2009 Baseball Media Guide

1TEXAS AGGIE BASEBALL BACK-TO-BACK BIG 12 CHAMPIONS BACK-TO-BACK NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS

2009 TEXAS A&M BASEBALL OFFICIAL GUIDE THIS IS AGGIE BASEBALL

The 2009 Official Guide to Texas A&M Baseball is a publication of the Texas A&M Athletic Media Relations office and was written, compiled and edited by Assistant Media Relations Director Matt Simon...photography by Glen Johnson of Johnson Photography in Bryan, Texas...additional photos by Jon Carpenter and

Richard T. Clifton...printing by The Insite Group, Bryan, Texas...special thanks to Alan Cannon, Chuck Glenewinkel, Cyndi Mousner, Aaron Walling and Celeste Phillips.

GENERAL INFORMATIONSCHOOL NAME ................................................Texas A&M UniversityLOCATION.............................................. College Station, Texas 77842FOUNDED ........................................................... 1872 (opened 1876)ENROLLMENT ........................................................... 48,039 (fall 08)CONFERENCE ............................................................................Big 12COLORS................................................................. Maroon and WhiteNICkNAME ............................................................................... AggiesStadium (capacity)..........................C.E. Pat Olsen Field (7,053)TICkET OFFICE .............................(979) 845-2311 or (888) 99-AGGIEpreSident ...................... Dr. Elsa Murano (Florida International 81)DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS ........................Bill Byrne (Idaho State 67)compliance officer ................................................ David Batsonfaculty repreSentative..........................................Dr. Tom Adair

COACHING STAFFHEAD COACH .................................... Rob Childress (Northwood 90)CAREER RECORD/RECORD AT A&M .........119-68-1 (fourth season)ASSISTANT COACH .......................................................... Matt DeggsASSISTANT COACH ...................................................... Jeremy TalbotASSISTANT COACH .......................................................... Justin Seelydirector of BaSeBall operationS ....................Jason HutchinsBaSeBall office phone ........................................ (979) 845-4810

TEAM INFORMATION2008 RECORD ............................................................................ 46-192008 BIG 12 RECORD .......................................................... 19-8 (1st)2008 poStSeaSon ............................................ Big 12 Tourney (1-2)...................................... NCAA College Station Regional Champs (3-1).................................................... NCAA Houston Super Regional (0-2)2008 FINAL RANkINGS ...............................10th (Collegiate Baseball)......................................................12th (Baseball America, USA Today)........................................................................................14th (NCBWA)HOME RECORD ........................................................................... 34-9away record ............................................................................ 11-8NEUTRAL RECORD ........................................................................ 1-2LETTERMEN RETURNING/LOST ............................................ 14 / 17poSition StarterS returning/loSt .................................. 4 / 6pitcherS returning/loSt .................................................... 8 / 7NEwCOMERS ................................................................................. 14

MEDIA RELATIONSBASEBALL CONTACT ........................................................Matt Simone-mail ......................................................matts@athletics.tamu.eduoffice phone ........................................................... (979) 845-3239OFFICE FAX ................................................................. (979) 845-0564wEBSITE ...................................................... www.aggieathletics.com

2009 TExAS A&M BASEBALL OFFICIAL GUIDETHIS IS AGGIE BASEBALLCollege Baseball at its Finest ......... 2Legendary Moments ..................... 4Primetime Players ......................... 6Electric Atmosphere...................... 8Road to The Show ....................... 10Coaching Excellence .................... 12Baseball Philosophy .................... 14Facilities ...................................... 16Building Champions .................... 20Media Exposure .......................... 22Aggies in the Community ............ 23Diamond Darlings ....................... 24Dugout Club ................................ 26

2009 previewAlphabetical/Numerical Roster ... 28Preview/Position Breakdown ...... 30Squad Quick Info ......................... 34

2009 STAFFRob Childress, Head Coach ......... 36Matt Deggs, Assoc Head Coach .. 38Jeremy Talbot, Asst Coach .......... 39Justin Seely, Asst Coach .............. 40Jason Hutchins, Dir of Ops .......... 41Support Staff ............................... 42Dr. Elsa Murano, President .......... 49Bill Byrne, Athletics Director ....... 50NCAA Compliance ....................... 5112th Man Foundation .................. 52

