Aggie Baseball Weekend Preview: Houston College Classic

After a couple of midweek thrashings of Prairie View and Incarnate Word, the boys in maroon and white are set to take on some old foes in the College Classic down at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. H TINE HOL IT DINE. This weekend will feature five teams all ranked in the top 15 of D1Baseball’s Top 25. This will most definitely be the Ags’ first true test of the season, and a great barometer for this youth-driven team. All of your cliches are welcome.

Friday: #15 Texas A&M vs. #10 Texas Tech, 3:30 pm

Probables: RHP Brigham Hill (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Davis Martin (1-0, 1.38 ERA)

Here’s the thing about this Tech team: they’re really good. Their only loss of the season came on opening weekend against Mississippi State in Starkville. They’re fresh off of a four-game sweep of Cal last weekend, and they’re playing some really good baseball.

This team looks a bit different than last year’s upperclassman-laden team that made it to Omaha, but the returning trio of 1B Hunter Hargrove, 2B Michael Davis, and SS Orlando Garcia are all swinging the bat very well. All three of these guys are hitting above .300, and they’ve combined for 38 RBI and eight of Tech’s 10 total home runs on the season. At the top of the lineup, you have freshman Grant Little, who’s hitting .433 so far. They good. (That was really difficult for me to type).

Saturday: #15 Texas A&M vs. #1 TCU, 7:00 pm

Probables: RHP Stephen Kolek (1-0, 1.64 ERA) vs. LHP Nick Lodolo (2-0, 2.70 ERA)

The primary reason TCU is unanimously ranked #1 in the country is that the Frogs returned, like, everyone in their starting lineup. The only new face in the starting nine is CF Nolan Brown, who just so happens to lead the team in batting average (.400). Then you have Luken Baker, who has picked up right where he left off last year. He’s hitting .346, leads the team in homers (3), and is second on the team in RBI (8).

TCU’s starter, freshman Nick Lodolo, looks like the future of the Frogs’ rotation. In his 10.0 innings of work thus far, he’s racked up 13 strikeouts and given up three runs. Friend Of The Program™* Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball is very high on Lodolo. Here’s a clip for your viewing pleasure:

*not really

Sunday: #15 Texas A&M vs. Baylor, 5:00 pm

Probables: RHP Mitchell Kilkenny (1-0, 4.82 ERA) vs. LHP Cody Bradford (2-0, 2.08 ERA)

The Bears are riding very high right now, with a 9-0 record and a vastly improved offense from a year ago. As a team, they’re hitting .339 and are scoring over nine runs per game. The bulk of their offensive production comes from sophomore OF Richard Cunningham (.407/.852/.528), junior OF/1B Kameron Esthay (.364/.636/.436), and freshman C Shea Langeliers (.353/.647/.378). These three have combined for four of Baylor’s six homers and 23 RBI on the year. The offense isn’t an overly powerful one, but they score runs in bunches.

How to Watch

• TV: All three games will be televised on either FSN’s regional channels or FS2.
• Radio: Dave South will be on the call on SportsRadio 1150/The Zone 102.7 FM
• Live Audio: 12thman.com