COLLEGE STATION, Texas--Texas A&M opens a critical stretch of the season on Friday when the 23rd-ranked Aggies begin the annual Big 12 series with Baylor ... first pitch at Olsen Field is set for 6:35 p.m. ... the series will then shift to Waco for games on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.) ... the two teams met earlier this season in the QTI Baylor Classic, with A&M downing Baylor, 4-2, on Feb. 27 ... the Aggies sit in third place in the Big 12 with a 5-3-1 mark, and have won two of their last three ... A&M split a series last weekend at Kansas, dropping the opener, taking the middle game and tying the Jayhawks in the finale, then returned home and thumped UTSA, 14-5, on Tuesday ... Baylor has won four of five entering the series after posting big mid-week wins over Texas State (12-3) and Northwestern State (15-3) in Waco ... the Bears took their most recent Big 12 series, at Missouri last weekend ... following “The Battle of the Brazos”, A&M will play seven of its eight games against teams ranked in the top 12 nationally.

#23 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (19-8-1, 5-3-1) vs BAYLOR BEARS (17-10, 3-4)

SCHEDULE: Friday, 6:35 PM (College Station), Saturday, 6:30 PM / Sunday, 2:00 PM (Waco)
RADIO: WTAW-AM 1620 (Dave South, Scott Clendenin and Kevin Hurley)
LIVE AUDIO: aggieathletics.com • radioaggieland.com
LIVE STATS: aggieathletics.com
RANKINGS: A&M - #23 (USAT/ESPN, Rivals); #23 (BB Amer)
SERIES HISTORY: A&M leads, 176-128-4
A&M STREAKS: Won 1 / Last 5 (4-1) / Last 10 (8-2)
LAST MEETING: A&M 4, Baylor 2 (Feb. 27, 2010 in Waco)
TEAM INFO: Texas A&M Baylor
streak Won 1 Won 2
Big 12 rank 3rd (5-3-1) T-6th (3-4)
Boyd’s RPI #22 #52
Last 5 / Last 10 2-2-1 / 4-5-1 4-1 / 6-4
Home / Away 16-5 / 2-2-1 16-8 / 2-2

HEAD COACHES: Rob Childress (5th year) Steve Smith (16th year)
at school 175-100-2 (.635) 569-373-1 (.604)
overall same same
vs opponent 10-4 vs Baylor 25-27 vs A&M

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

• FRIDAY: #50 Barret Loux (Jr., RHP, 4-2, 1.98) vs #33 Shawn Tolleson (Jr., RHP, 1-3, 4.62)
• SATURDAY: #36 Ross Stripling (So., RHP, 3-1, 4.32) vs #4 Logan Verrett (So., RHP, 3-2, 3.89)
• SUNDAY: TBA vs TBA

FOLLOWING THE ACTION

• RADIO — Fans can listen to the game on WTAW-AM 1620 ... Dave South, Scott Clendenin and Kevin Hurley will call the action all season long ... pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
• INTERNET — aggieathletics.com will offer live play-by-play and statistics.
• MOBILE PHONE — listen to the game on your iPhone, Blackberry or PDA free of charge ... log on to radioaggieland.com for more information.
• TWITTER — Follow the team all season long, including live in-game updates, at @aggie_baseball.

BIG 12 SNAPSHOT: TEXAS A&M

• SERIES WINS — Texas Tech (2 of 3), Missouri (2 of 3).
• SERIES LOSSES — none.
• SERIES SPLITS — at Kansas (1-1-1).
• REMAINING GAMES (18, 9H/9A) — Baylor (1H, 2A), Texas (2H, 1A), Oklahoma (3H), Nebraska (3A), Oklahoma State (3A), Kansas State (3H).

BIG 12 SNAPSHOT: BAYLOR (3-4)

• SERIES WINS — at Missouri (2 of 3).
• SERIES LOSSES — Kansas (2 of 3), at Oklahoma (1 loss ... two games cancelled).
• REMAINING GAMES (18, 9H/9A) — A&M (2H, 1A), Kansas State (3A), Nebraska (3H), Texas (1H, 2A), Texas Tech (3A), Oklahoma State (3H).

