Super Regional Preview: Texas A&M at Tennessee
In one of two all-SEC Super Regionals, No. 8 Tennessee welcomes No. 9 Texas A&M to Rocky Top.
The two teams met in College Station at the end of the regular season where Tennessee took the series two games to one.
The Vols are making their fifth trip to the NCAA Super Regionals in the past six seasons while the Aggies are making their first appearance since 2013. The best-of-three series kicks off Friday evening at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
At the Plate
SEC Player of the Year and USA Softball National Player of the Year finalist Meghan Gregg homered in all three of Tennessee’s regional games last weekend in Knoxville. She also led the team with six runs batted in. With her solo home run on Sunday, she tied the program’s single-season RBI record of 77.
The Aggies outscored their opponents 20-2 in their three games last weekend. Keeli Milligan led the team batting 7-for-10 with two doubles, four runs and an RBI. Offensively, the Aggies average six runs per game, which ranks 15th nationally. Tori Vidales ranks second in the SEC with 16 home runs and hit four in three games against Tennessee in the regular season.
In the Circle
Matty Moss is coming off two complete-game shutouts while allowing five hits and striking out 19 last in the Knoxville Regional. She is 25-2 with a 1.67 earned run average. SEC Freshman of the Year Caylan Arnold enters the weekend 20-8 with a 2.00 ERA with 142 strikeouts and 150.2 innings pitched.
Texas A&M ‘s pitching staff hold a team ERA of 1.78. Senior Trinity Harrington leads the ways with a 1.56 and will be returning to the mound for the first time since the death of her father. Samantha Show is 19-6 with a 1.78 and pitched two complete games last weekend. Lexi Smith is 12-1 with a 1.57 ERA and tossed a two-hit shutout against Texas Southern in the Regional.
Prediction & Analysis
Tennessee fought back from a 3-0 deficit against USC Upstate in its first game last weekend to score seven runs in the seventh inning. Texas A&M is playing for something bigger than a trip to Oklahoma City. They are playing for Harrington and her family. One pitch at a time, the Aggies will do whatever it takes to win this series and are FPN’s pick.
