Aggies Drop Regular-Season Finale at Tennessee, 7-5

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Texas A&M Aggies were unable to sustain a 5-1 lead and dropped a 7-5 decision to the Tennessee Volunteers in the regular-season finale at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Aggies roughed up Volunteer starter Dalton Saberhagen from the get-go. Mikey Reynolds legged out a double on a hit to the right centerfield gap and Blake Allemand laced a single through the left side of the infield to put runners on the corners. Cole Lankford launched a first-pitch offering over the rightfield fence for his second home run of the season and a 3-0 lead just three batters into the game.

Tennessee (22-30, 8-20 SEC) bounced back to trim a run off the lead in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, AJ Simcox singled to rightfield and stole second base. A groundout by Will Maddox pushed Simcox to third and he scored when Scott Price threaded a single through the right side of the infield, cutting the lead to 3-1.

Texas A&M (30-25, 13-16 SEC) claimed the run back in the top of the second when Krey Bratsen launched a 1-2 pitch over the leftfield fence for a lead-off home run, his first dinger of the season and the second of his career.

The Aggies increased the advantage to 5-1 with a run in the fourth. Daniel Mengden bounced a leadoff single up the middle. With one out, Kratsen doubled down the rightfield line to put two runners in scoring position. Jace Statum drew a walk to load the bases and driving Saberhagen from the game. Allemand lined a ball off the glove of reliever Eric Martin to plate Mengden for the four-run lead.

The Volunteers trimmed two runs off the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Price was the catalyst of the rally hitting a leadoff single to the gap in right centerfield. Ethan Bennett followed with a single to rightfield. A fielder’s choice grounder by Christin Stewart forced Bennett out at second and put runners on the corners. Taylor Smart drove in Price with a double down the rightfield line. After Jeff Moberg was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Parker Wormsley smoked a ball to the hot corner where Hunter Melton made a heroic stab to prevent a multi-run double. Melton got to his feet to make the putout at third, but Stewart scored to cut the lead to 5-3.

Tennessee claimed its first lead of the game in the seventh. Moberg and Wormsley singled to start the inning and Zach Luther put down a sacrifice bunt to push both runners into scoring position. Simcox tripled to the gap in right centerfield to tie the score at 5-5 and scored the go-ahead run on a single through the left side of the infield by Price.

The Vols tacked on an insurance run in the eighth. Bennett was hit by a pitch to start the inning and replaced at first by pinch-runner Heath Loyd. Stewart followed with a five-pitch walk. A sacrifice bunt by Smart pushed both runners into scoring position and Loyd scored on a wild pitch, inflating the cushion to 7-5.

Bratsen paced the Aggies offense hitting 3-for-4 with one double, one home run, one run and one RBI. Allemand went 2-for-5 with one run and one RBI.

Price led the Volunteers at the plate going 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI. Simcox batted 2-for-4 with one triple, two runs, two RBI and one stolen base.

Jason Freeman (1-2) was saddled with the loss, yielding three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of relief. Starter Rafael Pineda worked 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three over 5.0 innings.

Eric Martin (1-0) picked up the win out of the bullpen for Tennessee. He pitched 4.0 scoreless innings, scattering four hits while striking out four. Trevor Charpie earned his second save of the season, with one strikeout in 1.2 scoreless innings.

Texas A&M moves on to the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. The Aggies, who enter the fray as the No. 9 seed, will play No. 8 seed Florida in a 4:30 pm contest on Tuesday.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Aggies Drop Regular-Season Finale at Tennessee, 7-5 appeared first on WTAW.

Dramatic Four-Run Seventh Lifts Aggies to Regional Finals

Back-to-back home runs by Cali Lanphear and Nicole Morgan erased a three-run deficit and lifted Texas A&M to a thrilling 6-5 win over Baylor Saturday afternoon at the NCAA College Station Regional.

More to come.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Dramatic Four-Run Seventh Lifts Aggies to Regional Finals appeared first on WTAW.

Men’s Golf Advances to Nationals

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Texas A&M men’s golf team punched its ticket to the NCAA Championship on Sunday with a great final round at the NCAA Tempe Regional. With a few teams still on the course, the Aggies (280-277-272=829, -11) have already claimed a spot in the top five at the tournament with an impressive round of eight-under par.

The Aggies will now advance to the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship for the sixth consecutive year and the 29th time in program history. The Championship will be held at Atlanta’s Capital City Crabapple Course on May 28-June 2.

Complete recap coming shortly and complete results can be found at GolfStat.com

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Men’s Golf Advances to Nationals appeared first on WTAW.

Texas A&M Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals With 5-0 Victory Over UVA

URBANA, Ill.  – No. 3-seeded Texas A&M will make its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals after defeating No. 14 seed Virginia, 5-0, in the round of 16 today at the Kahn Outdoor Tennis Complex.

The Aggies, who improve to 24-3 to tie the 2004 squad for the most wins in school history, will play either No. 6 seed Miami or No. 11 seed Northwestern, Sunday at 4 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

“It feels really great, not even looking at the content of the match per se, but just the fact that it is the first time we have managed to get to the Elite Eight and get a win at the final site,” A&M second-year head coach Howard Joffe said. “I’m just really happy for each person as an individual, I’m happy for our group, and I’m obviously very happy for the university, because it is a great thing for Texas A&M athletics.”

A&M was playing in the round of 16 for only the second time in school history, having made its only other appearance in 2004. Virginia (19-10) was making its third consecutive NCAA Round of 16 appearance, and both teams were aiming to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time. The match marked the third time the teams had ever met, with A&M having defeated the Cavaliers in the two previous meetings earlier this season.

The match began with A&M twin sisters Ines and Paula Deheza giving the Aggies the early advantage in the race for the doubles point as they broke away from a 2-2 tie to defeat Maria Fucillo and Li Xi, 8-3, at the No. 3 line. It was the eighth consecutive victory for the Aggie duo, which improves to 18-5 in dual matches.

A&M clinched the doubles point at the No. 1 line, but it wasn’t easy. The Aggies’ 18th-ranked pair of Stefania Hristov and Cristina Stancu was up a break at 7-6 with triple match point against Stephanie Nauta and Erin Vierra. The Cavaliers fought back to break A&M and even the match at 7-7. A&M broke back to go up, 8-7, and then held to win, 9-7, to put the Aggies ahead, 1-0.

A&M’s 49th-ranked team of Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar and Wen Sun had jumped out to a 4-1 lead and were winning 7-4 against Julia Elbaba and Hana Tomljanovic at No. 2 when play was stopped.

“It was definitely a strange match because at the very beginning we were a little bit down and then we got in some commanding positions only to sort of falter,” Joffe said. “We had three match points at 7-6 for Stancu and Hristov, but we were able to sort of not let it freak us out and get going. The doubles point absolutely helped a lot.”

A&M had the momentum early in singles, winning the first set on five of six courts. However, three of six matches had gone to a third set when the overall victory was clinched.

“Every team that is here has just competed so much that there is a certain amount of parity,” Joffe said. “So the thing that I was really proud about today, I didn’t see us beating them in all six positions easy, but when the clock was stopped, we had won four of the courts in singles, and Anna [Mamalat] was up on her court. That’s very good when a lot of the matches were nip and tuck.”

Ines Deheza gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead after cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Xi at the No. 4 line. With the win, the freshman improved to 14-1 over her last 15 decisions.

Nazari Urbina, ranked No. 52 in the nation in singles, gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead and posted the 99th win of her four-year singles career with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tomljanovic at the No. 3 line.

Although A&M built the 3-0 lead, Virginia was holding its own on the remaining four courts. Nauta, ranked 78th, had earned a split with 68th-ranked Stancu at No 2, and Caryssa Peretz also had forced a third set against Hristov at No. 6. In addition, A&M’s Anna Mamalat had made a nice comeback at No. 5 against Vierra to force a third set.

Meanwhile, fourth-ranked Sanchez-Quintanar had battled to a hard-fought 7-5 first-set victory over 12th-ranked Elbaba at the No. 1 line. After pulling off the first-set win, Sanchez-Quintanar took command in the second set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead.

