Armed For Omaha

Column by Rusty Burson
12th Man Magazine

Twenty years ago this month, one of the best Texas A&M baseball teams in school history began a remarkable run to No. 1. Ten years later, another great A&M team began a memorable and magical journey to Omaha.

This year, the Aggies will mark those anniversaries by fielding what could be the school’s best team ever.

Seriously folks. The 2009 Aggies are not merely capable of making it to the College World Series; they are capable of dog-piling on the spongy infield grass of Rosenblatt Stadium and painting Omaha maroon.

Repeat after me: The Aggies are legitimate national title contenders.

That sounds sweeter than a double butterscotch milkshake at Zesto’s, the famous dairy-whip stand across from the parking lot of Rosenblatt.

The current team will probably not produce outlandish offensive numbers of the ’89 or ’99 squads. The ’89 Aggies, for example, scored 635 runs—119 more than last year’s solid offensive team. And the ’99 Aggies blasted 125 home runs—37 more than any other team in school history.

The hearts of those lineups were phenomenal, feared and freakishly good. John Byington, Terry Taylor, Chuck Knoblauch and Eric Albright were absolute mashers in ’89. John Scheschuk, Daylan Holt, Dell Lindsey and Steven Truitt turned Olsen Field into a launching pad in 1999.

Led by centerfielder Kyle Colligan and first baseman Luke Anders, the 2009 Aggies appear to be an extremely solid offensive team that will test and torment opponents. Brodie Greene, Kevin Gonzalez, Nick Fleece and Nick Anders will also provide plenty of firepower for third base coach Matt Deggs, who specializes in creating chaos on the base paths and forcing foes into mistakes.

It should be a productive and entertaining offense. But offense is not the reason that this team will start the season ranked No. 1 nationally by Baseball America. Unlike the ’89 and ’99 teams, these Aggies are not built around offense.

The top three reasons this could be the best team in country and the best in A&M history are:

1. Pitching.
2. Pitching.
3. More pitching.

Last year, the Aggies won 46 games. This year, A&M returns pitchers who were responsible for 41 of those victories—89 percent of them.

The entire weekend rotation from last year—Friday starter Brooks Raley (7-2, 4.76 ERA), Saturday starter Barret Loux (6-2, 4.18 ERA) and Sunday starter Clayton Ehlert (6-2, 3.41 ERA)—is back. So are the top relievers: Kyle Thebeau (6-5, 2.12 ERA), Travis Starling (8-2, 3.70 ERA, nine saves), Scott Migl (3-3, 4.26 ERA), Shane Minks (4-1, 3.27 ERA) and Hank Robertson (1-0, 3.75 ERA).

Then there are youngsters like freshmen Denny Clement and Ross Hales, both of whom may prove to have “weekend stuff.”

The wildcard may be Alex Wilson, Baseball America’s 2006 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year at Winthrop. Wilson turned down a significant, six-figure contract offer from the Chicago Cubs last summer because he believes he can be better than a 10th-round draft pick. He also believes this team has national title talent.

Wilson dazzled scouts in the Cape Cod League last summer with his 98 mph fastball. He’s also proven in tough venues. He baffled some of the best teams in college baseball as a true freshman in 2006, beating nationally ranked Miami, Alabama, Clemson and Coastal Carolina on their home fields.

But here’s the true indication of just how good the A&M staff is in 2009: Wilson is not a lock to be a weekend starter.

“When you look at it on paper, the rotation that Coach (Rob) Childress has put together is really amazing,” said former A&M pitcher Mark Thurmond. “They obviously have to go out and prove that they are as good as they look on paper, but based on what I know, I think it could very well be the deepest pitching staff we’ve ever had.”

Thurmond was an anchor on an amazing staff in the late 1970s. He and teammate Mark Ross still hold the record for most career wins at A&M with 34 each from 1976-79. Thurmond, who would go on to start the first game of the 1984 World Series for the San Diego Padres, also holds A&M records for most career shutouts (11), lowest career conference ERA (1.61) and most complete conference games in a career (20).

“Those were obviously much different times,” Thurmond said. “Back then, (former A&M head coach) Tom Chandler would hand you the ball to start the game and say, ‘I’ll see you when the game is over.’ We didn’t have the closers and situational guys that you see today. So, we were certainly not as deep as these guys are today.

“Coach Childress has done an amazing job of grooming these guys, teaching the guys how to pitch and building the entire staff. It sure looks like the kind of staff that can get you to Omaha and keep you there.”

