The Texas A&M baseball team will try for a fresh start at the Big 12 tournament. Unfortunately for the Aggies, they will face three teams that contributed heavily to A&M's disappointing sixth-place finish in the regular season.
The 22nd-ranked Aggies (34-21) will play pool games against second-seeded Oklahoma (40-16), third-seeded Missouri (32-23) and seventh-seeded Texas Tech (24-30). Those teams were 7-2 against the Aggies, who were only 14-13 in league play.
A&M will play 25th-ranked Missouri at 4 p.m. Wednesday; 11th-ranked Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. Friday; and Tech at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas (38-12-1), fourth-seeded Kansas (37-19), fifth-seeded and 20th-ranked Kansas State (39-15-1) and eighth-seeded Baylor (27-23) are in the other bracket.
The pool winners will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday for the league's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Texas and Oklahoma are the top seeds, but the top six teams were separated by only 3 1/2 games. The collection of teams at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City will be better than any of next week's 16 regionals, A&M head coach Rob Childress said.
The Big 12 tournament's format hasn't rewarded top seeds in the past, but teams that got hot with deep pitching staffs have had success. None of the top three seeds have made the tournament final since the Big 12 went to the pool format in 2006. A pair of sixth seeds -- Kansas (2006) and Baylor (2007) -- have made the championship game, and the Jayhawks won it.
A&M will have to turn things around to become the third sixth seed to make the finals. The Aggies lost five of their last six league games to drop from title contention, also hampering their chances at hosting an NCAA regional in the process.
"This team is ready to move on into a new season," Childress said. "The regular season is done and over with, and we are where we are."
A&M expects to see a familiar face Wednesday afternoon in Missouri right-hander Kyle Gibson, who is projected to be a high pick in next month's Major League Baseball draft.
Gibson is 9-3 with a 3.69 earned run average. He has 116 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings with only 15 walks.
"We want to go out there and win," Gibson told the Columbia Tribune. "But I think we're also real worried about regionals. I'd like to be set up well to throw on a Friday or Saturday against whatever team and go and win a regional."
Gibson has won five straight, but several other Tigers have been playing well. Missouri won 10 of its last 12 conference games to climb past several teams, including A&M.
Gibson struck out a career-high 15 in a complete-game 3-2 victory over the Aggies on March 20. A&M managed only five singles.
The Aggies, coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of Oklahoma, struck out 17 times in a 6-5 loss to the Sooners in the regular-season finale.
A&M was ranked No. 1 by Baseball America in the preseason and fifth by the coaches. The Aggies, though, lost five of nine Big 12 series.
"Now that we're in the postseason, it's time for us to put our money where our mouth is," Childress said.
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NOTES -- A&M is expected to pitch junior right-hander Clayton Ehlert (5-0, 5.95 ERA) against Missouri, saving sophomore left-hander Brooks Raley (7-2, 3.09 ERA) for his normal Friday night start and freshman right-hander Ross Hales (5-2, 3.90 ERA) for Saturday. ... Missouri's Kyle Mach (.337) has a 15-game hitting streak and A&M's Joe Patterson has a 10-game streak. ... A&M won the tournament in 2007 and was the runner-up in 1998 and 2001.
Three Aggies earn all-conference honors
Second baseman Brodie Greene and pitcher/outfielder Brooks Raley were named to the Big 12 coaches' all-conference first team.
Greene (.352 BA, 11 HRs, 33 RBIs) made it as an infielder and Raley (7-2, 3.09 ERA and .312 BA, 23 SB) as a utility player. Designated hitter Joe Patterson (.364 BA, 10 HRs, 43 RBIs) made the second team.
First baseman Luke Anders (.289 BA, 12 HRs, 49 RBIs), center fielder Kyle Colligan (.269 BA, 14 HRs, 40 RBIs), catcher Kevin Gonzalez (.296 BA, 5 HRs, 32 RBIs), and pitchers Ross Hales (5-2, 3.90 ERA) and Alex Wilson (5-6, 4.00 ERA) earned honorable mention.
BIG 12 BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
* Wednesday's games: Kansas St. vs. Kansas, 9 a.m.; Texas vs. Baylor, 12:30 p.m.; Missouri vs. Texas A&M, 4 p.m.; Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech, 7:30 p.m. All games at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City
* Radio: A&M on WTAW, 1620 AM
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