A&M eventually gained the lead on all of the remaining courts. Stancu and Sanchez-Quintanar were both at match point on their respective courts, and in a bang-bang finish, Stancu topped Nauta, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, and Sanchez-Quintanar defeated Elbaba, 7-5, 6-2, for the 5-0 victory, sending the Aggies to the next round.

After dropping her first set, 6-2, Mamalat, playing the No. 5 line for only the second time this season, won her second set, 6-2, and led, 4-1, in the third set against Vierra. In addition Hristov was up, 6-1, 3-6, 5-2, over Peretz at No. 6.

“It was a great job for Anna,” Joffe added. “I’m so happy for her. She got a well-deserved opportunity, and she really did a great job. In the context of the match, a lot of the matches had split. The fact that Anna had lost the first and she was able to split, gives the team a little bit more insurance, so I’m really proud of her and her effort.”

A&M is 4-2 in the all-time series against Miami. The teams last met in 2002, with A&M winning its third consecutive match against the Hurricanes.

Northwestern holds a 6-1 lead in the series against the Aggies and has won the last five meetings, including the most recent in 2005. A&M has never faced either team in the NCAA tournament.

Live scoring of the NCAA Championship matches is available at http://www.fightingillini.com/ncaatennis2013/livestats.html

Visit AggieAthletics.com for more information on Texas A&M women’s tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women’s tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at:http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Aggie-Womens-Tennis/143874782434654

No. 3 Texas A&M 5, No. 14 Virginia 0
NCAA Championship, Round of 16
Kahn Outdoor Tennis Complex, Urbana, Ill.
May 17, 2013

Singles
1.         #4 Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar (TAMU) def.. #12 Julia Elbaba (UVA), 7-5, 6-2
2.         #68 Cristina Stancu (TAMU) def. #78 Stephanie Nauta (UVA), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
3.         #52 Nazari Urbina (TAMU) def. Hana Tomljanovic (UVA), 6-3, 6-4
4.         Ines Deheza (TAMU) def. Li Xi (UVA), 6-2, 6-1
5.         Anna Mamalat (TAMU) vs. Erin Vierra (UVA), 2-6, 6-2, 4-1 unfinished
6.         Stefania Hristov (TAMU) vs. Caryssa Peretz (UVA), 6-1, 3-6, 5-2 unfinished

Doubles (Texas A&M wins the point)
1.         #18 Hristov/Stancu (TAMU) def. Nauta/Vierra (UVA), 9-7
2.         Sanchez-Quintanar/Wen Sun (TAMU) vs. Elbaba/Tomljanovic (UVA), 7-4 unfinished
3.         I. Deheza/Paula Deheza (TAMU) def. Maria Fuccillo/Xi (UVA), 8-3

Order of finish
Doubles: 3, 1
Singles: 4, 3, 2, 1

Team records
Texas A&M: 24-3
Virginia: 19-10

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Texas A&M Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals With 5-0 Victory Over UVA appeared first on WTAW.

Aggies Reach 40-Win Mark With 12-0 Run-Rule of Penn

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Marking the eighth 40-win season under Head Coach Jo Evans, the 16th-seeded Texas A&M softball team (40-15) stretched to a 12-0 five-inning run-rule of Penn (30-19), Friday in the first round of the NCAA College Station Regional at the Aggie Softball Complex.

The Aggies will face former Big 12 rival Baylor tomorrow at 2 p.m. CDT on ESPN. The winner of that game will advance to Sunday’s Championship Series. The Lady Bears also had a shutout win in day one of the NCAA Tournament, topping Arizona 7-0.

“I am very pleased with the way our ball club came out tonight,” Evans said. “I thought we had a great approach at the plate and we were disciplined. We were aggressive when we got strikes in the zone and took advantage of the mistakes that their pitchers made up in the zone. I like our attitude coming into it – we’re on a mission. We’re working hard to where we want to be and we understand that we only get where we want to be if we can take care of business against Penn.”

Senior Meagan May earned her third spot at the top of A&M all-time record lists, tying Aggie All-American Megan Gibson’s career RBI record at 183. May also owns the career home run record, which she stretched to 65 tonight, and the single-season home run record of 24 that she set as a freshman in 2010.

A&M put up five runs in each of the first two innings for a 10-0 lead that Penn couldn’t answer. Junior Amber Garza plated the first run of the day on a one-out RBI single to right-centerfield that scored junior Jenna Stark from second. Another base hit, by freshman Cali Lanphear put two on base before junior Nicole Morgan added a third-consecutive single to send Garza in for the 2-0 lead.

With two on base and still just one out, junior Cassie Tysarczyk pounded a home run over left-centerfield for three RBI and a 5-0 Aggie lead in the first. Tysarczyk, who still has one year of eligibility left, finished her undergraduate degree a year early and received her A&M diploma along with senior Sydney Shannon, today before the game in a special presentation by A&M President R. Bowen Loftin and A&M Athletic Director Eric Hyman.

The Quakers couldn’t stop the bleeding in the bottom of the second, as A&M’s lead grew to 10-0. Tysarczyk picked up her fourth RBI of the night when her two-out single to right field plated Lanphear, who reached on her second base hit in as many at-bats. With two aboard, senior Mel Dumezich added her second base hit of the day to send Morgan and Tysarczyk home for the 8-0 lead. May’s two-run home run in the next at-bat pushed Dumezich across the plate for the Aggies’ ninth and 10th runs of the night.

A single run in the bottom of the third stretched the lead to 11-0 when Morgan pounded a base hit to left field and scored junior Emily Albus, who reached on a walk, from second.

A&M pinch hitters had successful outings in the top of the fourth. Junior Kaydee Rayburn reached on a single to left and Shannon hit a laser down the left-field line behind her, and freshman Breanna Dozier battled to draw a walk.

Sophomore Lauren Ainsley entered to pitch in the top of the third, and had to go into the nine-hole in the lineup, despite only having one career at-bat. With Rayburn and Shannon on base, the hurler hit a ball on the screws that flew through the left side and scored Rayburn for the 12-0 lead.

In 2012, Ainsley borrowed a bat and helmet against Iowa State when the Aggies ran out of substitutions and she was forced to hit with bases loaded. The then-freshman took advantage of the situation against the Cyclones and slugged a grand slam.

Penn got just one runner on base on the night when shortstop Stephanie Caso doubled down the left-field line in the top of the third.

Aggie hurlers Dumezich and Ainsley combined for a near-perfect game with the one-hitter, allowing just one runner on base through five complete frames. Ainsley (13-7) took the win after throwing three innings of relief, allowing one hit and striking out five. Quaker starter Alexis Borden (17-11) suffered the loss, allowing 10 earned runs on nine hits and two walks while fanning three in 1 2/3 innings in the circle.

A&M will play Baylor tomorrow at 2 p.m. CDT on ESPN. The winner of that game will advance to play in the Championship round on Sunday. A&M and Baylor have a lengthy history that started in 1980 and has culminated in a 58-21-1 all-time Aggie record over the Lady Bears through A&M’s final season in the Big 12.

To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Aggies Reach 40-Win Mark With 12-0 Run-Rule of Penn appeared first on WTAW.

Four-Run Ninth Leads A&M to 8-4 Win over Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Texas A&M Aggies used a four-run ninth inning to post an 8-4 win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The victory clinched the series win for the Aggies.

With the score knotted at 4-4 and one out in the top of the ninth, Daniel Mengden drew a five-pitch walk and was replaced at first by pinch-runner JB Moss. Brandon Wood popped a bunt up to the pitcher for the second out of the inning. With the coals of a ninth-inning rally smoldering, Krey Bratsen threw kindling on the fire with a single through the right side of the infield to put runners on the corners. Jace Statum drew a walk to load the bases.

