. The junior has two complete games and opponents are hitting under .200 against him. Randy Boone, who has appeared in 33 of the team’s 53 games, has 11 saves this season. TEXAS A&M: Speed represents the key to unlock the success of the Aggies. Five Texas A&M players are in double digits in stolen bases. Ben Feltner leads the team with 28, while Brandon Hicks is right on his heels with 26. The Aggies have 123 stolen bases as a team, compared to 37 by their opponents. Kyle Nicholson is the iron horse of the pitching staff. Although he has made just eight starts, the senior is 11-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 103.2 innings pitched and has walked just 16 hitters while striking out 86. David Newmann is 9-1 and has 81 strikeouts in 81.1 innings.
PREDICTION: While the Aggies are an impressive 30-6 at home, the statistic is somewhat misleading because they are just 6-5 at home in conference play. Texas should take full advantage of their struggles during conference play, especially since the Longhorns are coming off a rare home series loss. They will be out to send a message in the final weekend before postseason play begins. Since Texas A&M is at home, I don’t think they’ll get entirely blown out, but the Longhorns should show why they are the class of the Big 12. Look for Kyle Russell to hit at least three bombs in the series. Dean’s Decision: Texas wins two out of three Other Interesting Match-Ups:
- Clemson at North Carolina State
Missouri at Oklahoma State - Arizona State at Oregon State
- Ole Miss at Arkansas
- Memphis at Rice
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 31 May 2007 )
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