No. 7 Texas A&M (37-12, 16-10 SEC) couldn’t finish the job vs. No. 20 Ole Miss, falling to the Rebels in Saturday’s rubber match during the doubleheader, falling 6-5 in Game 3 even after the early 18-5 home run fest in Game 2 to tie the series just hours beforehand.
However, after freshman shortstop Boston Kellner suffered a hit to the face during Game 1 on Friday night, resulting in a broken orbital bone, reserve senior Ben Royo made the absolute most out of his opportunity, finishing the weekend a perfect 7-7 with three home runs, five RBIs, and a walk after making just four appearances with zero hits beforehand.
While Aggie fans are well aware of Royo’s skillset after the Rice transfer hit .258 with 10 home runs last season, his lack of play time due to Kellner’s early play and reliability on defense was a surprise after watching the Corpus Christi (TX) native look like the best play on the roster two two straight games. With Kellner expected to be out indefinitely, Royo could become the catalyst the offense needs to defeat Mississippi State next weekend.
Among the rest of the college baseball landscape this weekend, D1Baseball named Ben Royo as the top hitter on the site’s leaderboard, and he was just one of a handful of players on the list who finished with a perfect showing at the plate. While this performance likely won’t be replicated, it’s clear that Royo is up for the job as the Aggies look to get healthy heading into the SEC Tournament.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M senior named D1Baseball’s Top Hitter on Saturday
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