Reliever Trevor Bettencourt was called on to face Mikey Reynolds to put out the fire. Reynolds roped a ball to the hot corner and third baseman Taylor Smart made a diving stop to keep it from going down the leftfield line. Smart got up to his feet, but didn’t have a play at any base and Moss scored the go-ahead run on the infield hit. Blake Allemand followed with a single in the gap in left centerfield to drive in two runs for the 7-4 lead. Cole Lankford capped off the rally with a single through the left side of the infield to knock in Reynolds for the four-run lead.

The Volunteers were active early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Will Maddox singled down the leftfield line to start the frame. The Aggies appeared to have Maddox caught wandering off first base, but Lankford went to make the tag at first while Maddox continued on to second base for the steal. After AJ Simcox struck out looking, Scott Price reached on a four-pitch walk. Ethan Bennett struck out swinging for the second out of the inning, but the Volunteers pulled off the double steal to put two runners in scoring position and Christin Stewart bounced a single up the middle to drive in both runners for the 2-0 lead.

With one out in the top of the second, Troy Stein blasted a 1-0 offering off the leftfield foul pole for a solo home run, trimming the Vols’ edge to 2-1.

The Aggies knotted the game at 2-2 in the top of the third when Bratsen hit a gapper to left centerfield for a leadoff double and scored when Statum punched a double into right centerfield gap.

Tennessee (21-30, 7-20 SEC) reclaimed the lead in the third. Price hit a leadoff single to right field and Bennett drew a four-pitch walk to start the inning. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and Stewart drove in Price with a sacrifice fly to rightfield for the 3-2 lead.

Texas A&M (30-24, 13-15 SEC) staked claim to its first lead of the game in the top of the eighth. Bratsen stroked a leadoff single to rightfield and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Statum. Reynolds hit a wall-banger to the gap in right centerfield for an RBI triple. Allemand drew a walk to put runners on the corners and Lankford punched a single through the right side of the infield to score Reynolds for the 4-3 lead.

The Volunteers did not go quietly into the night, mounting a rally in the eighth. With one out, Bennett reached on an infield single off reliever AJ Minter. A groundout by Stewart advanced Bennett to second with two outs. Aggie closer Jason Jester was called on to stop the rally. He got ahead of Smart with a 0-2 count, but Tennessee third baseman fouled off seven pitches before knocking a single through the left side of the infield. Leftfielder Brandon Wood made a perfect through home, but Stein was unable to hold onto the ball at home allowing Bennett to score, tying the game at 4-4.

 

After the Aggies’ four-run ninth, Tennessee loaded the bases, bringing Price to the plate as the tying run but Jester got him to ground out to first base to end the game.

 

Bratsen led the Aggies attack going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs. Reynolds went 2-for-5 with one triple, two runs and two RBI. Lankford went 2-for-5 with two RBI.

Eight different players accounted for the Volunteers eight hits. Stewart had three of Tennessee’s four RBI.

In his fourth career start, Parker Ray allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out four over 6.2 innings. Jester (3-3), who suffered just his second blown save of the season, earned the win giving up two hits and one run over 1.1 innings.

Drake Owenby (2-1) was saddled with the loss giving up three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings. Tennessee starter Nick Williams tallied a career-high with 10 strikeouts. He yielded four runs on five hits and two walks over 7.1 innings.

Texas A&M will go for its third SEC series sweep of the season on Saturday when they play the Volunteers at 12 pm Central. 

TEXAS A&M QUOTES

Senior shortstop Mikey Reynolds
On his clutch RBI hits in the eighth and ninth innings: The big reason I was able to get those big hits was all the work that Krey (Bratsen) and Jace (Statum) did. They worked hard to get on base and move runners over.

On his triple in the eighth: I had just struck out the last two times up, so I just didn’t want to do that again, especially with Krey (Bratsen) in scoring position. I wanted to get a pitch to drive and put it in play.

On his go-ahead hit in the ninth: As a hitter you don’t want to be the one that makes the last out with bases load. I got a good pitch to hit. I thought it was going to be an extra-base hit, but you have to give their third baseman credit for making a great play to keep it from going into the corner.

Junior outfielder Krey Bratsen
On how big the win was: This was huge. It gives us a chance for the sweep. At this point we need to keep accumulating as many wins as possible to position ourselves for a regional.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Four-Run Ninth Leads A&M to 8-4 Win over Tennessee appeared first on WTAW.

Aggies Season Comes to an End With 4-0 Loss to Ohio State

URBANA, Illinois – The 11th-ranked and No. 12 seed Texas A&M men’s tennis team dropped a 4-0 decision to the No. 5 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in the round of 16 at the University of Illinois’ Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at the Atkins Tennis Center. The Aggies season, which featured an SEC Western Division championship, comes to a close with a final record of 19-13 with only two one senior on the roster.“I’m extremely proud of this team,” Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton said. “They grew up as the season progressed. It’s disappointing that it had to come to an end like this, but the best tennis for this team is ahead of us. Ohio State played well today. You have to give them credit.”

Unlike the earlier matchup this season, the Aggies were unable to claim the doubles point in the contest. The 29th-ranked freshman tandem of Harry Adams and Shane Vinsant claimed the first doubles victory, 8-5, at the No. 2 line over 90th-ranked team of Devin McCarthy and Ille Van Engelen. Minutes later, the No. 12 duo of Peter Kobelt and Connor Smith upset the All-American pair of Junior Ore and Jackson Withrow, 8-4, at the top doubles line. With the early 1-0 edge on the line, the tandem of Jeremy Efferding and Jordan Szabo were unable to break serve and force the match into a tiebreaker as they fell to the 50th-ranked team of Blaz Rola and Kevin Metka, 8-6, at the No. 3 doubles line.

The Buckeyes carried their hot-start from winning the doubles point into the early games in singles by winning four-of-six first sets.

At the No. 5 line, Van Engelen was dominant in the first set, winning six-consecutive games after falling behind 1-0 to Withrow. After falling behind, 2-5, the Omaha, Neb., native won three-straight games to knot the score at 5-5 in the second set. The sophomore couldn’t keep his momentum rolling; however, as he dropped his next two games to drop the set and the match, 6-1, 7-5.

Leading 2-0, Ohio State expanded on its lead from the No. 2 line when eighth-ranked Kobelt rallied from an early 0-2 deficit in the first set to win 6-4 over 100th-ranked Ore. The junior couldn’t find a groove in the second set, as he came up just short, losing 6-4, 7-6 (4), in straight sets to push OSU’s lead to 3-0.

Adams, the No. 103 ranked player in the ITA rankings, came back after dropping his first set to 71st-ranked Connor Smith, 6-4, by winning six of the next seven games to take the second set, 6-1. In the third set, however, the freshman from New Braunfels dropped his final three games to concede the match, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

The match was much closer than the score indicated. Efferding and Szabo were both either leading or within a game of their opponents in their respective matches at the Nos. 1 and 6 lines. 18th-ranked Efferding claimed his first set 6-3 but dropped his second 5-7 and hadn’t served in the third set before the match was called.  Szabo claimed his first set 6-3 but dropped his second set, 4-6. The Australian led in the third set, 3-1, before the final point had been decided. Finally, 76th-ranked Vinsant was on the verge of forcing a tiebreaker in the second set before the match was decided.

Texas A&M will be in action again later this month when it sends five players to the NCAA individual championships in Urbana, Ill., following the conclusion of the team event. To learn more about the men’s tennis team, visit AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieMTEN on Twitter.