Trey Moore, the owner of Extra Innings baseball training center off of Highway 30 in College Station, knows something about taking a team to Omaha. In 1993, Moore and Jeff Granger headlined a stellar staff that helped A&M win 53 games and make it to the CWS.

During the season, Moore went 12-0 with a 2.77 ERA, while Granger went 15-3 with a 2.62 ERA. The ’93 Aggies also featured some impressive depth behind the top two weekend starters. Kelly Wunsch went 7-2 with a 4.45 ERA, while Brian Parker, Chris Clemons and John Codrington combined for 15 more wins.

The ’93 team is the last A&M squad to win a game at the CWS. Moore says he hopes that streak comes to an end this year, and he believes this staff is capable of making its own history.

“It will be a lot easier five years from now to rate this staff against all he others in A&M’s past—once the dust has all settled and we’re able to see how they did and how far the team went,” Moore said. “But I can tell you that I believe Rob Childress has a really nice problem on his hands right now. There is going to be some serious scrutiny and competition for every inning. If someone has a bad start or two he could quickly find himself at the end of the bench.

“It remains to be seen if some of those guys can take the next step to go from good pitchers to elite pitchers. But just in terms of pure depth, this is a pretty unique situation. You can imagine a lot of possibilities with a staff like this.”

I, for one, can imagine the 2009 Aggies earning a top eight national seed, hosting a Regional and then hosting the Super Regional.

A&M has played in three Super Regionals since last making it to the College World Series in 1999. All were on the road, and they all ended in agonizing losses.

In any one of those years—2004 at LSU and 2007 and ’08 at Rice—the Aggies only needed a couple of breaks to reach Omaha. But at that time of the year and in those tension-packed moments, the home team usually receives the breaks.

Clearly, the road to Omaha is far less menacing the longer you can stay at home. And with this staff, the Aggies should have an outstanding opportunity to be a top eight national seed.

In each of those years where A&M reached the Super Regionals but failed to advance to Omaha, you can look back at losses on Sundays or weekdays that proved to be extremely costly to A&M’s national seeding.

Hopefully, that won’t be an issue this year. No matter who emerges at the top of the rotation, the Aggies will be sending weekend-caliber pitching to the mound every time they take the field.

Obviously, there are no guarantees in baseball. You can have a super staff and not even make it to the postseason. The 1990 Aggies, for example, produced a team ERA of 2.80. Rich Robertson went 10-1 with a 1.77 ERA and Kerry Freudenberg was 7-1 with a 1.51 ERA. Ronnie Allen, Pat Sweet, Jason Bullard, Brent Gilbert, Bo Siberz, Steve Hughes and Sean Lawrence all produced impressive numbers, as well.

But the ’90 Aggies couldn’t hit and dropped five of their final six games. A&M didn’t even make it to the Regional round.

That isn’t likely to happen to the 2009 team. While there are some offensive holes to fill with the departure of Dane Carter, Jose Duran and Blake Stouffer, this team is still quite explosive.

And with the depth of this staff, if the Aggies have a lead in the fifth or sixth inning, you might as well turn out the lights.

This is an extraordinary staff. It’s also quite easy to imagine this being the most exceptional season in the history of Texas A&M baseball

Containing Abrams

Came across this recently and thought folks might enjoy giving it a look.

Seems like the Aggies have played AJ Abrams as well as anyone over the years. The junior from Round Rock was certainly flustered throughout Monday's game.

Here is a run down of Abrams' last four games against A&M. Keep in mind that Abrams is averaging 17 points per game this year and shooting just shy of 40 percent:

2008: 8, 9 points (combined 5-for-21 from field--23.4 percent)
2009: 9, 7 points (combined 6-for-22 from field--27.2 percent)

Abrams has fared much better against other Big 12 South squads.

vs. OU: 15.7 points per game
vs. OSU: 11.7 ppg
vs. Texas Tech: 13 ppg
vs. Baylor: 17.3 ppg

OSU has defended Abrams pretty consistently, allowing him into double figures only once. Still, no team has kept him in check quite like the Aggies.

High Intensity On Tap For Saturday

A few words of advice to anyone who has a ticket but is considering skipping out on Saturday’s A&M-Baylor basketball game: Don’t. You. Dare.

