No. 5 Texas A&M (42-18) faces Big 12 Tournament champion Oklahoma (42-22) in the first game of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. (1 p.m. central time, ESPN)
Aggies at a glance
Team batting average: .292
Batting average against: .262
Home runs hit: 80
Home runs allowed: 47
Team OPS: .876
OPS against: .727
Team ERA: 4.68
Opposing ERA: 6.92
Leading hitter: Jack Moss, .391
HR leader: Dylan Rock, 18
RBI leader: Rock, 61
Wins leader: Micah Dallas, Joseph Menefee and Chris Cortez, 6
Innings pitched: Nathan Dettmer, 83.1
Saves leader: Christian Palisch, 5
Appearances leader: Palisch, 27
Stolen bases: 78 steals in 101 attempts
Stolen bases against: 33-48
Oklahoma at a glance
Team batting average: .298
Batting average against: .275
Home runs hit: 70
Home runs allowed: 77
Team OPS: .884
OPS against: .805
Team ERA: 5.41
Opposing ERA: 7.26
Leading hitter: Tanner Treadway, .373
HR leader: Peyton Graham, 20
RBI leader: Graham, 70
Wins leader: Jake Bennett, 9
Innings pitched: Bennett, 104.2
Saves leader: Trevin Micheal, 10
Appearances leader: Michael, 28
Stolen bases: 142-181
Stolen bases against: 51-76
A&M projected starting lineup
3B Trevor Werner (.252, 6 HR, 25 RBI)
1B Jack Moss (.391/6/47)
LF Dylan Rock (.332/18/61)
DH Austin Bost (.359/9/43)
C Troy Claunch (.296/3/49)
2B Ryan Targac (.298/15/57)
RF Brett Minnich (.306/7/50)
CF Jordan Thompson (.245/5/26)
SS Kole Kaler (.241/3/29)
P: Nathan Dettmer (5-2, 4.75 ERA)
Oklahoma projected starting lineup
RF John Spikerman (.327, 2 HR, 14 RBI)
SS Peyton Graham (.336/20/70)
1B Blake Robertson (.311/5/48)
CF Tanner Treadway (.373/9/61)
C Jimmy Crooks (.311/7/45)
3B Wallace Clark (.279/0/25)
2B Jackon Nicklaus (.289/10/30)
DH Brett Squires (.312/7/33)
LF Kendall Pettis (.279/5/26)
P: Jake Bennett (9-3, 3.53 ERA)
How they match up
Offensively, these teams are pretty similar. Both have deep lineups with guys who know how to get on base, though A&M has a little more power. Where A&M has a clear advantage, and they need to use it in this game, is their patience at the plate. The Aggies have walked 107 more times than OU (335-228) and they did it in four fewer games.
Bennett is clearly OU's ace, and the Aggies are going to want to make the impressive lefty work a lot to see if they can get him out early. So the gameplan we saw in the regionals and super regionals stays in place -- work deep counts and then jump on mistakes. Push the issue on the basepaths when possible by taking the extra base or a steal when possible.
The Sooners' offense centers on Graham and Treadway, but there's danger throughout the lineup. They're also very aggressive when it comes to stealing bases, led their big two Graham (32 of 34) and Treadway (22 of 27). In other words, keep the #2 and #4 guys off base when possible. A&M catcher Troy Clauch will have his hands full today, without a doubt.
It's crucial for Dettmer to go pretty deep into this game to minimize the pressure on the bullpen -- primarily Menefee and Palisch, since one of them will be called on first. If they can be limited to a couple of innings, the better it is for the Aggies today and throughout the tournament. If the bullpen continues to perform at the level it has the entire postseason, the Aggies will be in good shape if Dettmer can give them 5 innings.