No. 5 Ohio State def. No. 11 Texas A&M, 4-0

Singles

No. 1 – No. 18 Jeremy Efferding, A&M vs. No. 12 Blaz Rola, OSU 6-3, 5-7, 0-1 (unfinished)

No. 2 – No. 8 Peter Kobelt, OSU def. No. 100 Junior Ore, A&M 6-4, 7-6 (4)

No. 3 – No. 71 Connor Smith, OSU def. No. 103 Harry Adams, A&M 6-4, 1-6, 6-3

No. 4 – No. 76 Shane Vinsant, A&M vs. No. 73 Devin McCarthy, OSU 6-7 (2), 5-6 (unfinished)

No. 5 – Ille Van Engelen, OSU def. Jackson Withrow, A&M 6-1, 7-5

No. 6 – Jordan Szabo, A&M vs. No. 104 Chris Diaz, OSU 6-3, 4-6, 3-1 (unfinished)

Doubles

No. 1 – No. 12 Kobelt/Smith, OSU def. No. 8 Ore/Withrow, A&M 8-4

No. 2 – No. 29 Adams/Vinsant, A&M def. No. 90 McCarthy/Van Engelen, OSU 8-5

No. 3 – No. 50 Rola/Metka, OSU def. Efferding/Szabo, A&M 8-6

Order of finish: Doubles 2, 1, 3 Singles 5, 2, 3

*clinched the match

Texas A&M (19-13); Ohio State (34-2)

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Aggies Season Comes to an End With 4-0 Loss to Ohio State appeared first on WTAW.

Aggies in Fourth After NCAA Tempe Regional Day #1

TEMPE, Ariz. — An opening round featuring five birdies from juniorJohannes Veerman highlighted the Texas A&M men’s golf team’s first day at the NCAA Tempe Regional on Thursday.

“I thought we did so many things well today, especially for the first 14 or 15 holes,” Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. “We were playing outstanding golf but it’s a shame we let some shots slip away from us coming in because we had a chance to separate ourselves a little bit from the field. In the end, we still have 36 holes of golf left and we are right there where we need to be, so if we play well the next two days we’ll advance. We just need to shore up some things on our finishing holes and we’ll be good.”

On the team leaderboard, the No. 20 (GolfWorld/Nike Golf Coaches’ Poll) Aggies sit in a five-way, even-par tie for fourth place after 18 holes on Arizona State’s Karsten Golf Course (Par 70, 7,036 yards). Fourth-ranked UCLA (268, -12) leads the event while No. 10 Duke (278, -2) and Austin Peay State (279, -1) follow in second and third place, respectively.

Sharing fourth place alongside A&M (280, E) is No. 16 Georgia, North Carolina, Clemson and UCF, while Vanderbilt (283, +3), Arizona State (284, +4), New Mexico State (285, +5), Kennesaw State (288, +8), Arizona (292, +12) and Lehigh (301, +21) trail consecutively.

Starting his round on the No. 10 tee box Thursday morning, Veerman (67, -3) quickly climbed the leaderboard with three consecutive birdies beginning at No. 13. After making the turn, the Sugar Land, Texas, product carded birdies on No. 2 and No. 5 before a double bogie on No. 6 provided the only blemish on his first-round scorecard.

“Johannes played outstanding today,” Higgins said of Veerman. “He had a chance to have a really great round but the double bogie was a bad double and I’m sure he wishes he could have his chip shot on that hole back. It was really the only bad shot he had all day, other than that he was just fantastic.”

Veerman will enter Friday’s second round in a tie for fourth place, trailing leader Dustin Korte (64, -6) of Austin Peay State by just three strokes.

Senior Cameron Peck (68, -2) also finished under par, ending the day at two-under. The Olympia, Wash., native’s round featured five birdies compared to three bogies, leaving him in a tie for sixth place in the individual standings.

“Cam was great again today but as a team we really just had a few too many big numbers,” Higgins added. “We had three doubles and a triple-bogie and still shot even par so there are a lot of birdies to be had out there and the course is scorable. We just can’t give them back in bunches like that.”

Sophomore Greg Yates (72, +2) was in line to end the day at even par after a pair of birdies and two bogies, however, Yates carded a double bogie on his final hole of the day to fall to 42nd place at two-over par.

Rounding out the Aggie contingency were sophomore Ty Dunlap (73, +3), who sits in 45th place at three-over par, and senior Drew Evans (74, +4), who ended the day in 57th place at four-over.

“I look for us to be a little smarter tomorrow,” Higgins said. “We need to take a little bit better care of our shots and not give away too much. We’re hitting the ball great and we are putting and chipping solid as well. Everything is looking really good, it was just a couple loose shots that cost us today. If we can take care of those and make sure we keep it in play off the tee than we’ve got a chance to put a great score up on the board tomorrow.”

The tournament’s second round is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. (CT) Friday with the Aggies paired alongside golfers from Georgia and North Carolina in the first group to tee off at hole No. 1.

Live scoring is available at GolfStat.com.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Aggies in Fourth After NCAA Tempe Regional Day #1 appeared first on WTAW.

Aggies Qualify 45 Athletes for NCAA Outdoor Championship Field

COLLEGE STATION – Fields for the NCAA Outdoor Championships were announced on Thursday and Texas A&M will have 45 athletes competing in 31 events during the NCAA West preliminary rounds at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin. The meet begins next Thursday and concludes on Saturday.

The Aggies total 58 entries in the meet, split evenly among the men and women with 29 entries each. Two of the entries for the women include Jena Hemann and Annie Kunz, who are already qualified for the heptathlon during the NCAA Championship weekend in Eugene, Oregon.

Texas A&M men will have 24 athletes among 29 entries in 16 events while the Aggie women have 21 athletes among 29 entries in 15 events.

Top 10 seeded entrants in the NCAA West preliminary for the A&M men include: Sam Humphreys (1st – Javelin), Henry Lelei (1st – Steeplechase, 10th – 5000m); 4×100 relay (1st); 4×400 relay (1st); Ameer Webb (2nd– 200, 3rd – 100); Deon Lendore (2nd – 400); Wayne Davis (3rd – 110 hurdles); Dalton Rowan (4th – Discus); Devin Bogert (6th – Javelin); Hector Hernandez (7th – 800); James Bonn (8th – 800); and Gregory Coleman (9th – 400 hurdles).

For the Aggie women top 10 seeded entrants in the NCAA West preliminary include: Kamaria Brown (1st – 200); 4×100 relay (1st); Shelbi Vaughan (2nd – Discus); LaQue Moen-Davis (3rd – Triple jump, 5th – Long jump); Ashley Collier (3rd – 100); 4×400 relay (3rd); Ashton Purvis (4th – 100; 6th – 200); Jennifer Madu (5th – 100, 7th – Triple jump); Donique’ Flemings (5th – 100 hurdles); and Olivia Ekponé (6th – 100, 9th – 200).

Track & Field News updated their NCAA Outdoor form charts this week and the magazine favors the Texas A&M men for the team title with the Aggie women predicted to finish third in a tight team race.

The T&F News form chart predicts the A&M men will win five events with Henry Lelei in the steeplechase, Wayne Davis II in the 110 hurdles, Sam Humphreys in the javelin as well as both relay events. With a prediction of the Aggie men scoring 67 points the magazine thinks that will give them a 15-point cushion over Florida (52), Arkansas (51) and Oregon (51).

In the women’s team chase Track & Field News tabs Kansas a one-point favorite over host Oregon, 58-57, with A&M in the hunt at 54 points. The magazine predicts the Aggie 4×100 relay will win while runner-up finishes are predicted for Kamaria Brown in the 200, Shelbi Vaughan in the discus and the 4×400 relay.

 

TRACK & FIELD NEWS – PREDICTED MEN’s TEAM SCORES

1. Texas A&M, 67; 2. Florida, 52; 3. tie, Arkansas & Oregon, 51; 5. USC, 32; 6. Florida State, 26; 7. Arizona, 24; 8. tie, Indiana & LSU, 23; 10. tie, Mississippi & Virginia Tech, 22.

A&M Individual / Relay Predictions                 MEN       67

100m          Ameer Webb                                    7th           2

200m          Ameer Webb                                    2nd           8

400m          Deon Lendore                                  3rd           6

Steeple          Henry Lelei                                      1st         10

5000          Henry Lelei                                      10th           –

110H          Wayne Davis II                                 1st         10

400H          Gregory Coleman                              8th           1

4 x 100          Texas A&M                                      1st         10

4 x 400          Texas A&M                                      1st         10

Discus          Dalton Rowan                                    9th           –

Javelin          Sam Humphreys                              1st         10

Devin Bogert                                 10th           –

TRACK & FIELD NEWS – PREDICTED WOMEN’s TEAM SCORES

1. Kansas, 58; 2. Oregon, 57; 3. Texas A&M, 54; 4. Arizona State, 41; 5. tie, Arkansas & LSU, 40; 7. Georiga, 38; 8. Arizona, 37; 9. Clemson, 33; 10. Stanford, 32.