RETURNING LETTERwINNERSLuke Anders ................................ 54Kyle Colligan ................................ 56Clayton Ehlert ............................. 58Nick Fleece .................................. 60Kevin Gonzalez ............................ 62Brodie Greene ............................. 64Barret Loux ................................. 66Scott Migl .................................... 68Shane Minks ............................... 70Brooks Raley ............................... 72Hank Robertson .......................... 74Caleb Shofner ............................. 76Travis Starling .............................. 78Kyle Thebeau .............................. 80

REDSHIRTS/NEwCOMERSDavid Alleman ............................. 82Nick Anders ................................. 83Scott Arthur ................................ 84Denny Clement ........................... 85Aaron Daab ................................. 86Tyler Dyer .................................... 87Ross Hales ................................... 88Zach Luther ................................. 89Steven Martin ............................. 90Andrew Nettune ......................... 91Brett Parsons ............................... 92Joe Patterson .............................. 93

Dylan Petrich ............................... 94Chad Sherman ............................ 95Adam Smith ................................ 96Ross Stripling............................... 97Randall Thorpe ............................ 98Estevan Uriegas ........................... 99Alex Wilson ............................... 100

2009 opponentSNon-Conference Opponents ..... 102Opponent SID Contacts ............. 106Big 12 Opponents ..................... 107Big 12 Championship ................ 110

2008 review2008 Year in Review .................. 1122008 Final Statistics .................. 1142008 Team Game-by-Game ...... 1182008 Big 12 Review ................... 121

hiStory and recordSAll-Americans ............................ 124All-Conference/Awards ............. 126Aggies in MLB ........................... 129Pro Contract Signees ................. 130Team Award Winners ................ 132Single-Game Records ................ 133Single-Season Records .............. 134Career Records .......................... 137Yearly Leaders ........................... 140Big 12 Game Records ................ 148Big 12 Season Records .............. 149Big 12 Career Records ............... 151Big 12 Yearly Leaders ................ 152All-Time Coaching Leaders ........ 154All-Time vs Opponents .............. 155All-Time Series Results .............. 156Year-by-Year Results .................. 165NCAA Tourney History .............. 179College World Series Teams ...... 180Baseball Lettermen ................... 182

teXaS a&m univerSityThis is Texas A&M ..................... 186Colleges and Degrees ................ 189Traditions .................................. 190Academics ................................. 192Bryan/College Station ............... 194

MEDIA/GENERAL INFOMedia Information .................... 197Primary Media Outlets.............. 198Travel Info/aggieathletics com .. 19912th Man Productions .............. 200Campus/City Maps .................... 201Olsen Field/Attendance ............ 202Dimensions/Baseball Terms ...... 204Summer Camps ......................... 206Alumni Game ............................ 207Radio/TV Speed Chart ............... 208

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COLLEGE BASEBALL...AT ITS FINEST!

2

LEGENDARYMOMENTS

April 16, 1989 Olsen Field

The Aggies react as John Byingtons walk-off grand slam home run beats

Texas, 18-14.

June 6, 2004 reckling park, houston

Justin ruggianos grand slam lifts the aggies over rice and to the ncaa regional title.

May 30, 1993 Olsen Field

the aggies rush the field after winning the Central I Regional and earning a trip

to the College world Series.

4

June 4, 2007 Olsen Field

the aggies celebrate their ncaa regional championship after a 5-2 win

over louisiana-lafayette.

may 20, 2005 Olsen Field

cliff pennington scores in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift a&m to an

8-7 win over no. 3 texas.


teammates mob Shawn Schumacher after his game-winning double against

no. 7 Baylor put the aggies in first place in the Big 12.

May 1, 1998 Olsen Field

ryan rupe slams the door on a 13-strikeout

complete game win over No. 16 Baylor.


Jeff granger fans a school-record 21 batters against

lubbock christian.

