Opening Weekend Recap: Aggies trounce Bowling Green

What a weekend that was. We all knew coming in that the Texas Aggie Baseball team was better than their opponent, Bowling Green. But what transpired on the field was such a beating, it was almost unfair. And no, I won’t be making any “Bowling Green Massacre” jokes. Y’all have already made those quips ad nauseam on the twitter machine.

The Aggies racked up 46 total hits, 26 walks, and 42 RBI on their way to outscoring the Falcons 50 to 8 during the three-game set. If you take out the 15 unearned runs the Ags scored over the three games, they still averaged almost 12 runs per game (Jason Cook would be so proud of that #BRAND). That’s some ridiculous offensive output regardless of your opponent.

The offense was so impressive, that the national writers took notice:

But the craziest thing about the offensive explosion this weekend was the amount of it that came from the freshmen. Out of the 46 total hits and 42 total RBI, the newcomers accounted for 22 and 18 of them, respectively. In order for this team to compete at the level we’re used to seeing from them, the freshmen will need to grow up fast and step up almost immediately. And if this weekend is any indication, they seem to have the ability to contribute in a big way.

Friday: Texas A&M 15, Bowling Green 1

Quick Hitters:

• Brigham Hill got the start on Opening Day, and he did not disappoint. Brigham went 6.0 shutout innings, surrendering seven hits and two walks, while striking out 10. He wasn’t his sharpest, but Brigham is probably the Aggies’ most reliable arm. And if this is considered an “off” day for him, we’re in for a special treat this year.
• The top half of the order led the way offensively, with 11 total hits. They also drove in nine of the Aggies’ 15 runs, with Braden Shewmake tallying four RBI in his collegiate debut.
• A word about Nick Choruby: It is so good to see Chorbs stepping into that table-setter role that is so vital to a strong lineup. In 2015, it was Blake Allemand leading off that made the offense really click. Last season, it was J.B. Moss. If Choruby can keep putting that pressure on the opposing pitchers the way he did this weekend, this year will be a whole lot of fun.

Saturday Game 1: Texas A&M 19, Bowling Green 2

• Choruby, again leading off, had a monster game, going 2-4, with two RBI, two walks and three runs scored. He also hit his first career WHAMMY off the right field foul pole. Give ‘em hell, Chorbs!
• Freshman Jorge Gutierrez had himself a career game, his second career appearance, a game in which he did not start, and a game in which he recorded his first official at bat. He came in as a pinch hitter in the sixth, and promptly cranked a 1-0 offering over the visitors’ bullpen in right. Later in the game, he deposited a 1-1 offering over the 375 sign in right-center. You can catch these highlights in the first half of this video on secsports.com.
• The Ags debuted their brand new ‘Heritage’ uniforms in this game, and they looked sharp.

Saturday Game 2: Texas A&M 16, Bowling Green 5

• Game 2 of Saturday’s double header ended up a laugher for the maroon and white, but it definitely didn’t seem like it would turn out that way. After taking an early 1-0 lead, Bowling Green took a 3-1 advantage in the top of the fourth. Clearly lacking momentum for the first time in the series, the Ags put up a four-spot in the bottom half of the fourth, and never looked back. It was the first time they trailed in the series, and with such a young team, it was great to see the Ags fight back with their backs against the wall.
• Nick Choruby stayed #woke, tallying another three hits, scoring four more times, and knocking in another run. All told, Choruby had eight hits on the weekend in 12 at bats. He was on fire.

What’s Next?

The Aggies welcome the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin this coming Tuesday, February 21, at 6:30 pm. The ‘Jacks split four games with Southeast Missouri and UT-Arlington over the weekend.