Sure, this year’s Waco version of the Battle of the Brazos appears to lack the same pizzazz and fanfare that surrounded the 2008 contest, but both teams have no choice but to bring their best games into the Farrell Center this weekend. Take an already emotional series, add in two teams scrambling for their postseason lives, plus two fan bases eager to hold bragging rights over the other until next year, and the stage is set for an all-out dogfight.

Each team certainly brought all the emotions it could muster last year. If someone had lit a fuse anywhere in the vicinity of the Ferrell Center last March, there’s a good chance the building wouldn’t be standing there today.

Last year’s powder keg began brewing during pre-game warm-ups when Baylor students ruthlessly taunted Texas A&M’s players and coaches. The hysteria nearly reached a full-fledged riot after A&M’s Donald Sloan put his emphatic stamp on the Aggie victory during the waning seconds of the game with his one-handed, throw-it-off-the-backboard slam.

In the end, though, the Aggies walked out of Waco with a big 71-57 win and an eventual spot in the NCAA Tournament. This go-round, however, includes two squads mired in a Big 12 funk. The Aggies are 3-6 in conference play while Baylor has lost six straight to fall to 3-7.

A&M claimed the early-season meeting between the two squads with an 84-73 victory—certainly not the five OT affair the two had in College Station last year—and neither fan base appears particularly giddy about Saturday’s 5 p.m. game.

Since 2004, though, A&M and Baylor have waged some classics. Each game in Waco has come down to the final moments, catapulting this into perhaps the most under-rated rivalry in the Big 12.

Indeed, the Ferrell Center will be hopping on Saturday, particularly in the wake of last year’s uber-intense Sloan-dow—err showdown.

“I’m pretty sure they’re going to have something in store for me,” Sloan said on Wednesday. “Whether it be signs, chanting, whatever. Baylor has had a bad stretch, so they’ll (really want to start a good run against us). It’s an important game for us and an important game for them.”

Anyone who expects Saturday’s game to be more pillow fight than slugfest should look no further than January’s meeting at Reed Arena. Baylor entered with a 13-2 record, but A&M took it to the Bears early and often in a game that featured its share of hard fouls and tough play. And, with both squads currently in full-on scramble mode, all signs point to a no-holds-barred showdown on tap Saturday.

Sloan’s dunk from a year ago, after which officials ended the game early as Dr Pepper bottles rained down on the court, remains a hot topic between fans from both schools.

“I’m sure a lot of people didn’t like it.” Sloan said. “I figure (if our fans) had been out there in that atmosphere and going through everything that was going on, they probably would have done the same thing. When you think about it, there’s really nothing else you can do (during a game) that wouldn’t get you in trouble. That was maybe the only thing I could have done that would have made me feel good and my teammates feel good without anybody getting in trouble.”

Hopefully, this year’s contest will be debris-free. It will certainly be worth price of admission.


photo above from Aggieland Illustrated--what a great shot

Weekend By The Numbers

6 – Field goals in the first half of the men’s basketball game against Kansas State, A&M’s lowest offensive output in Big 12 play this year. The Aggies had seven field goals in the first half at Kansas on Jan. 19.

2-8 — The Big 12 South’s record against the Big 12 North in men’s basketball games played since Jan. 31. Oklahoma is the only South squad to win a game against the North, going 2-0 in that span. Texas, meanwhile, is 0-3, with two losses coming at home.

43 – Margin of victory for the women’s basketball team against Nebraska on Sunday. It was A&M’s largest margin of victory ever in a Big 12 game.

28 – Turnovers forced by the Aggie defense against the Huskers, the most turnovers by Nebraska this season.

61.0 – Shooting percentage by A&M against Nebraska, the team’s highest of the year. It was the Aggies best shooting night since connecting on 63.8 percent against McNeese State on Nov. 21, 2006.

7 – Home runs by the softball team during its weekend tournament. The Aggies went 3-1 to claim the tourney title, outscoring the opposition 22-4.

1-1 – Weekend record for the women’s tennis team, which played Friday and Saturday matches against SEC schools ranked in the top 25. A&M captured a 5-2 win against No. 25 Auburn on Friday before dropping a tough, 4-3 decision to LSU on Sunday.

Bubble Notes Heading Into The Weekend

It seems like everyone has their own version of an NCAA Tournament Bubble Guide these days, so here’s my stab at one that is centered around what Aggie fans should keep their eyes on in the coming days.

Big 12 Teams We Want To Win
Kansas vs. Oklahoma State, 2:30 p.m. in Lawrence – Both Kansas and Texas can help the Aggies cause by getting home wins in the next few days against the Cowboys, who are currently 3-4 in the Big 12. If OSU drops both games, it’ll have nine total losses, with games against Baylor, Texas, Kansas State and @ Oklahoma remaining.