5

PRIMETIMEplayerS

Building champions and winning titles are the expectations of the

texas a&m baseball program. throughout the years, aggie

players have stepped into the often-experienced limelight and

delivered in a big way.

a&m teams have brought home 21 conference championships,

made 24 ncaa tournament appearances and advanced to omaha four times. the aggies

are also one of only a handful of programs across the country that

has won over 2,200 games.

7

ELECTRICatmoSphere

From a facility standpoint, there are much nicer and newer parks around the country.

But when you turn on the lights and the game starts, there is not a better place that Ive

experienced. It is incredible. There is so much energy and tradition in the stands, and it

doesnt matter who the Aggies are playing...the fans come out. Our fans are proud of what

they create here daily...and they should be. Head Coach Rob Childress

8

The crowd is extremely suffocating, and if you do have a lead late in the game, it is hard to hold on to because you feel that pressure from the crowd. Being a coach and being 35 years old, it was tough. I cant imagine what it

is like for a 17- or 18-year-old kid. It was something we always had to talk to our team about before we came to Olsen Field. We had to prepare them for it mentally. It is difficult to express how hard it is to come to Olsen Field to play

perfect baseball for nine innings when you are the visiting team. Head Coach Rob Childress

the aggies consistently rank among the nations best in fan support...

teXaS a&m in national attendance ranKingS, laSt 10 yearS

total attendance 1.631 million 5th

average attendance 4,715/game 5th

top-five finiSheS, average attendance 7 4th

top-five finiSheS, total attendance 7 3rd

a&m is one of only four programs to draw over 135,000 fans in each of the last 10 seasons.

9

10 TEXAS AGGIE BASEBALL ATTITUDE APPROACH INTENSITY TOUGHNESS

2009 TEXAS A&M BASEBALL THIS IS AGGIE BASEBALL

THE ROAD TOTHE SHOw

(since 1997)

playerS SCHOOL DRAFTED 1. TEXAS A&M..........................77 2. Texas .......................................71 3. Oklahoma State ......................69 4. Nebraska .................................67 5. Baylor ......................................64 6. Oklahoma ...............................63 7. Texas Tech ...............................58 8. Missouri ..................................39 9. Kansas .....................................37 10. Kansas State ............................29

Over the last 11 years, 30 Aggies have been selected in the first 10 rounds of the draft.

Big 12 drafteeS, By School

t casey fossum, detroitan eight-year MLB veteran, has 40 career wins with Boston, Arizona, Tampa Bay and the Tigers. He has appeared in 234 games and has fanned over 600 batters.

Zach Jackson, cleveland uspent the second half of the 08 season with

the Indians, going 2-3 in nine starts

t logan Kensing, floridahas appeared in 54 games for the Marlins over the last four seasons, including a career-best 37 in 2006. He went 3-0 with a sparkling 1.35 ERA in 2007.

cliff pennington, oakland umade his major league debut in August

2008, appearing in 36 games for the As at second base, third base and shortstop.

t Justin ruggiano, tampa Bayplayed in 45 games in 2008 for the American League Champion Rays, hitting two home runs and driving in seven.

Jason tyner, cleveland ua nine-year vet, has played with the Mets, Rays, Twins and Indians. He hit .286 in 07

for Minnesota, playing in a career-best 114 games and driving in 22 runs.

t chuck Knoblauchwon four world championships one with the Minnesota Twins and three with the New York Yankees. Over a 12-year career, hit 98 home runs and drove in 615.

Kelly wunsch uaveraged 51 appearances in his five big league seasons with the White Sox and

Dodgers. He led the American League with 83 appearances in 2000.

major league teams selecting texas a&m players in the 2008 draft:

casey fossum2nd round, 1999

photo courtesy Detroit Tigers



david newmann Rays 4th rd, 2007

mlB rosters featuring aggie players in the last six years...