A&M IN THE BIG 12

Texas A&M has a 201-170-2 record in its 14th season in the Big 12 Conference ... the Aggies have won four league championships, regular-season titles in 1998, 1999 and 2008 and the postseason championship in 2007 ... in one of the tighter races in recent years, A&M finished sixth in the league last season at 14-13 ... the Aggies became the third program to reach 200 Big 12 wins with a March 27 victory over Missouri.

SERIES HISTORY: BAYLOR

The series with Baylor is the second longest in school history, with Friday’s game marking the 310th meeting between the long-time rivals ... the Aggies lead the series, 176-128-4, which dates back to 1904, and have won nine of the last 11 ... A&M won a non-conference meeting between the teams in late February, 4-2, as part of the QTI Baylor Classic ... Texas A&M took two of three last year in a battle of top-10 teams, claiming the first two games in College Station before dropping a one-run, 10-inning affair in the series finale in Waco ... the Aggies have won the last three Big 12 series ... Texas A&M is 8-11 all-time in Baylor Ballpark, which opened in 1999.

A&M/BAYLOR SERIES BREAKDOWN
Series Record A&M leads, 176-128-4
A&M Streak Won 1
in College Station (since ‘71) A&M leads, 40-21
in Waco (since ‘71) A&M leads, 35-26
neutral sites (since ‘71) Baylor leads, 5-4

BIG 12 ERA (1997-present)
overall Baylor leads, 22-21
in College Station A&M leads, 11-9
in Waco Baylor leads, 12-8
at Big 12 Tourney A&M leads, 2-1

A&M vs BAYLOR, BIG 12 SERIES HISTORY
overall Won 6, Lost 7
in College Station* Won 4, Lost 3
in Waco* Won 2, Lost 4
A&M Streak Won 3
series opener Won 7, Lost 6
* split series; home site counted where majority of games played

STATISTICAL COMPARISON: A&M vs BAYLOR

A look at how Texas A&M and Baylor stack up statistically and in the Big 12 entering the game...

A&M/BAYLOR STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Category A&M Big 12 Rk BU Big 12 Rk
Batting Avg. .322 4th .327 3rd
Runs Per Game 6.5 9th 8.1 4th
Home Runs 23 8th 30 5th
Stolen Bases 49-74 3rd 34-40 6th
Earned Run Avg. 3.38 2nd 4.22 4th
Opponent Avg. .236 2nd .288 9th
Strikeouts 285 1st 220 7th
Saves 5 6th 11 1st
Fielding Pct. .954 10th .964 7th

MORE ON BAYLOR (17-10, 3-4)

Baylor is 17-10 on the season and sits in sixth place in the Big 12 at 3-4 ... Baylor has won four of its last five entering the weekend and has put up big offensive numbers of late, averaging 12.6 runs over those five contests ... BU is coming off a series win at Missouri ... the Bears saw two games of their league-opening series at Oklahoma snowed out ... leading the offense are sophomores Joey Hainsfurther (.393, 1 HR, 27 RBI) and Brooks Pinckard (.379, 13 RBI, 11-11 SB), and senior Raynor Campbell (.367, 5 HR, 32 RBI) ... Pinckard also anchors the Bears’ bullpen (0.68 ERA, 7 saves) ... Steve Smith (Baylor ‘86) is in his 15th season in Waco with a record of 552-363-1 ... for more information visit baylorbears.com.

UP NEXT

Texas A&M continues a rough road swing with a trip to No. 11 TCU Tuesday night and a series opener at 5th-ranked Texas Friday evening in Austin ... the Aggies return home to conclude the series with the Longhorns and open a seven-game home swing on Saturday, April 17 ... A&M is scheduled to play seven of its next eight following the Baylor series against opponents who are ranked in the top 12 nationally.

