The Teams: Tarleton Texans (23-18, 7-12 WAC) at Texas A&M Aggies (25-19, 9-12 SEC)
Where: College Station, Texas
Stadium: Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park
Day and Time: Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: SEC Network +
 
For the third straight season, Tarleton baseball will take on Texas A&M at Blue Bell Park.
 
The Texans will look to get back on track Tuesday evening against an SEC foe after losing the last two games of a series at Seattle U over the weekend.
 
The game with the Aggies will be streamed on SEC Network + while Tarleton's Byron Anderson and Kyle Crews will have the radio call.
 
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS (MAY 1):
TAR RHP Piercen McElyea (Jr., 26.0 IP, 2-1, 7.62 ERA) vs. A&M LHP Justin Lamkin (Fr., 32.1 IP, 1-3, 7.52 ERA)

Matchup Notes
 
•  Tarleton heads to Blue Bell Park for a midweek game with the Texas A&M Aggies on Tuesday.
•  The game is Tarleton's second to last midweek game of the season and they are 5-4 in midweek games.
•  Tarleton will travel to Texas A&M for the third consecutive season, with the Texans currently having an 0-2 all-time record vs. the Aggies.
•  Last season Tarleton fell to the Aggies 4-1 and had 10 different pitchers throw in the game. In 2021, the Aggies won 8-7 in 10 innings.
•  The Aggies are coming off a sweep at the hands of #7 Arkansas in Fayetteville while Seattle U took the series 2-1 over the Texans this past weekend. A&M and Seattle U played a series on opening weekend in College Station with the Aggies sweeping the Redhawks.
 
Quick Hits
 
•  Piercen McElyea will toe the rubber for the Texans for a second consecutive midweek game. McElyea struck out a season-high 10 in 5.0 innings of work, walking none at Baylor last week. Three other Texan relievers combined to throw 4.0 scoreless innings to close the win out over Baylor.
•  In conference play, center fielder Alec Williams leads Tarleton with a .400 batting average. He has posted 20 hits, 14 runs scored, 11 walks, and nine RBI. He had a team-high five hits and a home run over the weekend at Seattle U.
•  Mason Hammonds is currently on a 12-game hitting streak. The junior shortstop leads Tarleton with 16 multiple hit games and 55 hits.
•  Trace Morrison has been crushing it at the plate for Tarleton. Morrison has eight multi-hit games in his last 13 played, with three of them being three hit games. Morrison leads the team with a .384 batting average and is second with 48 hits.
•  Tarleton starting pitcher Hunter Day led the Texans to their lone win over the weekend in the series opener. Day threw 8.0 innings, allowing a lone run, striking out five and walking none. The 8.0 innings were a season-high for Day as he moved his record to 5-1 on the year.
•   In the win over Baylor the Texan pitching staff struck out 16 batters, walking one. It tied a season-high in strikeouts for the Bears this season.
 
 
Notables
 
TEAM COMPARISON
                              TARLETON                              TEXAS A&M
Batting AVG               .302                                            .272    
SLG                            .466                                            .448     
BB/SO                      199/300                                    283/359  
On-base %                 .408                                            .398    
SB-Att                      92-122                                         63-75
HR                                38                                               55
2B                                 79                                               75
3B                                 16                                                8
Runs                           320                                              320
PITCHING
ERA                             5.37                                            5.64
WHIP                           1.54                                            1.63
Opponent B/AVG        .259                                             .268
SO/BB                          376/200                                   447/227
HBP                              64                                                50
WP                               45                                                 53

FIRST POWER 5 VICTORY
With a 6-2 win over Baylor in Waco on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, Tarleton baseball picked up its first win over a Power 5 team in program history. The Texans took struck first in the first inning and never gave the lead up. Piercen McElyea played a big part in the win, striking out a season-high 10 in 5.0 innings of work, walking none. McElyea threw a first pitch strike to 18 of 23 batters he faced.
 
MR. RELIABLE
Mason Hammonds has been Mr. Reliable for Tarleton this season. The junior shortstop has started a team-high 38 games out of 39 and is hitting .340 with a team-high 55 hits and 13 doubles to pair with 36 runs scored. Hammonds leads the team with 16 multi-hit games and is currently on an 12-game hit streak. He had two hits, two runs scored and an RBI in the win over Baylor.
 
STEPHENVILLE DUO
Tarleton has two players from Stephenville HS on the roster that have made an impact this season.
Sophomore outfielder Trace Morrison has started 30 games in left field and leads Tarleton with a .384 batting average. He has 48 hits, 20 runs scored, 19 RBI and is 9-13 on stolen bases.
Stephenville native and true freshman LHP Reece Elston has made a strong impact out of the Texan bullpen thus far in 2023. He holds a 3.15 ERA. In 11 appearances, the lefty has allowed seven earned runs, striking out 25 and walking 13 in 20.0 IP.  Opponents are hitting .230 off him and he holds a 2-1 record.
 
STACKING UP IN THE WAC
Tarleton is first in team on-base percentage (.408), and stolen bases (92), second in team batting average (.302) and triples (16) and third in slugging (.466). On the pitching side the Texans are second in opponent batting average (.259), third in ERA (5.37) and fourth in strikeouts (376).
Kooper Shook leads the WAC with 22 stolen bases. Jack Wagner is third in slugging (.694), Trace Morrison is fifth in batting average (.384). Mason Hammonds is tied-eighth with 14 doubles and tied-third with four triples.
 
NEXT UP 
Tarleton will host Grand Canyon in a three-game WAC series this weekend in Stephenville.