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The Battalion • A&M Baseball ‘94
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Monday, February 14,
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By Nick Georgandis
The Battalion
S trangely enough, the two names be
ing mentioned in connection with
the Texas A&M pitching staff are no
longer members of the team.
Yes, lefty aces Jeff Granger and Kelly
Wunsch have left for greener pastures,
namely the Kansas City Royals and Mil
waukee Brewers' organizations.
But the seventh-ranked Aggies are
confident that this year's crop of pitchers
will be up to the task of carrying on
A&M's fine pitching traditions.
Starting out for
the Aggies in Fri
day's opener was
junior left-hander
Trey Moore, who
had an very im
pressive season
last year, going 12-
0 with an out
standing ERA of
2.77.
Texas A&M
pitching coach Jim
Lawler said he
thinks Moore will
be a very impor
tant part of the
Aggie rotation
this season.
"He has to
come out and be
our No. 1 starter,"
Lawler said.
"All we need to
do is get him in a
groove, and hope
he stays healthy."
Moore said the opening day assign
ment is one he has been looking forward
to for some time.
"It is a real big honor for me, and 1
think I've earned it by having a good
year last year," Moore said.
"I think Friday will be good because I
can go out and establish myself as a
leader."
Joining Moore in the rotation to begin
the season is junior right-hander Chris
Clemons, who finished 7-6 with 2 saves
in 1993.
Clemons earns high praise from his
pitching coach as one of the premier
hurlers in the nation.
"Chris is a power pitcher who will be
a high draft choice, " Lawler said.
"He's one of the hardest throwers in
the country, and he uses the combina
tion of fastball, curveball and slider ef
fectively."
Long-term roles are not set for the sea
son because of injury problems in the
staff. Both sophomore John Codrington
and junior Justin Atchley have not recov
ered from surgery in the fall, when both
had bone spurs removed.
One of the pitchers who will help
share the load until Codrington and
Atchley are recovered is all-Southwest
conference junior reliever Brian Parker
who fashioned a 1.93 ERA while lead
ing the Aggies in games pitched with
23 last season.
Others who
could step up and
help the piecemeal
staff at the begin
ning of the season
include two pitch
ers who throw
side-arm, and a
"big" recruit from
Houston.
The two sub-
marine-style
pitchers are right-
handed seniors
Matt Sherwood
and Kevin Bosse.
Coach Lawler
said the pair's
unique style of
pitching will al
low the Aggies to
give opposing bat
ters a different
look if necessary.
The big recruit
is 6-foot, 6-inch
freshman right-hander Ryan Rupe from
Northbrook High School. Rupe has
earned praise from both players and
coaches for his raw power.
"He can really bring it, he's got plen
ty of stuff and a whole load of poten
tial, " Lawler said.
Moore agreed with his coach, saying
Rupe could contribute immediately to
the staff.
"Rupe's going to be a good one, be
cause he's got so much talent, " Moore
said.
"He's going to see a lot of playing
time, and I think he can be a real posi
tive for us."
The Aggie staff has had the luxury of
opening its season with five straight
home games, sweeping this weekend's
series against UT-Pan American.
Clemons
• Photos by William Harrison •
1994