A LOOK BACK: UTSA

Brodie Greene went 4-for-5 with four RBIs to lead 23rd-ranked Texas A&M to a 14-5 win over UTSA Tuesday evening before 3,068 fans at Olsen Field ... Greene delivered the knockout blow in the decisive sixth inning—one which saw the Aggies score seven times—with a long three-run homer deep into Aggie Alley behind left field ... Joaquin Hinojosa and Matt Juengel joined Greene with multi-hit outings, both totaling two knocks ... the Aggies pounded out 14 hits on the night ... Shane Minks (1-0) picked up the victory in relief, allowing two hits and walking a pair over 1 2/3 shutout innings ... Minks highlighted a strong outing by the A&M bullpen, where three relievers combined to allow just three hits and two unearned runs over 4 2/3 innings.

A LOOK BACK: KANSAS

Texas A&M split a three-game series with Kansas this past weekend in Lawrence ... the Aggies fell in the opener Thursday (9-5) before winning Friday’s game (6-4) ... the teams battled to an 8-8 tie in 11 innings in the finale on Saturday.

On Thursday, Kansas built a six-run lead and withstood a late Texas A&M rally to hold on for a 9-5 win ... KU led 7-1 after seven before the Aggies pulled within a pair ... the Jayhawks, however, got two back in the eighth and fought off a ninth-inning rally en route to its seventh victory in its last eight games ... designated hitter Kenny Jackson was a career-best 4-for-5 to lead A&M, Scott Arthur added three hits and Caleb Shofner and Andrew Collazo finished the night with two hits apiece ... for the game, the Aggies out-hit Kansas, 15-12 ... T.J. Walz (5-2) picked up the victory after giving up four runs over 7 1/3 innings of work ... he gave up 11 hits and two walks while fanning eight. Bochy earned his fifth save of the season after getting the final four outs ... Barret Loux (4-2) took the loss, going six complete and allowing five hits, four runs and four walks while striking out six ... KU touched the Aggie pen for seven hits and five runs over two innings of work.

On Friday, Adam Smith delivered a key two-out, two-run single and John Stilson tossed the final 4 2/3 innings to lead No. 22 A&M to a 6-4 win ... Stilson entered the game with two on in scoring position and one out in the fifth to protect a 3-1 lead ... the Jayhawks got one of those home but would not score again until tallying a pair of unearned runs in the ninth ... Smith’s hit came with two down in the seventh and extended a slim two-run A&M lead ... the Jayhawks saw a nine-game home win streak snapped as they lost in Lawrence for only the second time this season ... Brandon Wood and Kevin Gonzalez had a pair of hits each for the Aggies, who out-hit Kansas, 9-8 ... Stilson (6-0) earned his league-leading sixth win of the season after allowing four hits and two unearned runs over a career-best 4 2/3 innings ... he walked two and struck out six ... starter Ross Stripling lasted 4 1/3 and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk.

On Saturday, A&M played to an 8-8 tie with Kansas in 11 innings ... the Aggies pushed a run across in the 11th on a balk by KU pitcher Colton Murray, but Brian Heere delivered a one-out RBI single in the last of the inning to even the score ... A&M’s travel plans forced the game to be stopped upon completion of the inning ... it was the first tie for the Aggies since 2006 and just the second in a Big 12 game in school history ... A&M erased a 6-3 deficit with a four-spot in the eighth, but KU scored in the last of the ninth to force extras ... the Aggies out-hit Kansas, 13-12, on the day ... Brodie Greene led the way with a 3-for-5 effort, while Brandon Wood, Caleb Shofner and Adam Smith had two hits apiece.