Zach Jackson Blue Jays 1st Rd, 2004

Brandon Hicks Braves 3rd rd, 2007

Scott Beerer Rockies 2nd Rd, 2003

cliff pennington1st round, 2005

Logan kensing2nd round, 2003

in addition to four league titles since the creation of the Big 12,

texas a&m has also played more players in professional ball than

any other school in the conference. Since 1997, the aggies have

produced 77 draft picks, more than any other Big 12 school.

photo courtesy Denis Bancroft, Florida Marlins

photo courtesy Michael Zagaris, Oakland Athletics

Matt Deggs has done outstanding things in running an offense and coaching and

recruiting at the highest level. He took Texarkana College to

the JUCO World Series and helped get Arkansas to the College World Series in just

two years. He does a great job of recruiting and teaching.

Rob Childress

Jeremy Talbot does a great job of teaching and recruiting and has great

ties here in the state of Texas. He is excellent with the catchers and hitters.

Rob Childress

One of the first priorities that I had when I accepted the job here at Texas A&M was to try and put together a great coaching

staff. I wanted great people, great recruiters, and great teachers, and I feel like we have put together one of the best

coaching staffs in the country. Rob Childress

We didnt have great recruiting bases in Nebraska and Arkansas and had to get on a plane or drive long distances to get good

players. What we try to do is recruit the right player and develop that player. I just feel like that with the mix of coaches we havewho are gifted teachersin one of

the best recruiting bases in the country, we have a chance to do something special.

Rob Childress

2008 BIG 12 coach of the year

rob childress

12

COACHINGEXCELLENCE

Justin Seelys expertise and attitude will make our program better in every way. He is a winner from the word go, and we feel very

blessed to have him as part of our family. Rob Childress

Jason Hutchins is a big part of what we do as a staff and is involved in every

aspect of our program. We are very lucky to have someone with as much

baseball knowledge as Hutch has to be our Director of Baseball Operations.

Rob Childress

13

BASEBALLphiloSophy

I want our pitchers to work fast, attack the zone and pull their hat down and compete.

My goal going into any season is to lead the league in fewest walks allowed per nine innings, and if we can do that and make the other team earn everything they get, all the other numbers will take care of themselves.

Head Coach Rob Childress

14

We want to instill in our players that just putting on the Texas A&M uniform does not guarantee victory. There is a price that we have to pay as group, and we want to out-work and out-compete everyone in the country.

When our guys lay their heads on the pillow at night, there should be no doubt in their mind that they have outworked everyone. We talk about

deserving to win and investing in our program by working hard every day because everyone else is working as well. Every team has the same goal and that is to get to Omaha and win the national championship. I just want our

guys to hustle on and off the field and compete from the first pitch to the last pitch. We want our players to become better people, better players, and

leave Texas A&M with a degree and a ring on their finger.

Head Coach Rob Childress

We like to keep the pressure on the defense, and it is an offense that is based around controlled

aggression. We are not going to sit around and wait for something good to happen, and we are going to attack from the first pitch to the last pitch. Our

offensive philosophy is centered around knowing the strike zone, being able to run the bases and having

an aggressive mindset.

Associate Head Coach Matt Deggs

15

PLAYERS LOuNGE,CLUBHOUSE

much of a student-athletes time is spent away from home and at the field. aggie baseball players are afforded the luxury of a nice place to

dress, study and even relaxall within steps of the dugoutwith the recent renovations of the locker room and players lounge. the clubhouse sports

brand-new, expanded lockers in 2009.

17

18

THE AGGIELOCkER

texas a&m baseball players sport a wide variety of equipment from leading

manufacturers adidas and easton.

among the items found in the brand-new, spacious lockers in 2009 are:

several styles of adidas game jerseys

easton batting and fielding gloves

several styles of adidas fitted caps

adidas all-weather apparel

adidas cleats, turfs and running shoes

easton bats

18


THE INDOORfacility

although usually nice, texas weather is sometimes unpredictable. with the addition of the indoor hitting

and pitching facility in 2004, players can workout in any conditions and at any time of the day. the facility features three full-length batting cages with an array

of pitching machines and a pair of full-length bullpens. it is located just feet into foul territory down the left field line, making it extremely convenient for players

and coaches alike.


19

OLSEN FIELDwEIGHTROOM

the aggies now have a state-of-the-art workout facility in the comfort of olsen field, located underneath

the first-base stands.

i feel like our strength program is a difference-maker.

i just think our pitchers are going to be stronger to

start the season and are going to be able

to maintain that throughout the year.