Texas Tech vs. Baylor, 7 p.m. in Lubbock – Yes, nobody ever wants the Red Raiders to win, but they can do the Aggies a big favor by upending reeling Baylor at home. The Bears have gone from almost a guaranteed lock to a team on the ropes after losing four in a row. Plus, with Tech having an RPI outside the top 100, a loss in Lubbock would give Baylor a black eye on its resume.

Random Team To Root For
Tulsa @ Memphis, 7 p.m. on Wednesday – It’s not a weekend game, but Tulsa currently represents A&M’s poorest loss, according to the RPI rankings. It seems like Memphis, RPI No. 11, hasn’t lost a Conference USA game since Clinton was in office, but Tulsa lost by only one point in the first meeting between the two. A win by the Golden Hurricane on Wednesday would likely give A&M’s computer numbers a nice bump.

Random Team To Root Against
Siena @ Rider, noon on Saturday – Nothing personal against the Siena Saints, but they have a pretty good profile right now (RPI No. 21) and are off to a 12-0 start in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. If Siena runs the table in the regular season but gets upset in the MAA conference tournament, there’s a pretty good chance it’ll still make the NCAA Tournament. That would mean one less at-large spot to go around. For fans of bubble-residing teams like A&M, seeing Siena get nicked a time or two can’t hurt.

Weekend By The Numbers

165 – Career three-pointers for senior Takia Starks. Starks’ three against Kansas tied her with former All-American Lisa Branch for the all-time A&M lead.

3 – Consecutive games in which the women’s basketball team has allowed seven or less field goals in the second half. The Aggies allowed just four to Oklahoma State on Jan. 24, seven to Texas on Jan. 28 and six to Kansas on Jan. 31.

20 – Games in a row in which B.J. Holmes has made at least one three-pointer. Holmes’ streak is the third longest in school history.

32-4 – A&M’s record under Mark Turgeon when the team makes at least 45 percent from the field.

17 – Points by Josh Carter against Oklahoma State, a big-time turnaround from being held scoreless in Stillwater on Jan. 10.

6.59 – School-record mark in the 60 meters by Gerald Phiri, set in the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium during the Texas A&M Showdown on Saturday. Phiri also earned the previous school record, clocking 6.64 twice last year.

1 – Porscha Lucas’ place on the world and collegiate list this year in the 200 meters. Lucas clocked a 23.39 over the weekend to take over the world lead by one one-hundredth of a second.

10 – Ranking for the softball team in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll. The Aggies are one of three Big 12 squads, with No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 19 Missouri also appearing.

Ags To Riches -- PART FOUR

The following in as in-depth look at the meteoric rise of the Texas A&M women’s basketball program. This 12th Man Foundation exclusive is the last in a four-part series, which originally appeared in the January issue of 12th Man Magazine.


ELITE EIGHT AND THE FUTURE

By the time A’Quonesia Franklin, Morenike Atunrase and Patrice Reado had reached their senior seasons, the secret was out about Texas A&M. The Aggies opened the year a school-record 11th in The Associated Press poll, and the league coaches responded by predicting another conference crown for Gary Blair’s bunch.

After an early Big 12 season swoon (four losses in the first five games) threatened to derail their season, the Aggies responded with one of the best closing runs ever put together by an A&M team. Blair issued a challenge to his seniors that their careers would soon be over if they didn’t pick things up in a hurry.

The team quickly pushed their record to 5-4 and then exploded after a road loss at top-10 Oklahoma. In the final six regular season games, no opponent scored more than 59 points against the Aggies suddenly overwhelming defense. A&M piled up an average margin of victory of 14 points in the final six regular season games, and, in case anyone had counted the team out, proved their mettle by wrapping the season with convincing decisions over No. 17 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Baylor and No. 10 Oklahoma.

The swagger was back, and three more wins in the Big 12 Tournament meant the team had made good on the preseason prognostications. A&M players and coaches celebrated the school’s first-ever Big 12 Tournament title in style as streamers and confetti fell in after the Aggies won a classic in the finals against Oklahoma State.

The selection committee took notice, seeding A&M second in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Two more dominating wins by an average of 31.5 points sent the Aggies to the Sweet 16. There, they crunched big-talking Duke to mark the first Elite Eight appearance in school history.