NOTES AND NOTABLES: TEAM

• Texas A&M leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally in both strikeouts per nine innings (10.1) and walks allowed per nine innings (2.32) ... A&M is second in the league and 12th nationally in earned run average (3.39) ... the Aggies rank 11th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (8.29).
• Texas A&M ranks fourth in the Big 12 in batting average (.322).
• The Aggies are in the midst of a stretch that will see them play eight of 10 games on the road ... A&M is 3-3-1 away from Olsen this year and 2-2-1 in true road games (4-2 win at Baylor on Feb. 27, 6-5 loss at Texas State in 11 innings on March 30, and loss-win-tie in three-game set at Kansas April 1-3).
• Last Saturday’s 8-8 tie with Kansas was just the second Big 12 tie in Texas A&M history ... the first was a 1-1 draw with Kansas State at Olsen Field on May 14, 2006, and was also the most recent tie for the Aggies.
• While struggling at times last season with two-out hitting (.270 average), the Aggies have started 2010 with a bang in that category ... A&M is hitting .354 this year with two outs, and 71 of its 164 RBIs (43 percent) have come with two down.
• The Aggie bullpen has been strong so far this season ... through 77 appearances, the pen has combined for a 9-1 record and a 2.45 ERA, giving up 33 earned runs (48 runs total) over 121.1 innings of work ... the group is holding hitters to a .215 average, allows an average of 0.79 hits per inning and features a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.2 ... the pen did not allow an earned run over a span of 37.1 innings dating from February 20-March 9.
• Aggie starting pitching in 2010 is 10-7 with a 4.23 ERA and .255 opponent average, walking just 24 and punching out 147 (6.1 K/BB ratio) over 132 innings.
• Texas A&M pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts in the March 12 win over No. 25 Washington State ... that tied for the most punchouts in a game by an Aggie staff since Jeff Granger fanned 21 in a win over Lubbock Christian on April 2, 1993 ... A&M also struck out 18 in a win over Texas-Pan American on March 30, 2001.
• A&M pitching has struck out 10 or more batters in 15 games this spring ... the Aggies are averaging 10.1 punchouts per nine innings and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.3.
• Aggie pitching has held opponents to two runs or less in seven games.
• A&M has pounded out 10 or more hits in 17 of 28 games this year (61 percent) ... the offense is hitting .322 and averaging 6.5 runs per game.
• Texas A&M played 20 of its first 23 games at home ... the Aggies’ lone trip out of College Station during the span was for the QTI Baylor Classic in Waco ... A&M played the entire month of March at Olsen Field except for Tuesday night’s game in San Marcos ... the Aggies have nine regular-season games scheduled outside the state of Texas (Big 12 series at Kansas, Nebraska and OSU).

NOTES AND NOTABLES: PLAYER

• Three Aggie pitchers rank in the top 30 nationally in earned run average ... John Stilson (3rd, 0.95), Michael Wacha (1.54, 15th) and Barret Loux (28th, 1.98).
• Sophomore two-way standout John Stilson ranks in the top three nationally of three pitching categories—strikeouts per nine innings (2nd, 13.85), hits allowed per nine innings (3rd, 3.82) and earned run average (3rd, 0.95).
• Senior CF Brodie Greene leads the team in eight offensive categories (average, hits, runs, doubles, triples, home runs, total bases and slugging percentage ... Greene had a career-high 16-game hit streak snapped March 26 against Missouri ... he has reached safely in 24 straight games and has recorded a hit in 24 of 28 games this spring ... his six triples rank fourth nationally.
• Junior 1B Caleb Shofner ranks second on the squad in most major categories, including average, hits, and home runs, and sports a team-best 27 RBIs ... saw a career-high 14-game hit streak snapped in the middle game this past weekend at Kansas.
• Junior BARRET LOUX leads the country in strikeouts per nine innings (14.05), ranks third in overall strikeouts (64) and 28th in ERA (1.98) ... Loux has punched out 10 or more hitters in four of his last five outings.
• Senior DH Joe Patterson ranks third on the team with a .364 average ... saw a streak of reaching safely (hit, walk or HBP) in 38 straight games snapped on March 28 vs Missouri ... Patterson has hit safely in all but three games this spring (March 7 vs Winthrop, March 28 vs Missouri, April 3 at Kansas).
• Sophomore SCOTT ARTHUR leads the Aggies and ranks fourth nationally with eight sacrifice bunts this season.
• Sophomore John Stilson has made a huge impact in his very brief Aggie career ... Stilson has made 13 appearances in relief so far in 2010 and has already picked up six wins and four saves, and has punched out 58 in 37.2 innings of work ... opponents are hitting .129 against Stilson.
• True freshman pitcher MICHAEL WACHA has made 10 appearances out of the bullpen and is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA and a save ... saw a string of 21.2 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to Feb. 20 snapped against Texas Tech (March 20) when the Red Raiders pushed home an unearned run.