It is a long season with a lot of games. our position players

will be able to remain strong and fast

through the season. to me it is what sets us apart.

Head Coach rob childress

20

NETUMSTEED

the 23,736-square foot netum Steed laboratory is arguably the finest weight and strength training room in

collegiate athletics. it features 85 separate training stations and over 55,000 pounds of weights.

21

MEDIAeXpoSure

in the last two years, texas a&m has had 25 games televised by the following national and regional networks:

COX Sports TelevisionFOX College Sports

no stranger to the national spotlight, the texas a&m baseball program is featured regularlynot only in the local mediabut by the states

major newspapers as well as the countrys most respected college baseball experts.

Fans across Texas and in many southern states are also able to listen to every pitch on the 10,000-watt home of the aggies, wtaw.

22

COMMuNITYService

the texas a&m baseball team makes a year-round commitment to giving back to the Bryan/college Station community through annual

projects such as the paint-a-thon in august, the aggies can food drive in the fall, the coats for kids collection in december, and Junior

aggie club and little league days at olsen field in the spring.

23

DIAMONDDARLINGS

24

KAILEY FRANZkaty captain

JOLIE LeBLANCgalveston

KELLI BLANCHARDlorena

NICOLE maXeyhouston

CALLI BLASCHkEcuero

MEGAN Mcelroymansfield

KACI BRAMHALLcollege station

LACIE MULLINkeller

KATELIN gaBrySchkaty

NATALIE phelpSmckinney

AMANDA hayleythe woodlands

TRISHA poSellcolumbia, SC

KELSEY HILLHOUSErichmond

KELLI puentecedar hill

ELISSE kANAhouston

BROOKE Sutphinaustin

CASSIDY kOEHLERla grange

TIFFANY whooleryflorence

the diamond darlings are a student support group that generates interest in texas a&m baseball through community and other activities. members of the diamond darlings promote attendance, serve

as bat girls at both home and away games, hand out promotional items and assist with all aspects of gameday at olsen field. the diamond darlings have been a part of aggie baseball since 1976.



The Dugout Club is the major support group for Aggie Baseball. The Dugout Club has not only been important in helping the baseball team obtain various necessities for the program but, perhaps even more, it has provided a link from our players to our fans and from our fans to our

players. It provides an inside look to Aggie baseball. Membership dues are $150 for one membership, $275 for two, and $400 for three.

To join the Dugout Club,

please contact:

Jason hutchins

director of Baseball operations

(979) 845-4810

[email protected]

DuGOuTCLUB

included with a dugout club membership:

commemorative baseball blanket designed especially for Dugout Club members baseball media guide weekly updates via email dinner at Olsen with coaches and players

Show your Support for aggie BaSeBall...Join the dugout cluB today!


2009 seasonpreview

2009 TeXAS A&M BASeBALL OFFiCiAL GUiDe SeASON preview


texas a&m ALphABeTiCAL rOSTer No. Name pos. Yr-exp. ht. wt. B/T hometown (high School/College)

9 David alleman oF Fr-Rs 5-11 185 s/L the Woodlands, texas (the Woodlands)

44 LukeAnders 1B Sr-3L 6-6 225 L/L CollegeStation,Texas(A&MConsolidated)

2 nick anders InF Jr-tR 5-10 185 R/R CollegeStation,Texas(A&MConsolidated/TempleCollege)

