HawgBeat - Comparing Arkansas and Texas A&M ahead of top-5 showdown
Comparing No. 3 Arkansas and No. 5 Texas A&M ahead of this weekend's series in College Station.
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The No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks (42-10, 19-8 SEC) will close out the regular season with a top-5 road series against No. 5 Texas A&M (42-10, 17-10 SEC) at Blue Bell Park in College Station, Texas.
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn and his squad will be looking for a second straight SEC regular season championship after the Diamond Hogs won a share of the title with a 20-10 conference record last season. Kentucky is one game up on Arkansas and Tennessee in the league standings entering the weekend.
RELATED: Arkansas going with different starting rotation at Texas A&M
Led by third-year head coach Jim Schlossnagle, the Aggies are two games behind the Razorbacks in the SEC Western Division standings, meaning a series sweep for Texas A&M would give them the division title over the Arkansas.
It's also worth noting that the teams are playing for the final SEC West title as the league's getting rid of divisions next season with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma.
"It’s the two teams at the top playing each other last day," Van Horn said Wednesday. "It’s difficult we’re on the road, playing in a really difficult place to win if you are the visiting team and they’ve proved that again this year with 30-plus (home) wins I think."
The Aggies are 30-2 overall at home this season, but they've dropped back-to-back series at LSU and Ole Miss. With a strong crop of left-handed pitchers and one of the SEC's top lineups, the Aggies will be a tall task this weekend.
WATCH: Dave Van Horn previews Arkansas' series at Texas A&M
"We just want to play well," Van Horn said. "If we play well, we have a chance to win. If we don’t, we won’t. Probably one of the top two toughest environments to go in and win. You look at their overall record at home, it’s pretty amazing, kind of like ours. Their fans are loud and organized and they have a good time at the ballpark.
"Give credit to Jim and his staff. They’ve done a great job with this team putting it together. A lot of new guys have come in and are very talented, and a lot of good returners. Guys with a lot of experience. You throw that in with the crowd that loves their team, it’s going to be wild down there."
Here's a closer comparison of Arkansas' and Texas A&M's stats, along with projected pitchers, key players, HawgBeat's prediction and more ahead of Thursday's series opener, which is set to start at 7 p.m. CT and will televised on ESPN2.
Statistical Comparison
| 2024 Stats | Arkansas (42-10, 19-8 SEC) | Texas A&M (42-10, 17-10 SEC) |
|---|---|---|
| Batting average | .271 | .308 |
| OPS | .833 | 1.009 |
| Runs per game | 6.81 | 9.13 |
| Home runs | 70 | 116 |
| Stolen bases (success rate) | 40 | 56 |
| ERA | 3.46 | 3.96 |
| Opponent batting average | .211 | .232 |
| Fielding percentage | .982 | .979 |
Texas A&M names to know at the plate:
RF Braden Montgomery: .333 AVG, 52 GP, 198 AB, 59 R, 66 H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 24 HR, 77 RBI, 51 BB, 48 KCF Jace LaViolette: .320 AVG, 52 GP, 200 AB, 73 R, 64 H, 14 2B, 3 3B, 27 HR, 69 RBI, 46 BB, 63 K
3B Gavin Grahovac: .327 AVG, 51 GP, 217 AB, 67 R, 71 H, 13 2B, 18 HR, 57 RBI, 26 BB, 70 K
DH Hayden Schott: .330 AVG, 52 GP, 200 AB, 34 R, 66 H, 12 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 49 RBI, 25 BB, 41 K
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Arkansas Starting Rotation:
Thursday (Game 1): Junior LHP Hagen Smith
6'3", 225 pounds / Bullard, Texas / Bullard HS
2024 stats: 9-0, 1.65 ERA, 13 APP, 13 GS, 71.0 IP, 33 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 29 BB, 136 K
Friday (Game 2): Sophomore RHP Gage Wood
6'0", 205 pounds / Batesville, Arkansas / Batesville HS
2024 stats: 3-1, 3.03 ERA, 19 APP, 1 GS, 29.2 IP, 25 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 7 BB, 44 K
Saturday (Game 3): TBA
Texas A&M Starting Rotation/Key Relievers:
Starters
Thursday (Game 1): Redshirt sophomore LHP Ryan Prager
6'3", 200 pounds / Dallas, Texas / Hillcrest HS
2024 stats: 8-1, 2.71 ERA, 13 APP, 13 GS, 69.2 IP, 54 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 12 BB, 95 K
Friday (Game 2): TBA
Saturday (Game 3): Sophomore LHP Shane Sdao
6'2", 170 pounds / Montgomery, Texas / Lake Creek HS
2024 stats: 4-1, 2.03 ERA, 17 APP, 2 GS, 2 SV, 40.0 IP, 28 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 8 BB, 46 K
The rest
- LHP Evan Aschenbeck: 4-1, 1.94 ERA, 23 APP, 7 SV, 51.0 IP, 37 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 7 BB, 60 K
- RHP Chris Cortez: 7-2, 3.17 ERA, 18 APP, 3 GS, 43.2 IP, 35 H, 24 R, 18 ER, 22 BB, 60 K
- RHP Tanner Jones: 3-1, 6.98 ERA, 11 APP, 11 GS, 38.2 IP, 45 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 16 BB, 37 K
- RHP Brad Rudis: 5-0, 1.26 ERA, 18 APP, 28.2 IP, 24 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 9 BB, 28 K
HawgBeat's Prediction:
The Aggies are scoring nearly 2.5 more runs per game than Arkansas in SEC play this season. Texas A&M also has fairly comparable pitching numbers to the Razorbacks, but it doesn't have Hagen Smith, and it also doesn't need to win just one game like Arkansas does.
It may not be Game 1 that Arkansas wins — the Hogs are 13-0 with Smith on the mound this year — but I have to think the Razorbacks can pull off one victory. The hostile crowd does worry me, as does the potent Aggies' lineup, though.
Prediction: 1-2 series loss