A&M Individual / Relay Predictions                                 WOMEN       54

100m          Jennifer Madu                                                    5th           4

Ashton Purvis                                                     7th           2

200m          Kamaria Brown                                                 2nd           8

Ashton Purvis                                                     6th           3

100H          Donique’ Flemings                                              6th           3

4 x 100          Texas A&M                                                         1st         10

4 x 400          Texas A&M                                                        2nd           8

Long Jump      LaQue Moen-Davis                                            6th           3

Triple Jump     LaQue Moen-Davis                                            4th           5

Discus          Shelbi Vaughan                                                 2nd           8

 

Texas A&M – NCAA Qualifiers – West preliminary rounds

MEN (16 EVENTS, 24 ATHLETES, 29 ENTRIES)

100

3.    Ameer Webb                                  10.14

12.    Prezel Hardy, Jr.                             10.30

16.    Michael Bryan                                 10.34

200

2.    Ameer Webb                                  20.30

11.    Prezel Hardy, Jr.                             20.80

14.    Michael Bryan                                 20.88

27.    Jermaine Davis                               21.19

400

2.    Deon Lendore                                45.00

27.    Ricky Babineaux                             46.71

28.    Carlyle Roudette                           46.73

800

7.    Hector Hernandez                     1:48.62

8.    James Bonn                                 1:48.64

35.    Josh Hernandez                         1:49.95

Steeple   

1.    Henry Lelei                                   8:32.94

11.    Isaac Spencer                              8:49.43

5000

10.    Henry Lelei                                 13:45.30

110H

3.    Wayne Davis II                                13.45

400H

9.    Gregory Coleman                          50.67

37.    Aikan Graham                                 52.22

4×100

1.    Texas A&M                                      38.64

4×400

1.    Texas A&M                                  3:02.52

High Jump

48.    Devion Harris                                     2.10    6-10 ¾

Pole Vault

12.    Chase Wolfle                                     5.41    17-9

43.    Dustin Phillips                                    5.15    16-10 ¾

Triple Jump

26.    Dave Brown                                     15.48    50-9 ½

Discus

4.    Dalton Rowan                                 59.95    196-8

Hammer

14.    Casey Strong                                   62.97    206-7

Javelin

1.    Sam Humphreys                            81.40    267-1

6.    Devin Bogert                                   72.66    238-5

 

Texas A&M – NCAA Qualifiers – West preliminary rounds

WOMEN (15 EVENTS, 21 ATHLETES, 29 ENTRIES)

 100

3.    Ashley Collier                                  11.15

4.    Ashton Purvis                                 11.20

5.    Jennifer Madu                                11.26

6.    Olivia Ekponé                                  11.27

17.    India Daniels                                    11.44

26.    LaKeidra Stewart                           11.50

200

1.    Kamaria Brown                               22.47

6.    Ashton Purvis                                 23.07

9.    Olivia Ekponé                                  23.19

35.    India Daniels                                    23.76

400

15.    Ibukun Mayungbe                        52.99

800

26.    Aliese Hyde                                  2:07.53

1500

30.    Sophie Blake                                4:24.39

10,000

36.    Hillary Montgomery               35:10.99

100H

5.    Donique’ Flemings                        13.03

4×100

1.    Texas A&M                                      42.56

4×400

3.    Texas A&M                                  3:27.89

Long Jump

5.    LaQue Moen-Davis                         6.47    21-2 ¾

Triple Jump

3.    LaQue Moen-Davis                       13.65    44-9 ½

7.    Jennifer Madu                                13.04    42-9 ½

29.    Jordan Wilson                                 12.55    41-2 ¼

32.    Haley Gooch                                    12.49    40-11 ¾

36.    Melissa Mays                                  12.39    40-7 ¾

Shot Put

31.    Shelbi Vaughan                              15.78    51-9 ¼

41.    Brea Garrett                                    15.57    51-1

Discus

2.    Shelbi Vaughan                              58.93    193-4

Javelin

23.    Kendall Munoz                               46.95    154-0

Heptathlon

12.    Jena Hemann                                   5531

19.    Annie Kunz                                       5442

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post Aggies Qualify 45 Athletes for NCAA Outdoor Championship Field appeared first on WTAW.

Jets’ Mike Goodson Arrested

New York Jets running back Mike Goodson was arrested Friday morning on drug possession and weapon charges, New Jersey state police spokesman Stephen Jones told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Goodson was found with another man stopped in the center-left lane on Interstate 80 in Denville, N.J., just after 3 a.m., according to police. A tow truck truck driver found them and called 911 due to concerns about the physical condition of Goodson, who was in the passenger seat of a GMC Yukon SUV. He was transported to St. Clare’s Hospital, then brought to police offices when he was deemed healthy enough to discharge.

The 25-year-old was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession of paraphernalia, unlawful possession of a loaded handgun and possession of a hollow-point bullet. Goodson was taken to Morristown jail and was behind held on a $50,000 full cash bail. It’s uncertain if he has been released yet.

The driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old Garant Evans of New Jersey, had a prior felony conviction. He faces the same charges as Goodson, in addition to DWI, traffic summonses and possession of a weapon with a prior felony conviction. He is being held on $150,000 bail.

A Jets team spokesperson said: “We are aware of the report and are gathering information.”

The Jets signed Goodson this offseason to a three-year, $6.9 million deal. In 40 career games with Carolina and Oakland, Goodson has rushed for 722 yards and three touchdowns. He’s projected to be part of the team’s rotation at running back.

Story courtesy of Matt Ehalt at ESPNNewYork.com

The post Jets’ Mike Goodson Arrested appeared first on WTAW.

A&M Tops Tennessee in Opener

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After yielding just one run over 8.0 innings in each of his last two starts, Texas A&M right-handed pitcher Daniel Mengden finally broke through for his first career complete-game. The sophomore pitched the Aggies to a 5-1 win over the Tennessee Volunteers at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Thursday evening.

Mengden allowed just one run on seven hits and two walks while striking out four over 9.0 innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.84 on the season and has yielded just three runs in his last three starts, totaling 25.0 innings.

The Aggies harvested a run in the top of the third inning to take the early lead. Jace Statum knocked a leadoff single up the middle and was replaced at first base by Mikey Reynolds who was unsuccessful in a sacrifice bunt attempt. Reynolds moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a groundout by Blake Allemand. Cole Lankford broke the scoring seal, knocking Reynolds home with a single to the shortstop for the 1-0 lead.

Tennessee (21-29, 7-19 SEC) tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Will Maddox started the inning with a single to rightfield and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by AJ Simcox. An infield single by Scott Price put runners on the corners with one out, and Ethan Bennett sent the Maddox home for the equalizer with a groundout to the shortstop.

The Volunteers were feeling charitable in the top of the fifth, yielding an unearned run to the Aggies. With one out, Statum drew a five-pitch walk and moved to second on a groundout to the shortstop by Reynolds. Allemand bounced a ball into the hole on the left side, but shortstop Simcox fumbled the ball for an error, putting runners on the corners. Lankford took advantage of the extra out, driving a single through the left side of the infield to plate Allemand with the two-out run and the Aggies staked claim to a 2-1 edge.

Texas A&M (29-24, 12-15 SEC) created separation with a three-run seventh inning. Centerfielder Parker Wormsley made a diving attempt on soft line drive by Krey Bratsen, but he couldn’t keep it in the glove for the leadoff single. The Volunteers were unsuccessful in an attempt to retire the lead runner at second on a sacrifice bunt by Statum giving the Aggies two runners with no outs. Reynolds pushed both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning. After Allemand struck out swinging, Lankford was intentionally walked to set up the double play opportunity.

