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Sports
The Battalion
Page 5 • Friday, March 21, 2003
Aggies head to Lubbock for three-game series
No. 23 Red Raiders provide formidable Big 12 test
By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
The Texas A&M baseball
team has been looking to make
a move in the Big 12
Conference ever since its last
Big 12 championship in 1999.
A series win over powerhouse
University of Nebraska showed
signs that the Aggies may be
ready to contend in the Big 12,
but now they must try to sustain
that momentum on the road in
Lubbock against No. 23 Texas
Tech University.
The emotional high of open
ing Big 12 play at home against
Nebraska seemed to cost the
No. 19 Aggies (19-6, 2-1 Bigl2)
when they lost to the University
of Texas-San Antonio, 6-5, on
Tuesday in San Antonio.
“We got our emotions so
high (against Nebraska),” said
A&M Head Coach Mark
Johnson after Sunday’s win
over Nebraska. “(UTSA) will
be a real challenge for us.”
Now A&M travels to
Lubbock, where the Aggies
have won one game in their
last six contests at Tech’s Dan
Law Field.
One of A&M’s many
strengths comes from its pitch
ing staff, which owns a 3.42
ERA. Sophomore pitcher
Logan Kensing (4-2) will start
Friday night in Lubbock.
Senior left-hander Zach Dixon
(3-0) will start on the mound
Saturday, and junior pitcher
Matt Larnum (5-0) will get the
nod on Sunday.
Before Big 12 play kicked
off, the Aggie pitching rotation
was perceived to be their largest
problem, but so far that has not
been the case.
“I think we were over-*
pitching a little bit (against
Nebraska),” Johnson said. “I
think we’re going to learn
from it.”
Junior Scolj Beerer, who has
pitched 17.2 scoreless innings
in the closer role, leads the
Aggie bullpen.
Texas Tech (17-8, 1-2 Big
12) will start junior right-hander
Steve Gooch (3-2) in the series’
first game Lriday. Gooch owns a
3.32 ERA and leads the Red
Raiders with 48.1 innings
pitched. Saturday’s starter is jun
ior Juan Razo (2-1). Razo has
been pelted for 21 runs in just 34
innings of work, yet he leads the
team with 25 strikeouts.
The strength of the Red
Raiders lies at the plate, where
senior outfielder Scooter Jordan
leads the team with a .426 bat
ting average. Jordan reaches
base in 56.1 percent of his at
bats. Tech relies on junior
catcher Evan Shahak for power,
as he has hit a season total of
six home runs and boasts a .303
batting average.
The Aggies counter with a
lineup that has all nine starters
batting above .300.
The Aggie bats are led by
junior Cory Patton, who added
to his team high total of four
home runs against LTSA.
Behind Patton is Justin
Ruggiano, hitting in the cleanup
spot with a .337 batting average.
On paper the Aggies look to
be head and shoulders above
Texas Tech, but when these two
schools lock up on the athletic
fields, anything can happen.
“Our guys are ready to play
every day,” said junior pitcher
Kyle Parcus. “I think we’ll be
able to match what Tech does
(in Lubbock).”
JOHN C. LIVAS • THE BATTALION
A&M junior pitcher Matt Farnum releases a pitch against Nebraska last
weekend. Farnum (5-0) is scheduled to start for the Aggies on Sunday.
Softball team hosts No. 5 Nebraska A&M meets No. 15 Tide
By Pete Burks
THE BATTALION
If road games are supposed to tough
en up a team, consider the No. 23 Texas
A&M softball team as tough as they
come. The softball players have become
road warriors as they have been on a
month-long odyssey across the country,
playing tournaments on both coasts.
But this weekend the Aggies will
finally return to the Aggie Softball
Complex. Although returning home will
be nice for the Aggies (21-11), there will
be no rest for the weary as the No. 5
University of Nebraska. Cornhuskers
come calling this weekend. A two-game
series between the teams begins Saturday
at 2 p.m. and ends Sunday at 1 p.m.
Overall, the Aggies went 9-5 on the
road, going 5-2 in the first half of the
trip and 4-3 in the second half, including
losing two games in a row in the Blue
and Gold Classic.
The Aggies also played a doublehead
er against Texas Tech University before
coming home, splitting the doubleheader
1-4 and 10-1. The Aggies simply couldn’t
get their offense going in the first game,
managing only one run when freshman
Kristin Gunter knocked in sophomore
second baseman Adrian Gregory in the
top of the sixth inning. But in the second
game, the Aggies finally found their
groove, jumping to an 8-1 lead by the top
of the fourth, led by senior outfielder
Cheryl Fowler and senior shortstop
Crystal Martin, who each hit home runs
to help seal the win for the Aggies.
The Aggies need to be ready for the
Huskers this weekend if they expect to
get off to a good start in Big 12 play, and
nobody knows that better than Aggie
Head Coach Jo Evans.
“Nebraska is a great team, and they
are ranked in the top five,” Evans said.
“They were the preseason pick to win the
Big 12, and their record reflects that.
Junior pitcher Peaches James throws a
good drop ball, and she really keeps the
ball down. Also, they have a freshman
phenom in Summer Tobias, who throws
See Softball on page 7
By Jeff Allen
THE BATTALION
The No. 11 Texas A&M men’s ten
nis team has faced a constant barrage
of challenges to start the year from the
nation’s elite teams, including 10 of the
nation’s top 50.
The story coming out of Tuscaloosa,
Ala. hasn’t been much different. The
No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide have
seen their share of tough competition
during the first few months of the 2003
season as well. The Crimson Tide (13-
4) has come up against 10 nationally-
ranked opponents in their first 17
matches, while competing in a very
competitive Southeastern Conference.
“We’ve had a good year,” said
Alabama Head Coach Billy Pate. “But
the recent SEC matches are disappoint
ing because those are so important.
This league is so difficult, every team is
capable of beating everyone else.”
The two teams will meet this
Saturday at the A&M Tennis Center in
a match that is sure to have poll impli
cations. The match is only the fifth
meeting between the two clubs, with
the first four going to A&M. Their most
recent meeting came during the 2000
season when the Aggies downed the
Crimson Tide in College Station 6-1.
This year, the Aggies boast an eight
match win streak, seven of which have
come at the Tennis Center on their cur
rent homestand. During that stretch, the
Aggies made the most of their home
court advantage, outscoring their oppa-
r -“-.T "VfV 4
1 —— r-
See Tennis on page 7
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