Pitching Will Play Pivotal Role For Aggies In Stanford Regional
Jim Schlossnagle has been around baseball long enough to know what works and what fails. For most of the regular season, the downfall of Texas A&M was its pitching.
Since their season finale win over Mississippi State, that's been the Aggies' calling card. Strikeouts, induced grounders and popouts with runners in scoring position have carried a program that thought it was on the verge of missing this year's NCAA Tournament.
Can it carry over into Palo Alto Friday night? Schlossnagle isn't hoping for swings and misses to fall in his favor at Sunken Diamond. He knows it's non-negotiable.
“You better throw strikes, and you better handle the ball,” Schlossnagle said Thursday about facing Cal State Fullerton.
A&M enters the Stanford Regional as the second seed following its improbable run through the SEC Tournament. Sure, balls flew off bats and landed the right spots to lead the Aggies to the conference tournament finals, but pitching prevailed at the right time to keep postseason aspirations alive.
The combination of Troy Wansing and Justin Lampkin's one-hit outings in wins over Tennessee and South Carolina set the tone throughout the Aggies' tenure in Hoover. Wansing flirted with a no-hitter entering the sixth inning against the Vols' hot-shot offense before allowing a leadoff single. Lampkin made it through four frames before a single ended his perfect game.
Lefty Will Johnston will start Friday against the Titans, giving Wansing, Lampkin or right-hander Nathan Dettmer time to prepare for Saturday's matchup against either Stanford or San Jose State in what could be an elimination game. Johnston, A&M's primary closer, didn't have the same type of dominance as the two other pitchers, but he only allowed three runs and struck out seven Tigers in six innings during A&M’s 5-4 upset over LSU.
From starters to the bullpen, A&M's pitching has been on point over the past two weeks. The Aggies posted a 5.73 ERA throughout the regular season and only had five instances where starting pitching lasted six or more innings. In Hoover, the staff posted an ERA of 2.35. Starting pitching finished with even better numbers, holding a .99 ERA.
“The team is in a really good spot," Schlossnagle said. "We played nine SEC games in 11 days, and we were 6-3 in those nine games. And all of them close. So really proud of the way our guys played, especially with the way they handled the emotions of the very first game."
Pitching is promising for the Aggies entering the weekend. It's also potent for the Titans. Cal State Fullerton posts the lowest team ERA (4.96) and the lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.15) among teams in the Stanford Regional. Junior left-hander Tyler Stultz (7-4, 4.53 ERA) will get the call for the Titans, meaning both Evan Yates (2-2, 3.57 ERA) and Jojo Ingrassia (2.63 ERA) could be made available from the pen.
Neither roster is without its faults, but the Titans' ability to reach base (.371 on-base percentage) could be the difference in playing early Saturday afternoon or later into the night. Cal State Fullerton makes up for its lack of power with its ability to win with contact, posting a .274 batting average and finishing the season with 505 hits.
The Titans are also known for their ability to lay down a well-timed bunt to move runners into scoring position.
“The good bunts, no one is getting you out," Schlossnalge said of Cal State Fullerton's situational hitting. "That is fine. Eat it. But the bad bunts, those can be four to five easy outs in a game if you just handle the ball. But with all of this foul territory, you can throw one away and now you are starting to worry about that."
While the Aggies are playing their best ball heading into the tournament, one turbulent night on the mound could instantly sour the season. A&M had multiple chances during conference games to pick up compelling wins, but the inability to close out innings left the program scratching at the door of the SEC Tournament for a shot at the national circuit.
Confidence remains high for the weak point of A&M's roster. If it remains at the peak, the Aggies could expect to be in control against the Titans. If it begins to dwindle, anything can happen.
Much like Schossnagle, Wansing is expecting the former to happen.
"The guy that goes out there first and sets the tone is huge," said Wansing on starting Friday off with promising pitching. "It doesn't have to be me. It can be anybody."
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