With the bases saturated with Aggies, Hunter Melton hit a ball deep in the hole on the left side of the infield. Simcox corralled it and went to second in an unsuccessful attempt at a force out and Melton was credited with the RBI single, driving in Bratsen. Stein capped off the rally by pushing two runs across with a single up the middle for the 5-1 lead.

Zack Godley (5-7) worked a complete-game in the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on nine hits and three walks while registering a career-high with 13 strikeouts over 9.0 innings.

Lankford and Melton each had two hits for the Aggies. Lankford went 2-for-4 with one run, one walk and two RBI. Melton went 2-for-5 with one double and one RBI.

Christin Stewart led the Volunteers with three of their seven hits. Price was the only other Tennessee player with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a walk.

The Aggies and Volunteers return to action at Lindsey Nelson Stadium for game two of the series on Friday at 5 pm Central.

TEXAS A&M QUOTES

Head coach Rob Childress
On Daniel Mengden’s outing: He has been getting stronger every outing down the stretch. He was efficient tonight and was making very good pitches. He went head-to-head with a real workhorse on the other side. (Zack) Godley is a really good pitcher and Daniel was able to keep us in the game until we got some key hits. We needed a good outing from him. Our staff is fresh for the rest of the weekend and Daniel didn’t have to stretch himself out too far so he’ll be ready to go early in the week next week at the SEC Tournament.

On the two-out hits: That was huge. All five of our runs came on two-out hits. That’s something we have to feel good about going into the rest of the weekend.

On the defensive play of the Aggies: I think the last three weeks we have been playing defense on a very high level. The outfield has been catching balls in the gaps and down the line and we have quite a few outfield assists. The infield has been strong all the way around the horn. Tonight we executed a play to snuff out a double steal and we got a key outfield assist in the first inning to keep Tennessee from getting momentum.

Sophomore pitcher Daniel Mengden
On his first career complete-game: It feels good. I knew my pitch count was pretty low, so as long as I kept getting guys out I was in good shape. It got close there at the end. Had that last batter got on base, I think coach would have gone with Jason (Jester) to close 

The post A&M Tops Tennessee in Opener appeared first on WTAW.

MLB

  AMERICAN LEAGUE
  
   Final     Seattle         3  N-Y Yankees   2
   Final     Boston          4  Tampa Bay     3
   Final     Texas          10  Detroit       4
   Final     Chi White Sox   5  L.A. Angels   4
 
 
     NATIONAL LEAGUE
  
   Final     N-Y Mets        5  St. Louis     2
   Final     Pittsburgh      7  Milwaukee     1
   Final     Cincinnati      5  Miami         3, 10 Innings
   Final     San Francisco   8  Colorado      6
   Final     Washington      6  San Diego     2

The post MLB appeared first on WTAW.

NHL Playoffs

Brad Marchand’s goal at 15:40 of overtime allowed the Boston
Bruins to beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in Game 1 of the NHL’s Eastern
Conference semifinals. Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis scored power-play goals 22
seconds apart over the final 1:43 as the Los Angeles Kings rallied to beat San
Jose 4-3 and take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

The post NHL Playoffs appeared first on WTAW.

NBA Playoffs

Tim Duncan scored 19 points and the San Antonio Spurs advanced
to the NBA’s Western Conference finals against Memphis by downing the Warriors
94-82 at Golden State. And the New York Knicks have forced a Game 6 in the
Eastern Conference finals as Carmelo Anthony Scored 28 points in an 85-75 win
over the Indiana Pacers.

The post NBA Playoffs appeared first on WTAW.

Nolan Ryan’s Son to be Named Astros’ President

Reid Ryan, the son of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, will be named the next president of the Houston Astros, MLB.com reported Thursday.

Reid Ryan currently runs the Triple-A Round Rock Express (Rangers) and Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros), both of which are owned by Nolan Ryan and Houston businessman Don Sanders.

According to the report, the Astros will introduce Reid Ryan at a Friday news conference.

The hiring of Reid Ryan will end a short search for a new president after George Postolos announced his resignation Monday.

Reid Ryan, 41, has been serving on the board of trustees for Major League Baseball, the executive committee of the Pacific Coast League and is the board of trustees representative for the Baseball Internet Rights Company.

Reid Ryan’s father played nine of his 27 major league seasons with the Astros, and is baseball’s all-time strikeout leader.  He is currently president and CEO of the Texas Rangers.

Story courtesy of ESPN.com

The post Nolan Ryan’s Son to be Named Astros’ President appeared first on WTAW.

Soccer Star Beckham to Retire After Season

LONDON (AP) _ David Beckham says he is retiring from soccer at the end of the
season.

The 38-year-old Beckham recently won a league title in a fourth country with
Paris Saint-Germain. He has become a global superstar since starting his career
at Manchester United.

Beckham says he is “thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue
but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest
level.”

Beckham also played for Real Madrid and the Los Angeles Galaxy, winning titles
with both those clubs as well as with United.

On the international stage, Beckham has made 115 appearances for England’s
national team _ a record for a player other than a goalkeeper.

The post Soccer Star Beckham to Retire After Season appeared first on WTAW.

TCU Suspends DE Fields for First Two Games of Season

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) _ TCU defensive end Devonte Fields has been suspended
for the first two games of the 2013 season due to an unspecified violation of
“university and team policy.”

Coach Gary Patterson announced the suspension of the Big 12 defensive player of
the year in a one-sentence statement Wednesday. Patterson didn’t immediately
return a message left on his cellphone. School officials had no further comments
or details about the statement.

As a freshman last season, Fields had 181/2 tackles for losses and 10
quarterback sacks. Along with being voted the league’s top defender, he was the
Big 12 defensive newcomer of the year.

The Horned Frogs open Aug. 31 against LSU at Cowboys Stadium. They play
Southeastern Louisiana at home the following week.

The post TCU Suspends DE Fields for First Two Games of Season appeared first on WTAW.

UPDATE: Friday NCAA Softball Game Times Changed

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - ESPN has moved Friday’s opening round of the NCAA Softball College Station Regional back two hours into primetime. The games will still air on ESPN2 and no other part of the regional schedule has been affected.

Baylor and Arizona will now face of in a 4:30 p.m. match-up, and No. 16 seed A&M will play Penn at 7 p.m. All times are listed as Central.

One win away from an eighth 40-season under Head Coach Jo Evans, the Aggies received an at-large bid to their 24th-overall and 12th-straight NCAA Tournament after a 39-15 season in A&M’s first year in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Penn (30-18) was an automatic qualifier in the team’s first-ever postseason appearance after winning the Ivy League Tournament. Baylor (39-15, Big 12) and Arizona (32-24, Pac-12) were both at-large bids.

Gates will open one hour prior to first pitch, at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available here. To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.

Friday’s Updated Schedule (CDT)
4:30 PM – Baylor vs Arizona (ESPN2)
7:00 PM – Texas A&M vs Penn (ESPN2)

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

The post UPDATE: Friday NCAA Softball Game Times Changed appeared first on WTAW.

Three Aggies Named NFCA All-South Region

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – After its first season in the Southeastern Conference, the No. 13 Texas A&M softball team placed three student-athletes on National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-South Region teams, the organization announced today.

Junior Nicole Morgan was named the NFCA All-Region first team first baseman and freshman Cali Lanphear was tabbed first-team utility/designated player. Senior Mel Dumezich was selected to the second team as a designated player/pitcher.

Morgan (The Woodlands, Texas) has hit 15 home runs, including an impressive three grand slams, for 51 RBI. The first baseman adds eight doubles to the tally and has crossed the plate 31 times, while leading the team with 30 walks. This is the first NFCA All-Region honor of her career.

Lanphear (Montgomery, Texas) has had an impressive start to her career, leading the Aggies with 18 home runs, 43 runs and 53 RBI while maintaining an .852 slugging percentage. The utility player was also titled Freshman All-SEC this year.