14 ScottArthur INF Fr-HS 6-0 185 R/R Spring,Texas(KleinOak)

21 DennyClement RHP Fr-HS 5-11 190 R/R Bartlesville,Okla.(CasciaHallPrep)

12 KyleColligan OF Sr-3L 6-2 210 R/R Houston,Texas(Dulles)

39 AaronDaab LHP Fr-RS 6-2 195 L/L Katy,Texas(Katy)

37 TylerDyer LHP Jr-TR 5-10 180 L/L DeerPark,Texas(DeerPark/SanJacintoCollege)

13 ClaytonEhlert RHP Jr-2L 6-1 195 R/R Orange,Texas(LittleCypress-Mauriceville)

24 NickFleece INF/RHP So-1L 6-2 200 R/R FortWorth,Texas(Boswell)

10 KevinGonzalez C So-1L 5-10 190 R/R Houston,Texas(MaydeCreek)

4 BrodieGreene INF/OF Jr-2L 6-1 195 S/R Bullard,Texas(Bullard)

28 RossHales LHP Fr-HS 6-3 190 L/L Baytown,Texas(BarbersHill)

50 BarretLoux RHP So-1L 6-5 215 R/R Houston,Texas(Stratford)

6 ZachLuther INF Fr-HS 6-0 175 R/R LagunaNiguel,Calif.(AlisoNiguel)

45 StevenMartin RHP So-RS 6-6 225 R/R Brenham,Texas(Brenham/SeminoleStateCollege)

34 ScottMigl RHP Jr-2L 6-4 190 R/R Houston,Texas(St.Pius)

16 ShaneMinks RHP Jr-2L 6-3 205 R/R WestColumbia,Texas(WestColumbia)

33 AndrewNettune C Fr-RS 6-0 205 R/R Athens,Texas(AllSaints)

42 BrettParsons 1B/OF So-TR 6-4 220 L/R the Woodlands, texas (the Woodlands/navarro College)

3 JoePatterson C Jr-TR 6-0 210 L/R Tulsa,Okla.(Owasso/SeminoleStateCollege)

27 DylanPetrich OF Jr-TR 6-3 200 R/R Wichita,Kan.(Maize/ButlerCC)

30 BrooksRaley LHP/OF So-1L 6-3 185 L/L Uvalde,Texas(Uvalde)

31 HankRobertson RHP Sr-1L 5-11 185 R/R Nocona,Texas(Nocona/NorthCentralTexasCollege)

32 ChadSherman RHP Jr-TR 6-4 220 R/R Bullard,Texas(Bullard/PanolaCollege)

1 CalebShofner INF So-1L 6-0 185 R/R Hewitt,Texas(Midway)

20 AdamSmith INF Fr-HS 6-3 200 R/R Spring,Texas(Klein)

41 TravisStarling RHP Jr-2L 5-10 180 R/R Yoakum,Texas(Yoakum)

36 RossStripling RHP Fr-HS 6-3 180 R/R Southlake,Texas(Carroll)

11 KyleThebeau RHP Sr-3L 6-1 195 R/R CorpusChristi,Texas(Carroll)

8 RandallThorpe OF Fr-HS 6-1 175 R/R Grapevine,Texas(ColleyvilleHeritage)

35 EstevanUriegas LHP Fr-HS 5-9 175 L/L RoundRock,Texas(Westwood)

18 AlexWilson RHP Jr-RS 6-1 205 R/R Hurricane,W.Va.(Hurricane/WinthropUniv)

BREAKDOWNBY STATe

BREAKDOWNBY BirThDAY

Texas (28)......................Alleman Greene Robertson L.Anders Hales Sherman N.Anders Loux Shofner Arthur Martin Smith Colligan migl starling Daab Minks Stripling Dyer Nettune Thebeau Ehlert Parsons Thorpe Fleece Raley Uriegas Gonzalez

oklahoma (2).................................... Clement Patterson

california (1).................................................................. Luther

kansas (1)...........................................................................Petrich

wesT virginia (1)...........................................................Wilson

jANUArY 7.......................................... Daab (1989) 13.................................. Robertson(1987)

FeBrUArY 6........................................arthur (1990)

MArCh 6....................................... Petrich(1988) 12..........................................Hales(1990)

ApriL 2....................................... Thorpe(1989) 6................... Loux (1989), Luther (1990) 23......................................Colligan(1987) 25.........................................minks (1988) 29...................................... Shofner(1988)

MAY 18...................................... Starling(1987)

jUNe 29..........................................Raley (1988)

jULY 19...........................................Dyer (1988)

AUGUST 11.....................................Thebeau(1987) 26................................... Patterson(1987)

SepTeMBer 1............................................Migl(1987) 4...................................... Parsons(1988) 11..................................... alleman (1988) 25.......................................Greene(1987) 28.....................................Clement (1989)

