I do. I've been to the last 3 games A&M has played in this Regional in College Station. A&M has 2 premier SP's Wacha and Stripling. Wacha only went 80-some pitches in the opening win last week, so he should be good to go today. Could also come w/ Stripling too. He pitched on Saturday last when he beat Seton Hall. In an elimination game, it's all hands on deck and I believe our deep pitching staff makes the difference.
This has been a season with ups and downs. Good stretches of baseball ... and some puzzling time frames as well (5 straight mid-week losses are still hard to explain ). After trying several different lineups , moving pitchers from the bullpen to the rotation and vice versa , we finally settled on a solid lineup, that paired well with our dominant weekend starting pitching . The pitching has been outstanding all season and put us in a position to have this Regional Final at Olsen Field.
Today's game will come down to someone stepping up that nobody was really thinking of last Thursday night .... before the Regional started. Some might say that Arizona got that performance Sunday night , from a seldom used reliever with an ERA of over 5 , shutting the Ags completely down for most of the game. Fair enough, but great teams ( teams that make it to Omaha ) have multiple guys that do this during the post season.
My prediction : this A&M team has stepped up all season long after failing. Even though losing Stilson (the ace) was a crushing blow, I still think they find a way to get it done. Arizona is a very good team that has played just as good as the Ags this weekend , save the 1 inning against Seton Hall, and played Sunday night very loose. They were aggressive at the plate, attacking fastballs, and finding all the holes ...but most importantly - putting the ball in play. They did not strike out once Sunday night. Keep an eye on that today, it will be an interesting part of the game. If you see them looking at strikes without swinging early .... it could be a sign of nerves .... and a good thing for the Ags. If not , we are in for a nail biter. In the end, I think our boys are going to get the job done ..... not sure how, just have a good feeling.
Hope ths helps.
My book didn't line this game for some reason, or I would put light/medium action on A&M, objectively. I think they take this one.
This has been a season with ups and downs. Good stretches of baseball ... and some puzzling time frames as well (5 straight mid-week losses are still hard to explain ). After trying several different lineups , moving pitchers from the bullpen to the rotation and vice versa , we finally settled on a solid lineup, that paired well with our dominant weekend starting pitching . The pitching has been outstanding all season and put us in a position to have this Regional Final at Olsen Field.
Today's game will come down to someone stepping up that nobody was really thinking of last Thursday night .... before the Regional started. Some might say that Arizona got that performance Sunday night , from a seldom used reliever with an ERA of over 5 , shutting the Ags completely down for most of the game. Fair enough, but great teams ( teams that make it to Omaha ) have multiple guys that do this during the post season.
My prediction : this A&M team has stepped up all season long after failing. Even though losing Stilson (the ace) was a crushing blow, I still think they find a way to get it done. Arizona is a very good team that has played just as good as the Ags this weekend , save the 1 inning against Seton Hall, and played Sunday night very loose. They were aggressive at the plate, attacking fastballs, and finding all the holes ...but most importantly - putting the ball in play. They did not strike out once Sunday night. Keep an eye on that today, it will be an interesting part of the game. If you see them looking at strikes without swinging early .... it could be a sign of nerves .... and a good thing for the Ags. If not , we are in for a nail biter. In the end, I think our boys are going to get the job done ..... not sure how, just have a good feeling.
Hope ths helps.
My book didn't line this game for some reason, or I would put light/medium action on A&M, objectively. I think they take this one.