Dumezich (Whiting, Ind.) completes her A&M career as a four-time NFCA All-Region selection after dominating in the circle and at the plate for the Aggies. The senior (26-7) owns a 2.36 ERA this season, fanning 218 batters in 201.2 innings of work and tossing six solo shutouts in 2013. The utility pitcher doesn’t shy away from the batter’s box, pounding 11 home runs and a team-best 11 doubles this season while drawing 25 walks for 36 RBI. Dumezich was also named Second Team All-SEC in her final season of eligibility.

The 16th-seeded Aggies will host Penn, Baylor and Arizona in the NCAA College Station Regional this weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. Friday game vs. Penn on ESPN2. For details on the College Station Regional and for more info on Texas A&M softball, log on to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

 

The post Three Aggies Named NFCA All-South Region appeared first on WTAW.

No. 3 Texas A&M Faces No. 14 Virginia in NCAA Sweet 16

URBANA, Ill. – The No. 3 Texas A&M women’s tennis team continues its run in the NCAA Championship as the Aggies take on No. 14 seed Virginia in the round of 16, Friday at 4 p.m. at the University of Illinois’ Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at Atkins Tennis Center.

2013 NCAA WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill. (Univ. of Illinois host)

Round of 16, Friday, May 17
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 14 Virginia, 4 p.m. (CT)

Quarterfinal, Sunday, May 19
Texas A&M-Virginia winner vs. No. 6 Miami-No. 11 Northwestern winner, 4 p.m.

Semifinals, Monday, May 20, 5 p.m.

Championship, Tuesday, May 21, 5 p.m.

Tournament Central (live video/scoring): http://www.fightingillini.com/ncaatennis2013/

Twitter: @NCAATennis13; @AggieWTEN

TEXAS A&M-VIRGINIA TOURNAMENT QUICK FACTS
Texas A&M
Record: 23-3
Ranking: 3
Conference: Southeastern (SEC)
Conf. Record (Finish): 12-1 (1st-tie)
NCAA Appearance: 19th
Last Appearance: 2012
NCAA Championship Record: 14-18
2013 NCAA Results:
  1st Round: def. Southern, 4-0
  2nd Round: def. No. 29 TCU, 4-1
NCAA Best Finish: Round of 16, 2004
All-Time Series vs. Virginia: 2-0
Last meeting: A&M won 5-2, March 13, 2013
Coach: Howard Joffe
Career Record: 90-47 (6th season)
Record at A&M: 42-9 (2nd season)
 
Virginia
Record: 19-9
Ranking: 14
Conference: Atlantic Coast (ACC)
Conf. Record (Finish): 9-2 (2nd-tie)
NCAA Appearance: 14th
Last Appearance: 2012
NCAA Championship Record: 12-13
2013 NCAA Results:
  1st Round: def. Fairleigh Dickinson, 4-0
  2nd Round: def. No. 18 Texas, 4-3
NCAA Best Finish: Round of 16 (2011, 2012)
All-Time Series vs. Texas A&M: 0-2
Last meeting: A&M won 5-2, March 13, 2013
Coach: Mark Guilbeau
Career Record: 278-169 ((17th season)
Record at UVA: 124-80 (8th season)
TEXAS A&M NOTES
·         Texas A&M (23-3) is making its 14th consecutive and 19th overall appearance in the NCAA Championship.
·         The Aggies are advancing to the Round of 16 for only the second time in school history, having also reached the Sweet 16 in 2004 before falling to No. 5 seed Clemson, 4-1.
·         A&M is a school-record No. 3 seed in the 64-team field. A&M was the No. 12 seed in the 2004 tournament, marking the only other time the Aggies have been seeded.
·         A&M is 14-18 all-time in NCAA tournament matches.
·         A&M entered the 2013 NCAA Championship 15-3 record against the tournament field this season, including a 4-3 victory over two-time defending national champion Florida, which helped propel the Aggies to a share of the SEC regular season title.
·         A&M is 5-3 this season against teams in the Round of 16, including 2-0 against Virginia.
·         Texas A&M is one of seven schools to have both its men’s and women’s teams competing in the Round of 16.
SERIES NOTES VS. VIRGINIA
·         Texas A&M is 2-0 all-time against Virginia with both meetings occurring this season.
·         Then-No. 13 A&M defeated host and then-12th-ranked UVA, 4-1, on Feb. 10 at the 2013 ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Charlottesville, Va., in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
·         The teams also met March 13 in College Station, with the third-ranked Aggies defeating No. 47 UVA, 5-2, at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.

HOW TEXAS A&M REACHED THE ROUND OF 16
The Aggies defeated Southern, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Saturday, May 11. It marked the first time the Aggies had competed since falling to Florida on April 20 in the semifinals of the SEC Championship. A&M won the doubles point against the Jaguars with 8-1 victories at both the Nos. 2 and 3 lines. A&M continued its dominance in the singles, winning all six first sets and going a combined 67-6 in games on all six courts. Cristina Stancu didn’t drop a game as she gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Danielle Dixon at the No. 2 line. Ines Deheza also nearly completed a shutout, defeating Camara Davis, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 4 to put A&M ahead, 3-0. Fourth-ranked Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar capped the team victory with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Gabrielle Moore at the No. 1 line.

A&M defeated No. 29 TCU, 4-1, in the NCAA second round match on Sunday. The 49th-ranked senior tandem of Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar and Sun Wen gave the Aggies the edge in the race for the doubles point, winning their first six games en route to an 8-1 victory over TCU’s Federica Denti and Kelsey Sundaram at the No. 2 line. Freshmen twins Ines and Paula Deheza clinched the point for the Aggies and ran their winning streak to seven with a win at the No. 3 line. They were tied, 2-2, with Monika Sirilova and Stefanie Tan before reeling off six consecutive games to close out the 8-2 victory that gave A&M a 1-0 lead.

Singles began with A&M quickly notching straight-set victories at the Nos. 3 and 4 courts to take a 3-0 lead. Senior Nazari Urbina posted her 98th career victory with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over 122nd-ranked Smith at the No. 3 line to put the Aggies ahead, 2-0. Ines Deheza won four consecutive games to close out a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Sundaram at No. 4 to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead.

Despite the deficit, TCU began gaining the momentum. Sirilova put the Horned Frogs on the board and cut the margin to 3-1 with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Sun at the No. 5 line. TCU also won first sets on courts 1, 2 and Denti had built a 5-0 first set lead over Hristov at the No. 6 line.  Never one to be counted out, Hristov charged back, winning the next five games to tie the set at 5-5. Denti took a 6-5 lead, but Hristov fought off five set points to tie the frame at 6-6 and force a tiebreaker. Hristov won the first three points in the tiebreaker and went on to win, 7-4, to take the set. Hristov didn’t drop a game in the second set to complete the 7-6 (4), 6-0 victory to clinch the winning point and send the Aggies on to the round of 16.

Sanchez-Quintanar, ranked No. 4, had lost her first set, 6-4, to 44th-ranked Tan at the No. 1 court and the score was tied, 5-5, in the second set when Hristov clinched the match. Also 68th-ranked Stancu had struggled at No. 2, playing through an ankle injury suffered early in the first set. Stancu was leading Simona Parajova, 3-2, in the opening frame before suffering the injury. Although Stancu went on to win the game to take a 4-2 lead, Parajova took advantage of the situation and came back to win the set, 7-5. Stancu then won the second set, 6-0, to force a third set and was leading 3-2 when play was stopped.

 TEXAS A&M IN THE ITA RANKINGS
·        Texas A&M is No. 3 in the latest ITA team rankings, released May 2. The ranking equals the highest ranking in school history set earlier this season. The Aggies received their first-ever No. 3 ranking on March 12 and also held the No. 3 spot on March 19, March 26 and April 9.  Entering the season, the previous all-time highest team ranking was a No. 9 showing on March 28, 2001.
·        Senior Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, who came to A&M with coach Howard Joffe in 2012 after playing one year at Maryland, became the highest ranked singles player in Texas A&M history when she was ranked No. 4 on Feb. 28, 2012. She broke her own record this season as she was listed No. 3 in the Jan. 3 preseason singles ranking. She has been ranked in the top seven for the entire 2012-13 season and entered the NCAA tournament ranked No. 4.
·        After not being listed in the January 3 preseason singles rankings, senior Nazari Urbina has worked her way up to a No. 52 ranking. Junior Cristina Stancu is No. 68, rounding out A&M’s nationally ranked singles players.
·        In doubles, Stancu and freshman Stefania Hristov are No. 18. They have been ranked as high as No. 7 (March 26), the highest doubles ranking in school history. Sanchez-Quintanar and senior partner Wen Sun also are listed in the doubles rankings, as they entered NCAAs ranked No. 49.
 
