It has been almost 17 years since the Fresno State baseball team and the Southeastern Conference (SEC)-member Texas A&M Aggies squared off. That was the first game of the 1997 NCAA Palo Alto Regional, and the Bulldogs won 2-1.
Tonight, the teams will face off in the first of a three-game nonconference set.
“The thing that will help keep these guys extra motivated is that you’re bringing in an SEC team and a ranked team,” said Fresno State head coach Mike Batesole. “Hopefully, we’ll approach it with that same intensity that we did last weekend.”
That intensity was shown during the Bulldogs’ three-game sweep of conference-foe Nevada. Fresno State catcher and designated hitter Taylor Ward, the Mountain West Player of the Week, went 7 for 18 with a home run, eight RBIs and four runs scored.
Ward attributes the sweep to the team’s pitching and offense.
“My accolades are no big deal,” Ward said. “What we’ve been doing on the field — making plays behind our pitchers and our hitters going on [base] in front of me — has been great.”
Both Ward and Taylor Woodward have alternated catching and designated hitting in the past few contests. Woodward is hitting .370 with six RBIs and a .444 slugging percentage.
“We’re very lucky that we have two front-running catchers,” Batesole said. “I can’t remember a year when we have two guys who are exceptional defensively and offensively.
“It seems like you usually have one guy who can do both, and a backup guy who’s either an offensive guy or very good defensively. I don’t see a reason to go with just one guy, so we’ll continue to alternate to keep them fresh. Maybe that’s why they’ve swung the bat so well.”
For Ward, there is a different approach to the game when only hitting than when faced with the responsibility of batting and catching.
“When I catch, I backup anything I can on defense and just be a leader out there,” Ward said. “When I’m hitting, I’m more focused into the pitcher than anything we’re really doing on defense.”
Scouting the Aggies
The Aggies are entering the contest with a 7-1 record and a three-game winning streak. Starting tonight’s contest will be junior righty Daniel Mengden (1-1, 1.38 ERA).
Four Texas A&M players are hitting .300 or better this season. Catcher Troy Stein leads the team at .348, infielder Hunter Melton and outfielder Jace Statum are batting .333 and Logan Nottebrook .300.
On the mound, Grayson Long leads pitchers with no runs allowed and a .149 opponent batting average. In two starts this season, he has only allowed seven hits and struck out nine.
Mengden has allowed eight hits and a .167 average. However, he leads his team in strikeouts (20) in 13 total innings pitched.
“He has an outstanding fastball and two outstanding breaking balls,” Batesole said. “That’s why he’s likely to be a first-round draft pick.”
Head coach Rob Childress, who has been at the helm since 2006, leads the Aggies. His has a 330-183-2 overall record.
No pressure on the field
The Bulldogs’ matchup against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners was postponed due to rain Wednesday. That gave Fresno State more time to prepare for the Aggies.
“You like to get your bats in,” Batesole said. “Now we’re going to go from Sunday to Friday. It’s not ideal, but they’ll get through it.”
However, the Bulldogs will come into the weekend set clearheadedly. It doesn’t matter what conference the Aggies are in, or the fact that they are the 18th-ranked team in the nation.
Fresno State will play the game as if it is “playing the same team [it] did last week,” Ward said.
“I learned that [the Aggies] are no different than we are,” he said. “We can easily go in there and sweep them. And they can do the same to us.
“I think whichever team comes out that day and does the best is going to win. It can go either way.”