Texas A&M enters a huge stretch against Sam Houston and Texas after a breakout SEC weekend, while the Longhorns may arrive without shortstop Adrian Rodriguez.
Texas A&M baseball is finally carrying real momentum into the heart of SEC play, and the timing couldn’t be much better.
After a loud weekend at the plate, the Aggies head into a key stretch with renewed confidence, starting with Sam Houston before a massive home series against rival Texas.
The Aggies improved to 22-5 overall and 5-4 in SEC play by taking control of their first conference series win of the season in emphatic fashion. Texas A&M’s offense was the story, piling up 39 runs while hitting .389 as a team.
Gavin Grahovac led the charge with four home runs over the weekend, including a grand slam on Sunday, giving the lineup the kind of thunder it had been searching for.
Now the question is whether that production can carry over against stronger competition.
Texas, sitting at 23-4 and 7-2 in the SEC, has looked like one of the league’s hottest teams. But the Longhorns could be headed to College Station short-handed.
Star shortstop Adrian Rodriguez is expected to miss time, which could leave a noticeable hole in both the lineup and the infield defense.
Rodriguez entered this stretch hitting .271 with a .386 on-base percentage and a .383 slugging percentage, and his absence would be a real factor in a rivalry series that already figures to be intense.
For Texas A&M, the path to winning this matchup won’t rest on bats alone.
Michael Earley and Jason Kelly need more length from the weekend rotation, especially from Shane Sdao, Weston Moss, and Aiden Sims. If those starters can work into the fifth or sixth inning, it would ease the pressure on a bullpen that has been asked to cover too much.
If the Aggies keep swinging it the way they did last weekend, the showdown with Texas suddenly feels even bigger.
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