Spring Break
Armed and ready
Michael Sullivan
By: Michael Sullivan
Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: News
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What the position players left behind was the reason Baseball America gave A&M its preseason No. 1 national ranking, a veteran pitching staff that led the Aggies to the Rice Super Regional in 2008.
The 2009 Aggie pitching staff accounted for 41 of A&M's 46 wins in 2008. Aggie Head Coach Rob Childress returned all his weekend starters and two of the top relievers in the nation while adding a healing transfer with a high-90s fastball.
When the scouts show up to Olsen Field during the season, radar guns will be pointed at newcomer Alex Wilson, a transfer from Winthrop University.
Wilson arrived at A&M in 2008, but redshirted after having Tommy John surgery. Though Wilson did not throw a pitch during the season, the Chicago Cubs selected him in the 10th round of the 2008 MLB draft. He did not receive the offer he wanted from the Cubs and decided to return to A&M for his junior season.
"I knew we had the talent coming back," Wilson said. "It was a no brainer to come back here to Aggieland to get a chance to play in front of these fans."
As a freshman in 2008, sophomore Brooks Raley made his Aggie debut against Rutgers on March 8, 2008. The 6-foot-3-inch southpaw threw seven scoreless innings in a 2-1 win.
After the performance, Raley worked under the Friday night lights of Olsen Field for the remainder of the season. He racked up a team-best 7-2 record in a team-high 92.2 innings of work and was a freshman All-American selection.
"I am just going to go in every day and go pitch by pitch," Raley said. "I have to do my job on the mound and if everyone else does what they can to go in the right direction, then we will be successful."
Another freshman All-American selection, sophomore Barrett Loux, was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 24th round after high school. Loux turned down the chance to play professional baseball and joined A&M.
Loux made his presence known on Saturdays, starting alongside Raley in the weekend rotation.
Loux led the team with 16 starts, piling up a team-high 81 strikeouts in 90.1 innings of work. The sophomore will return as a weekend starter in his second season with the Aggies.
"You always want to have the lowest amount of walks in the Big 12," Loux said. "Once you do that, you are going to be successful."
When Childress walks to the mound to relieve his starting pitchers, he will hand the ball to a pitcher with 79 appearances in the previous three years, senior Kyle Thebeau.
Thebeau struck out 79 batters in 2008 while maintaining the second best ERA in the Big 12 at 2.12. The San Diego Padres drafted Thebeau in the ninth round after his junior season.
Thebeau turned away the opportunity and opted for a chance to make it to the College World Series and to complete a petroleum engineering degree at A&M.
"[I came back] to do what I feel like I haven't been able to do here," Thebeau said. "I want to get to Omaha and win a National Championship. I love being a student here and I am really big on getting my degree. It is important that I get my education. I needed to come back."
When the game is on the line, or a save opportunity, Childress will give the ball to junior closer Travis Starling.
Starling received preseason All-Big 12 relief pitcher honors before 2009. As a sophomore, Starling appeared in 28 games, all out of the bullpen, recording nine saves and an 8-2 record.
Though Starling said he enjoys the respect of being ranked one of the top teams in the country, he is focused on accomplishing the goals and high expectations of the 2009 team.
"No one expects as much as we do," Starling said. "We all expect to be in Omaha and we expect to win. The 2009 team has yet to play a game, it is great to be respected, but at the same time [preseason rankings] are not that big of a deal."
The pitching staff and the rest of the 2009 Aggie baseball team will take the field for the first time Friday to start a four-game weekend series against Wright State.
Opening Weekend 2009
Texas A&M vs. Wright State at Olsen Field
Game 1
Friday at 6:35 p.m.
Game 2
Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
Game 3
Saturday at 4:05 p.m.
Game 4
Sunday at 12:05 p.m.
Check out
thebatt.com during the weekend for coverage of the first three games of the series.
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