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTER: #50 BARRET LOUX (JR-2L, rhp)

Has struck out 50 and allowed seven earned runs in last five starts (31 innings) ... has fanned 10 or more hitters in four of last five games, after entering the year with two career 10+ strikeout outings ... suffered the loss at Kansas (4/1), giving up four runs and five hits over six innings ... became 12th player in program history to record 200 career strikeouts during win over Missouri (3/26) ... earned the win after going seven-plus and allowing three hits, one run and a walk while fanning 11 ... picked up the victory in the Big 12 opener against Texas Tech (3/19, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 10 K) ... did not factor in the decision against No. 25 Washington State (3/12) ... allowed five hits, two unearned runs and two walks while fanning 11 in 5.1 innings against the Cougars ... named Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week after dominating outing against Winthrop (3/5) ... allowed only a first-inning double in seven strong innings, fanning a career-high 12 ... suffered the loss against Western Kentucky in Waco (2/26), despite allowing one earned run (5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) ... made his first career opening-day start against Seton Hall (2/19), picking up the victory (5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) ... he finished 2009 with a 3-3 record and 4.12 ERA ... ranked fourth on the staff with 62 strikeouts over 48 innings of work and held opposing hitters to a .226 average.

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTER: #36 ROSS STRIPLING (SO-1L, rhp)

Effective but has not earned a decision in his last two starts ... lasted 4 1/3 against Kansas (4/2), giving up four hits and two earned runs ... allowed six hits and one unearned run, while not walking a batter and punching out six over 4.2 innings in come-from-behind win over Missouri (3/27) ... got a no-decision against Texas Tech in first career Big 12 start (3/20) ... lasted just 2.2 innings, giving up four hits and three runs ... suffered first loss of the season against No. 25 Washington State (3/13) ... touched for five second-inning runs while allowing seven total over five innings of work ... struck out nine, did not walk a batter and allowed one earned run in 6 2/3 innings of work against Winthrop (3/6) ... earned the win at Baylor (2/27), allowing six hits and one earned run over five innings, while not walking a batter and punching out three ... got the win in his first career start against Seton Hall (2/20 - 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) ... emerged as a solid bullpen presence for the Aggies as a true freshman in ‘09 ... appeared in 13 games, all in relief, posting a 1-0 record and 2.51 ERA ... 13 relief outings ranked sixth on the staff .. allowed first earned run in his seventh appearance (March 18 vs New Mexico) ... struck out the first six batters he faced in his A&M career ... played summer ball with the San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Blues of the wood-bat Sierra Baseball League ... went 2-2 with a 1.96 ERA in 36.2 innings of work ... fanned 56 and walked just 12.

TEXAS A&M IN THE NCAA RANKINGS

A look at Texas A&M in the NCAA’s statistical rankings, through games of April 4...

A&M IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
Category NCAA Rk
Walks Allowed/9 inn. 2.32 3rd
Strikeouts/9 inn. 10.1 3rd
Hits Allowed/9 inn. 8.29 11th
Earned Run Average 3.39 12th
Triples 12 21st
Sacrifice Bunts 24 29th
Hit by Pitch 42 32nd
W/L Percentage .685 37th
AGGIES IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
Player Category NCAA Rk
Michael Wacha ERA 1.54 15th
John Stilson ERA 0.95 3rd
Barret Loux ERA 1.98 28th
Barret Loux K/9 inn. 14.05 1st
John Stilson K/9 inn. 13.85 2nd
John Stilson Hits/9 inn. 3.82 3rd
Michael Wacha Hits/9 inn. 5.93 17th
Barret Loux Hits/9 inn. 5.93 17th
Ross Stripling Walks/9 inn. 1.08 14th
Michael Wacha Walks/9 inn. 1.54 57th
Barret Loux Strikeouts 64 3rd
John Stilson Strikeouts 58 14th
John Stilson Wins 6 3rd
Brodie Greene Triples 6 4th
Caleb Shofner Hit by Pitch 12 21st
Scott Arthur Sac Bunts 8 4th