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After struggling through the final three weeks of the regular season and the SEC Tournament, losing eight of their final 11 games, Texas A&M Baseball was able to squeak into the NCAA Tournament as one of the last four in. That extends their school record of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances to 11. Their reward? A regional right down the road that includes host and AAC Tournament Champion Houston, the B1G Tournament Champion Iowa, and Baylor, who knocked off the Ags in the final game of the College Classic with a two-out, walk-off grand slam.
In the first game of the 2017 Houston Regional, the Aggie Based ballers have a great opportunity to redeem themselves against the Bears. The last time these two teams met, Baylor was scalding hot, as they won 10 of their first 11 games to open the season. The Bears came back down to earth a bit throughout the rest of the season, but they’ve shown this year that they are very capable of making some noise, especially with their sweep of a good Oklahoma State team in Stillwater. They have some very good arms, including Montana Parsons (5-3, 2.81 ERA) and closer Troy Montemayor (12 saves, 1.08 ERA). They also have some very strong hitters, like Aaron Dodson (.335/.394/.566, 10 HR, 38 RBI) and Shea Langeliers (.324/.399/.559, 10 HR, 38 RBI).
The Aggies also look at bit different, as they rode a good bit of momentum into the College Classic, but they were definitely out over their skis at the beginning of March. They stand a decent chance at taking this Regional, and they are certainly capable of doing so. The question remains, can they keep themselves together long enough to take down the three quality opponents they face in this weekend? Getting some redemption against Baylor this afternoon and avoiding the losers bracket would go a long way.
Probable Starters
- Brigham Hill (7-3, 2.96 ERA) vs. Montana Parsons (5-3, 2.81 ERA)
How to Watch/Listen
- Time: 2:04 pm
- TV: ESPN 2
- Radio: Dave South has the call on SportsRadio 1150 AM/The Zone 102.7 FM
- Live Audio: www.12thman.com