Preview: Can Texas A&M Pick Up A Series Win Over Auburn?

The Aggies head to Auburn to take on the Tigers in a three-game series starting Thursday night.

The Achilles heel for Texas A&M baseball this season has been its starting pitching. Entering the weekend, it’s like looking in a mirror when talking about Auburn. 

The Tigers have used 11 different starting pitchers this season in their weekend rotation. Currently, they lead the SEC in most hits allowed with 285 and rank third in earned runs with 172. 

The Aggies have little room to boast as the Saturday and Sunday spots in the weekend rotation remain a constant carousel of concerns. Initial starters Troy Wansing and Chris Cortez have been relegated to the midweek role and bullpen, respectively. 

Entering a three-game series on The Plains, A&M manager Jim Schlossnagle has yet to name a starter for Saturday's series finale. 

While A&M is riding high on a two-game win streak, anything can change at the drop of a hat. Auburn still has a chance to make a push as an SEC contender, but it all boils down to the first five innings. 

It's why starting pitching will more than likely dictate the outcome of A&M's road trip to Plainsman Park. Whichever rotation delivers the bigger punch will probably walk away with a series victory. 

Nathan Dettmer will get the call Thursday night for the series opener while Justin Lamkin is set to take the hill Friday. Lampkin, a left-hander, showed promise coming out of the pen, but left little to be desired in his first two starts, giving up 12 runs on 14 hits, and three homers across 7.1 innings.

A&M hasn't had a starting pitcher pick up a win since Wansing's outing against Northern Kentucky in early March. Dettmer has been the most consistent pitcher, but a bad inning or two has not only cost him the victory, but also several extra innings of work. 

Schlossnagle might be willing to mix things up on Saturday to keep pace in the SEC West standings. Junior Evan Aschenbeck could be on call after his weekend dominance against Ole Miss. The same could be said for sophomore Josh Stewart, the equalizer in Tuesday's 10-9 win over Texas State. 

“He’s definitely climbed on the travel list for sure,” Schlossnagle said of Stewart's future in the lineup. “He’s earned it.”

Everything being criticized on the Aggies could be duplicated when discussing the Tigers. Will Cannon, the projected Thursday stater, holds a team-low 2.88 ERA, but also recently made the jump from the pen to the rotation. Tommy Vail, the team's most consistent starter, has struggled with command, allowing 13 runs on 11 hits in his previous three starts. 

If the Tigers struggle to find the strike zone, A&M could tee off like Sam Bennett playing in The Masters. Hunter Haas and Jack Moss lead the Aggies in batting average at .369 and .368, respectively. Haas, a transfer from Arizona State and Moss' former Sun Devil teammate, leads A&M in hits (44) and runs scored (28). Moss, who currently is on a 15-game hitting streak, ranks second in both categories and has 24 RBIs on the year. 

The heart of the lineup has found its juice since the return of senior outfielder Brett Minnich. After missing five weeks with a broken hand, Minnich has been consistent at the plate, going 5-of-18 with three home runs and five RBIs. Ryan Targac, Jace LaViolette and Jordan Thompson, the No.4, 5, and 7 hitters, all homered during the weekend series against Ole Miss. 

On the flip side, Auburn possesses one of the best power hitters in baseball with Bryson Ware. The senior ranks fifth nationally in home runs with 14 and posts a .391 batting average. The Tigers also have Ike Irish, Cole Foster and Chris Stanfield all batting over 300.

Irish, a 6-2 freshman from Michigan, leads the team in extra-base hits (19) and ranks second in RBIs (31) and slugging percentage (.622). 

First pitch Thursday is slated for 7 p.m. 

The Aggies return to the diamond for a 6 p.m. start time on Friday against Auburn and close the road trip with a 3:30 p.m. first pitch Saturday afternoon. 

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