Wildcats Welcome Texas A&M to Lexington for Weekend Series
After returning to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday for the first time in two weeks, the No. 13 ranked Bat ‘Cats will host their first SEC series this weekend since April 2nd. Heading to Lexington will be the Texas A&M Aggies, who were the preseason No. 5 ranked team in the country before falling out of the rankings completely after some tough losses to Lamar, Portland, and Ole Miss.
“They did the same thing last year. They started out just okay, then took it all the way to Omaha,” Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione said about the Aggies on Tuesday. “This is a team that a lot of people picked to win our league preseason, so obviously it’s going to be a huge test and a big challenge for us.”
After a rough start to the season, TAMU has won their last three SEC series (Missouri, Auburn, Ole Miss) and is finally getting to where people thought they would be in the preseason.
Where Texas A&M has won three SEC series in a row, Kentucky has lost two in a row. After a less-than-stellar effort in the Easter doubleheader at Georgia and a back-and-forth thriller in game three at No. 1LSU, the ‘Cats are reeling a bit. Their NCAA Tournament hopes aren’t in any jeopardy however, as D1Baseball’s latest projection has the ‘Cats as a No. 10 national seed hosting a Lexington Regional consisting of Indiana State, West Virginia, and SE Missouri State.
A series victory this weekend would be a great boost to the ‘Cats resume, especially with some tough series against Vanderbilt and South Carolina on the horizon.
Texas A&M Impact Players
A series win over Kentucky (who still sits at No. 1 in RPI) would be a massive boost for Texas A&M’s tournament resume, as they are on the bubble right now. The Aggies’ offense has been a bit of a letdown this season, led by Hunter Haas and Jack Moss. The duo of Haas and Moss have nearly identical numbers in every stat, but Haas got the nod from USA Baseball for an addition to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason List.
Along with the Golden Spikes nod, Haas was also named to the initial Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, honoring the top shortstop in the country. Kentucky SS Grant Smith was named to the Watch List as well. Just like the ‘Cats, the Aggies don’t hit the long ball often. Jace LaViolette leads the Aggies in homers with 10.
Texas A&M has announced just one of their three starting pitchers for the weekend, with Nathan Dettmer getting the start Friday afternoon. Dettmer has been less than stellar for the Aggies this season, boasting a 6.09 ERA in 44.1 IP.
Texas A&M is 11-7 all-time against Kentucky and is 8-6 in SEC play. The Aggies are 5-0 all-time in Lexington, including a sweep of the Wildcats in its first trip to Kentucky Proud Park in 2019.
Kentucky Impact Players
After a rough weekend series at No. 1 LSU, “The Captain” is back. Hunter Gilliam shined in Tuesday’s return to Lexington against Xavier, hitting two home runs (for a combined 851 feet) and driving in six RBI.
“The whole weekend just felt off so being able to get back in the facility and the cages was a good feeling. I knew [Tuesday] was going to go the way it was so it felt good to be locked back in.” Gilly leads the ‘Cats in hits (49), home runs (eight), and RBI (51).
Émilien Pitre has blossomed into a top-three 2B in all of the SEC, leading the ‘Cats in average (.377) and doubles (11). Pitre was named a starting 2B in SEC Extra on D1Baseball’s mock All-Star game Draft on Thursday.
Taking the mound for the ‘Cats will be their weekend regulars in Logan Martin, Tyler Bosma, and Zack Lee. After a rough outing at LSU, Lee’s ERA has risen to 3.99. Bosma has actually lowered his to 4.19 and Martin enters with a 4.43. The trio is a combined 8-5 in their weekend starts this season. The bullpen remains one of the strongest in the SEC, with Midseason All-American Ryan Hagenow, Mason Moore, Seth Logue, and Darren Williams leading the charge.
It’ll be a fun weekend at KPP if the rain can hold off.
Game 1: Friday, April 21st, 2023 (Kentucky Proud Park – 4:00 PM)
UK: RHP Logan Martin (1-1, 4.43 ERA, 20.1 IP) vs TAMU: RHP Nathan Dettmer (1-3, 6.09 ERA, 37.1 IP)
Game 2: Saturday, April 22nd, 2023 (Kentucky Proud Park – 2:00 PM)
UK: LHP Tyler Bosma (4-2, 4.19 ERA, 38.2 IP) vs TAMU: TBD
Game 3: Sunday, April 23rd, 2023 (Kentucky Proud Park – 1:00 PM)
UK: RHP Zack Lee (3-2, 3.99 ERA, 38.1 IP) vs TAMU: TBD
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