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH HOWARD JOFFE
Texas A&M head coach Howard Joffe (pronounced JOFF-ee) continues to lead the program to new heights in his second season at the helm of the Aggies, including an all-time high No. 3 national ranking. In A&M’s inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference, he also led the women’s tennis team to the school’s first SEC regular season championship title in any sport. This season, Joffe has directed A&M to a 23-3 record, including 21-3 against ranked opponents and 12-1 in SEC matches. Six wins were against teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation, including a win against two-time defending champion and fourth-ranked Florida to mark the biggest win in program history. It was the Gators’ first regular-season SEC loss since 2009, and the loss snapped their 45-match overall win streak against SEC opponents. Joffe’s Aggies also tied the school record for consecutive wins with 13, tying the record set in Joffe’s first season at A&M. Joffe is 90-47 (.657) record in his sixth season as a head coach, including a 42-9 (.824) mark in two seasons at the helm of the Aggies.
Joffe played college tennis at Pepperdine from 1990-92 and led the Wave to three consecutive West Coast Conference titles. He was an ITA All-American in 1992, the same year he was the 1992 WCC singles champion and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championship. After three years (1992-94) on the professional tour, Joffe began his coaching career in South Africa. In 2002, he was hired as the women’s assistant coach at perennial power USC, where he finished his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2006. The two-time ITA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year and a runner-up for the 2006 national award, Joffe left USC in 2007 to be the head coach at Miami (Ohio). In his second season, Joffe was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year after leading the RedHawks to a 16-7 record and an appearance in the NCAA tournament. He then left to become the head coach at Maryland, where he led the Terrapins to an NCAA tournament berth in 2011.
SANCHEZ-QUINTANAR IS A&M’S FIRST TWO-TIME ALL-AMERICAN
Texas A&M senior Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar became the school’s first two-time All-American in women’s tennis after receiving a school record-high No. 4 seed in the 2013 NCAA Singles Championship 64-player field. Sanchez-Quintanar first guaranteed herself All-America honors from the ITA last year after being named the No. 7 seed in the 2012 NCAA Singles Championship. She was A&M’s first All-American since 2005 and fifth overall, but she became the first in school history to garner the distinction by virtue of being a top 16 seed. Sanchez-Quintanar advanced to the quarterfinals in 2012, tying former Aggie All-American Kim Labuschagne (1987) for the best finish in program history. Sanchez-Quintanar is the first All-American coached by Howard Joffe, who is in his second year at A&M and in the sixth season of his head coaching career.
A&M SENDS FOUR TO NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Seniors Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar and Nazari Urbina will compete in singles, and the Aggie tandem of freshman Stefania Hristov and junior Cristina Stancu will compete in doubles at the NCAA Individual Championships to be conducted May 22-27 at the University of Illinois’ Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex/Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill. All matches will be the best of three sets. Regular scoring and a 12-point tiebreaker at six games all will be used for all matches.
Sanchez-Quintanar is making her third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Singles Championship. Last year, she received a No. 7 seed and advanced to the quarterfinals, tying former Aggie All-American Kim Labuschagne (1987) for the best finish in A&M history. Sanchez-Quintanar made her first tournament appearance in 2011, her only season at Maryland. The then-sophomore became the Terrapins’ first-ever player to reach the singles round of 32 after defeating Urbina in the first round.
Urbina also is making history, as she is making a school-record fourth consecutive appearance. In 2010, Urbina became A&M’s first-ever freshman to compete in the elite event, and last year she became the first Aggie to compete in three NCAA singles tournaments.
Stancu, in her first year at A&M after transferring from Maryland, and Hristov are 19-9 overall and ranked No. 18 in the nation in doubles. They set the school record for the highest doubles ranking in program history earlier this season when they were tabbed No. 7 in the nation. In the fall, the duo won the ITA Texas Regional, including a 9-7 victory over then sixth-ranked Samantha Adams and Kenna Kilgo of Texas Tech to earn an automatic berth to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships in New York.
CHART CHASERS
·         Senior Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar enters the NCAA championships boasting a .854 (76-13) career winning percentage in singles. She will obliterate the school record of .765 (91-28) held by Morgan Frank (2008-11).
·         Sanchez-Quintanar ranks third in the A&M records for most singles wins in a season with a 36-7 record. Last year, she went 40-6 (.870), ranking second in the A&M records for most wins and shattering the school record for highest winning percentage in a single season.
·         Senior Nazari Urbina’s 98 career singles victories places her fourth in the A&M records. Anna Blagodarova holds down the No. 3 spot with 100 victories from 2005 to 2008, and the all-time record is 113 held by Nicki Mechem (2003-04, 2006-07).
AGGIES GARNER ALL-SEC ACCOLADES
Texas A&M seniors Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar and Nazari Urbina were named to the All-SEC first team for women’s tennis and Aggie junior Cristina Stancu was named to the second team, according to a vote of the league’s head tennis coaches.
Playing in the nation’s toughest conference, which boasts four teams ranked in the Top 10, the trio helped the Aggie women’s tennis team capture the school’s first SEC regular season championship in any sport as A&M went 12-1 in conference play to tie two-time defending national champion Florida and No. 4-ranked Georgia for the overall league title. The Aggies also won the SEC Western Division, finishing with a two-game lead over second-place Alabama, ranked No. 9 in the nation.
 
PASSING SHOTS
·         A win against Virginia would not only send A&M to the quarterfinals for the first time in school history, but it also will give the Aggies a 24-3 record, matching the 2004 team for the most wins in history.
·         A&M’s 2004 trip to its only other Round of 16 appearance also began with a 4-0 victory over Southern in College Station.
·         Texas A&M entered the 2013 NCAA Championship 15-3 against the tournament field, including a 4-3 victory over two-time defending national champion Florida.
·         A&M is 5-3 this season against teams in the Round of 16.
·         The Aggies are 21-3 against ranked opponents, including a 4-3 victory against then-No. 4 Florida, marking A&M’s highest ranked win in school history.
·         A&M is 10-3 against Top 25 foes and 6-3 against teams ranked in the top 10.
·         A&M is 17-0 when No. 1 singles wins, 14-0 when No. 2 singles wins, 14-0 when No. 3 singles wins, and 11-0 when No. 5 singles wins. The Aggies also are 17-1 when winning the doubles point.
·         The No. 6 line has the most singles wins with a 19-4 record, including a 13-1 record from freshman Stefania Hristov.
·         The Aggies are a combined 45-14 at the No. 1, 2 and 3 singles lines.
·         A&M is a combined 43-24 at the three doubles lines.
·         The doubles team of twin sisters Ines and Paula Deheza is riding a team-best seven-match winning streak. They also lead the team in doubles victories with a 17-5 record in dual matches.
·         Texas A&M has won eight of its last nine matches with the only loss coming against current No. 1-ranked Florida in the semifinals of the SEC Championship tournament.
·         A&M has three seniors who are concluding their Aggie careers: Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, Wen Sun and Nazari Urbina.

The post No. 3 Texas A&M Faces No. 14 Virginia in NCAA Sweet 16 appeared first on WTAW.

ON AIR - LISTEN LIVE

PHOTO GALLERIES

  • Home Page

    more

    • A&M vs. LSU at Kyle Field (10.20.12)

    • A&M vs. Arkansas At Kyle Field (9.29.12)

    • A&M vs. Missouri at Kyle Field (11.24.12)

BRYAN\COLLEGE STATION CALENDAR

An Ad has not been trafficed here..