Getting to Know the Texas A&M Aggies

As announced on ESPN's Selection Show this morning, the Beavers will travel to Fort Worth, Texas to play in a regional that features (1) TCU, (2) Texas A&M, and (4) Wright State. We'll take a look at each team in the coming hours, beginning with Oregon State's Friday opponent, Texas A&M. 

The Aggies finished the year at 36-22 overall and 16-14 in the Big 12 conference. The Big 12 got a all-time record eight teams into the field of 64, beating the previous record of seven teams in 2006. For Texas A&M, it's their third staright regional bid, and their 21st ever appearance in regional play. 

The Aggies have an accumulative team batting average of .297, and have hit 80 home runs this season. They're led at the play by junior shortstop Brodie Green, who is hitting .351 with 11 home runs. Sophomore third baseman Caleb Shofner is hitting .333, senior first-baseman Luke Anders is hitting .297, and senior centerfielder Kyle Colligan leads the team with 14 home runs, and is tied for fourth in the Big 12 conference.

On the mound, Texas A&M is led by sophomore left-hander Brooks Raley, who is 7-2 on the year with a 3.74 ERA. He's been struggling as of late, and has made 14 starts on the year. Junior righthander Alex Wilson is 6-6 in 8 starts, and freshman left-hander Ross Hales is 6-2 in his nine starts. 

The Aggies are coached by Rob Childress, who is 153-89 all time in his fourth year at Texas A&M. 

"Opening with Oregon State is going to be a great challenge," Childress said. "They won back-to-back national championships and they have a lot of tradition up there. There will be some familiar faces in the lineup on both sides (from 2007), and it ought to be a great game. We're looking forward to it."

We'll continue to profile the three other teams in the Fort Worth Regional throughout the day. 

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)