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Shelby Knowles — THE BATTALION
REMASTERED: The Battalion follows the Aggie Ring PASS IT DOWN: Some families choose to pass
i repair process from the Austin Balfour factory. down Aggie Rings from generation to generation.
BEYOND BEER: Aggies weigh in on a few ring
jknk alternatives for those who want variety.
Over 5,000 to claim Aggie gold
Tmturoi finish CT/
antique fmh 2T/ £L Ap
Reagan Brunsvold — THE BATTALION
By Jennifer Reiley
ggie Ring Day con
tinues to break records
with the 2015 April
order of 5,436 — the
largest to date.
On Friday, 4,811 of those or
ders will be Aggies in College Sta
tion who will celebrate their se
nior status by receiving their Aggie
Ring. Kathryn Greenwade, vice
president of The Association of
Former Students, said the Alumni
Center is prepared
for 30,000 people
between 10 a.m.
and 9 p.m.
“We’re seeing
some people bring
two people with
them, some people
bring 20 people
with them,” Greenwade said. “It
kind of averages out to about six
guests per person.”
Greenwade said Ring Day
became the celebration people
consider it today in 2000, and the
ceremony has since continued to
exceed its original expectations.
“It’s very gratifying to see that
it’s become what it should be,”
Greenwade said. “It has become
this celebration and this milestone
and I think it’s grown to more
than we ever thought it would be.
We thought it would be an excit
ing day for the students. I don’t
think we ever envisioned the mul
tiple generations that would come
together.”
Several changes will be in place
this year. The Ring Plaza will
only be open to the group receiv
ing their ring and the “on deck”
group, Greenwade said. The
Haynes Ring Replica will not
be available for photos on Friday.
There will also be three delivery
areas within the Alumni Center to
which students will be designated.
Greenwade said the changes were
made to better funnel students and
guests through the building.
“We had to make these changes
to be able to ensure
safe entry and exit
for everybody,”
Greenwade said.
“The crowd is get
ting so large that
we needed to put
those controls in
place.”
In the April order, the span of
class years among the rings is large.
The oldest ring in the order is a
1970, and the youngest is a 2018,
Greenwade said. For all years,
Greenwade said the significance
of Ring Day lies in part with the
fact that all Aggies receive similar
rings.
“My ring is not that much dif
ferent than my grandfather’s ring
was,” Greenwade said. “And it’s a
rite of passage when we earn our
ring. We now have earned the
right to wear the family crest. We
have a very visible representation
of Texas A&M that we wear, and
proudly wear.”
OTHER CAMPUSES
■ Galveston: 154
■ Qatar: 38
■ School of Law: 74
FILE
Cole Bedford (left) and Turner Larkins fist bump as Larkins
heads to the dugout.
Arkansas visits A&M team
that has yet to lose a series
By Andre Perrard
Texas A&M has not dropped
an SEC weekend series all
season, and this weekend the Ag
gies’ full attention will be on the
Arkansas Razorbacks, a team that
is starting to come together.
A&M and Arkansas are the
only two teams in the SEC to
have won each of their last three
conference series. Arkansas (22-
16, 7-8 SEC) won its last series
at Kentucky last weekend, and
comes in on a three-game win
ning streak.
Andrew Benintendi is the Ra-
zorback leader in the lineup, ac
cumulating 41 RBIs with a .356
average and 14 home runs to his
name. He is also a threat when on
the bases, going 15-for-18 in steal
attempts. Tyler Spoon is another
hitter to keep an eye on, with 32
RBIs and four home runs. The
combination of Spoon and Ben
intendi are hitting .464 with 23
RBIs in April.
For the Aggies (34-3, 11-3
SEC), Logan Taylor has been
one of the main offensive super-
stars. On Wednesday, Taylor’s
RBI single in the seventh inning
BASEBALL ON PG. 8
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vs ARKANSAS razorbacks
TONIGHT | 6:30pm I BLUE BELL PARK
SATURDAY | 7:30pm I BLUE BELL PARK
SUNDAY | 3:00pm I BLUE BELL PARK