OCTOBer 2....................................L.Anders(1986) 10.................................... Sherman(1987) 24........................................ Fleece (1988)

NOveMBer 2......................................... Ehlert(1987) 3........................................Wilson (1986) 6.................................... Gonzalez(1987) 16........................................Martin(1987) 18.......................................Uriegas(1989) 23..................................... Stripling(1989)

DeCeMBer 15......................................... smith (1989) 28..................................... Nettune(1987) 29...................................N.Anders(1987)


29TEXAS AGGIE BASEBALL BACK-TO-BACK BIG 12 CHAMPIONS BACK-TO-BACK NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS 29

texas a&m NUMeriCAL rOSTer No. Name pos. Yr-exp. ht. wt. B/T hometown (high School/College)

1 CalebShofner INF So-1L 6-0 185 R/R Hewitt,Texas(Midway)

2 nick anders InF Jr-tR 5-10 185 R/R CollegeStation,Texas(A&MConsolidated/TempleCollege)

3 JoePatterson C Jr-TR 6-0 210 L/R Tulsa,Okla.(Owasso/SeminoleStateCollege)

4 BrodieGreene INF/OF Jr-2L 6-1 195 S/R Bullard,Texas(Bullard)

6 ZachLuther INF Fr-HS 6-0 175 R/R LagunaNiguel,Calif.(AlisoNiguel)

8 RandallThorpe OF Fr-HS 6-1 175 R/R Grapevine,Texas(ColleyvilleHeritage)

9 David alleman oF Fr-Rs 5-11 185 s/L the Woodlands, texas (the Woodlands)

10 KevinGonzalez C So-1L 5-10 190 R/R Houston,Texas(MaydeCreek)

11 KyleThebeau RHP Sr-3L 6-1 195 R/R CorpusChristi,Texas(Carroll)

12 KyleColligan OF Sr-3L 6-2 210 R/R Houston,Texas(Dulles)

13 ClaytonEhlert RHP Jr-2L 6-1 195 R/R Orange,Texas(LittleCypress-Mauriceville)

14 ScottArthur INF Fr-HS 6-0 185 R/R Spring,Texas(KleinOak)

16 ShaneMinks RHP Jr-2L 6-3 205 R/R WestColumbia,Texas(WestColumbia)

18 AlexWilson RHP Jr-RS 6-1 205 R/R Hurricane,W.Va.(Hurricane/WinthropUniv)

20 AdamSmith INF Fr-HS 6-3 200 R/R Spring,Texas(Klein)

21 DennyClement RHP Fr-HS 5-11 190 R/R Bartlesville,Okla.(CasciaHallPrep)

24 NickFleece INF/RHP So-1L 6-2 200 R/R FortWorth,Texas(Boswell)

27 DylanPetrich OF Jr-TR 6-3 200 R/R Wichita,Kan.(Maize/ButlerCC)

28 RossHales LHP Fr-HS 6-3 190 L/L Baytown,Texas(BarbersHill)

30 BrooksRaley LHP/OF So-1L 6-3 185 L/L Uvalde,Texas(Uvalde)

31 HankRobertson RHP Sr-1L 5-11 185 R/R Nocona,Texas(Nocona/NorthCentralTexasCollege)

32 ChadSherman RHP Jr-TR 6-4 220 R/R Bullard,Texas(Bullard/PanolaCollege)

33 AndrewNettune C Fr-RS 6-0 205 R/R Athens,Texas(AllSaints)

34 ScottMigl RHP Jr-2L 6-4 190 R/R Houston,Texas(St.Pius)

35 EstevanUriegas LHP Fr-HS 5-9 175 L/L RoundRock,Texas(Westwood)

36 RossStripling RHP Fr-HS 6-3 180 R/R Southlake,Texas(Carroll)

37 TylerDyer LHP Jr-TR 5-10 180 L/L DeerPark,Texas(DeerPark/SanJacintoCollege)

39 AaronDaab LHP Fr-RS 6-2 195 L/L Katy,Texas(Katy)

41 TravisStarling RHP Jr-2L 5-10 180 R/R Yoakum,Texas(Yoakum)

42 BrettParsons 1B/OF So-TR 6-4 220 L/R the Woodlands, texas (the Woodlands/navarro College)

44 LukeAnders 1B Sr-3L 6-6 225 L/L CollegeStation,Texas(A&MConsolidated)

45 StevenMartin RHP So-RS 6-6 225 R/R Brenham,Texas(Brenham/SeminoleStateCollege)

