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Texas A&M Aggies vs Tennessee Volunteers Preview: Top 5 Showdown in Knoxville

No. 4 Texas A&M heads down to No. 2 Tennessee to finish out the regular SEC season in a 3-game thriller.
Olivia Sims|
Texas A&M coach Ress Heffley give infielder Rylen Wiggins (2) instructions at first base during the NCAA Regional game against the Texas Longhorns at Red Charline McCombs Field on Sunday, May 21, 2023 in Austin.
Texas A&M coach Ress Heffley give infielder Rylen Wiggins (2) instructions at first base during the NCAA Regional game against the Texas Longhorns at Red Charline McCombs Field on Sunday, May 21, 2023 in Austin. | Aaron E. Martinez / American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

No. 4 Texas A&M heads to No. 4 Tennessee to finish out the regular season before heading into the SEC tournament. The Aggies have been hot this year with an overall 41-8 record, 14-6 in the SEC.

After an incredible start to the SEC with series wins over Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Missouri, before going 1-3 in their last four games, losing the series finale against Missouri and the series against Arkansas.

After a 14-game win streak starting on March 23, the Aggies got run-ruled in the series finale against Mizzou, 1-9 and they couldn't seem to get back on track. A midweek win over Louisiana gave the Aggies and 12th Man some hope, before a tough Arkansas team came to town and took the series two games to one.

A&M heads to Knoxville to take on an impressive Tennessee team, ranking number two in the nation with a 39-11 record overall, and a 14-7 record in the SEC. The Lady Vols have been trending up recently with series wins over then-No. 1 Texas and then-No. 2 Oklahoma.

Texas A&M Aggies infielder Koko Wooley (3) bobbles a ground ball.
May 10, 2024; Auburn, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies infielder Koko Wooley (3) bobbles a ground ball against the Florida Gators at Jane B. Moore Field. Mandatory Credit: Julie Bennett-Imagn Images | Julie Bennett-Imagn Images

Tennessee has a dominate player, redshirt sophomore Taylor Pannell who ranks top 10 in the SEC this season in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, hits, homeruns and RBIs. Pannell has started in all 50 games for the Lady Vols, and will continue to thrive as she is batting .421 in SEC play for the season.

Another key player for the Lady Vols is junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens who has an impressive 11-3 record with a 1.25 ERA. Similarly, Emiley Kennedy, star Aggie pitcher has compiled a 17-4 record with a 2.71 ERA.

The series will be a hard fight from Thursday through Saturday, making it anyone's game, depending on who gets the bats swinging first, hard and consistently.

Game 1 is set for Thursday May 1st at 5 p.m.

Published
Olivia Sims
OLIVIA SIMS

Olivia Sims is an ambitious writer covering for Texas A&M Aggies on SI. Olivia is a junior communications student at Texas A&M, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree and a certificate in social media. Olivia was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, into a diehard sports family where she grew up going to Spring Training for baseball each year and spending endless Saturdays on the couch watching college football. Her love for covering A&M athletics comes from the dedicated sports fan she is, as well as the love and respect she has for A&M as a whole.

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