True to form, A&M sucked high-flying Tennessee into a grind-it-out slugfest. Despite holding a five-point advantage with 6:17 to play, the Lady Vols eventually wore down the Aggies. Tennessee picked up a 53-45 win and won their eighth national title one week later.

By the time the dust settled, it almost seemed appropriate the most dominant program in women’s college basketball had eliminated the Aggies. It was coach Pat Summitt and her dozen McDonald’s All-Americans versus Gary Blair and his band of scrappers, who had clawed the A&M program out from basketball purgatory and fought for every bit of credibility it had earned. It certainly wasn’t an official changing of the guard, but it loudly announced that the Aggies wouldn’t back down from any opponent.


After a record 29 wins last year, the team has already set another school record this season, ascending to a No. 3 national ranking and finishing non-conference play with a 13-1 mark. The Aggies currently sit at 16-3 (4-2 Big 12) after smashing top-20 Texas in Austin on Wednesday night.

Blair is now in his sixth season as the team’s coach, and the statistics bear out how far the program has come. From 2001-03, A&M was 35-50 overall and 10-38 in conference. In the last three-and-a-half years, the Aggies are 93-27 overall and 39-15 against the Big 12.

“It’s probably as impressive of a turnaround in as quick a time as I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been covering women’s basketball for more than 20 years,” said ESPN.com writer Mechelle Voepel, a 20-year veteran of writing about women’s basketball. “It’s not just because of how well they’re doing now. When you put it in perspective of how much the program was an non-factor just in the Big 12 South—they really had a lot of ladders to climb.”

Recruiting has continued to pick up, and the most recent signing class included four players all ranked in the national top 100, and the coaching staff still has an open scholarship spot to fill. Add that to the recent signings of junior college All-American Tanisha Smith and McDonald’s All-American Tyra White and A&M certainly appears to have some staying power.

“I want kids who want to win championships,” Blair said. “I want kids who want to win the Big 12 regular season, the Big 12 Tournament and then the NCAA championship. I want kids who want to go to the next level, whether it’s the WNBA or working on their MBA. If a kid starts a major that is more difficult, I want them to finish that degree because that means I have a better chance that they will finish for me on the basketball court because they have high expectations.”

Further, Reed Arena has seen an almost 340 percent increase in attendance from 2003 to the current season, which is sure to grow after Big 12 play brings larger crowds. Fans are even showing up in droves at road games to support the team.

“Our first (non-conference) tournament we ever played after we came here was at Boston College, and we didn’t have a single parent or fan go with us,” remembered Blair. “We offered the tour to the Maroon Club and not a single person went. Now, people are lining up to go with us.

“When we go on the road, the Aggie clubs and Aggies everywhere come to see us play. We’re really starting to bring a following of fans who live in the area, and that’s fun.”

The team is slated to see plenty more exposure as Big 12 play progresses this year. Six of their league games are scheduled for television, with the highlight being the ESPN2 Big Monday home game with Oklahoma on Feb. 23.


The Big 12 received high marks through the early portion of the regular season, with seven teams in the top 25 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Four of those (Oklahoma, Baylor, A&M and Texas) were in the top 12 as recently as two weeks ago, making the league perhaps the most top-heavy it’s ever been. The big difference these days, though, is that the Aggies are squarely in the mix of deciding who will be the conference’s top team for the foreseeable future.

And as is the case in so many sports, if you can win a Big 12 championship, then you can compete for a NCAA championship.

Which brings the story back to Lubbock (see Part One from Tuesday). The bane of so many A&M sports teams may again play a pivotal role in the women’s basketball team’s resurgence. This year, Texas Tech will be hosting first and second round NCAA Tournament games. Since it’s the closest host site to many Big 12 schools, it seems logical that the league’s best squad will be rewarded with the relatively short trek west.

Only time will tell if it will be the Aggies.

This much is certain, however: It once seemed laughable that A&M could contend for and win a Big 12 title. The Aggies have done that twice, so could the greatest prize in women’s college basketball be in the school’s future? The mere thought of that would have been considered lunacy six years ago, but it doesn’t seem so far-fetched now.

“National titles are hard to come by, and they don’t come easy,” said former assistant media relations director Steve Miller. “Will they win a national title? Yeah, they just might do it. But, if they don’t, I guarantee you they’ll have played for it or been in a Final Four. Everything is in place. The right coaches are here, the right players are here, and the fans are coming out in greater numbers every game. Why not Texas A&M?”