COLLEGE STATION — As the regular season dwindles, Texas A&M baseball heads to Athens, Ga., for its final SEC weekend series.
The Aggies (27-23, 10-17) prepare to take on No. 10 Georgia and need to lock in if the Aggies want to build a case for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. With 10 conference wins under its belt, A&M must take all three against the Bulldogs (40-13, 16-11) to hit the magic No. 13 that would nearly ensure an invite to the Big Dance.
Even after an ugly sweep last weekend, head coach Michael Earley and the Aggies remain confident.
“Where I find comfort and trust in is I trust my players and I don’t think this weekend (against Missouri) is a reflection of who they are,” Earley told reporters Wednesday. “We’ve had our backs against the wall, and we’ve done that this year, and we’ve responded all for except a few games. … I have no doubt in my mind that our guys will go out and play great baseball this weekend.”
A&M had been swept three prior times before last weekend: the opening two series of SEC play against Alabama and Vanderbilt, then losing three straight at Texas in the last weekend of April.
The Aggies recovered with series wins (versus Kentucky and LSU) following sweeps twice this season. Answering the Missouri sweep with three wins against the 10th-ranked team in the country could loom large.
Georgia features third baseman Slate Alford, who is leading the team in batting average (.336), hits (72) and doubles (15). On the mound, Leighton Finley has made 12 starts, going 2-2 with a 5.30 ERA and tallying the second-most strikeouts on the team with 69.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in the RPI rankings and have been stellar at home this year, going 27-3 thus far.
“They got guys that can hit the ball out of the park, at a park that is pretty hitter-friendly from what I remember and what I’ve been told,” Earley said. “They got pitchers with big arms, so they’re just a really, really good baseball team.”
With series wins over Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, Georgia has proven to be battle-tested this season.
“They’ve played a tough schedule, they’ve played well. They’re well-coached, just like a lot of teams in this league,” Earley said.
Offensively, Georgia is seventh in the conference in team batting average (.290) and doubles (97), while being fifth in total hits (515). Pitching-wise, the Bulldogs are 12th in the conference in team ERA (4.82), seventh in total hits allowed (526) and 14th in home runs allowed (60).
A&M has an RPI of 59 coming into the series, outside of the range of 30 that ensures a spot in the postseason.
“You just gotta stay in the moment and you hope you catch that feeling or whatever it is, that gives you that urgency, but looseness,” Earley said of the team’s mindset. “Something I think we’ve captured at times this year, and it’s just something we’ve got to get back.”
The first pitch for Thursday’s game is scheduled for 5:02 p.m.
This weekend’s series
Texas A&M (27-23, 10-17) at No. 10 Georgia (40-13, 16-11), 5 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network +), 5 p.m. Friday (SEC Network +), 11 a.m. Saturday (SEC Network)
Reach Texas A&M Beat Reporter Tony Catalina at Acatalina@gannett.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Access all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M needs 3 wins at UGA to keep at-large hopes alive. How are the Aggies preparing?
Reporting by Tony Catalina, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