50 BarretLoux RHP So-1L 6-5 215 R/R Houston,Texas(Stratford)

17 Chris Russ (graduate manager) 51 LanceHarvell(strength coach) Josh Cohen (head athletic trainer) RyanGowens(equipment manager) Blake Bahlman (student trainer) R.L.Florance,JaredNelson(student managers)

29 robChiLDreSSHeadCoach FourthYear

15 mattDeGGSAssociateHeadCoach

FourthYear

5 jeremyTALBOTassistant Coach FourthYear

19 justinSeeLYassistant Coach

FirstYear

26 jasonhUTChiNSDirectorofOperations

11thYear

BaseBaLL STAFF

SUPPORTSTAFF

PRONUNCIATIONGUiDeaLLeman...............ALL-uh-mun

COLLIGAN............ CAHL-uh-gun

EHLERT...............................L-urt

LOUX... like LOUD (with X at end)

MIGL............................MEE-gul

PETRICH........................PET-rich

RALEY.............................RAY-lee

THEBEAU.................. THEE-bow

taLBot......................... TAL-but

URIEGAS........... your-EE-ay-gus



2009 SeASON previewSincethearrivalofcoachRobChildressandhis

staffinthesummerof2005,theTexasA&Mbase-ball program has been taking step after step toplacetheAggiesbackamongthecountryselite.

AfterclaimingaBig12tournamentchampion-shipandanNCAAregionaltitlein2007,hopeswerehigh at Olsen Field for even greater things. A&Mdidnotdisappointin2008,rackingup46wins,theschoolsfirstBig12regular-seasonchampionshipinnineyearsandasecondconsecutiveregionalcrownforthefirsttimeinschoolhistory.

However,whentwohard-fought lossesatRiceintheNCAASuperRegionalroundonceagain lefttheAggieswithadisappointingendtotheseason,focusimmediatelyshiftedto2009.

Were looking forward to this year, fourth-yearcoachRobChildresssaid.Wefeellikewehaveagoodmixofexperienceandsomenewtalentthatmeshedreallywellinthefall.Wehadareallygoodfall,andjustfeelthereisaburningdesirewithinthecoachingstaffandtheplayersthatthereisalotofunfinishedbusinessleft.

Coming off the league championship, and re-turningeightpitchers, four starters and14 letter-winners,TexasA&MisapreseasonfavoritetomaketheirfirsttriptoOmahainadecade.NotonlywilltheAggieshaveatargetontheirbacksasdefendingBig12champs,theywillforthefirsttimeeveropentheseasonastheNo.1-rankedteaminthecountry.While some teamsmay shy from the spotlight soearly,itisarolethatthecoachesandplayerswel-comewithopenarms.

Thatssomethingyouhavetoworkfor,tohavethattargetonyourback,Childresssaid.Itssome-thing youhave toembrace,because if youdontitwillsuffocateyou.Iknowthestaffandthisteamembracesit,becausethatswhatwevebeenwork-ingsohardfor.

Theteamfeaturesastrongblendofleadershipamongthereturningplayersandacompetitiveandtalentedlistofnewcomers.Thegrouplearnedalotfrom 2008,whereA&Mamassed a Big 12-record16-gameconferencewinningstreaklastseasonenroute to the title before suffering an eight-gameskidjustbeforethestartoftheNCAAtournament.TheAggieswereabletorighttheshipandadvancetothesuperregionalround,butconsistencywillbeoneofthekeystoA&Mssuccessin09.

We have to go out and be consistent over a 56-gameschedule,Childresssaid.LastyearwasastoughateamasIveevercoached,andwewerent

abletomaintainthat.Wedidforabout48gamesorso,thenwegotthingsbacktogether intheNCAAtournamentandfinishedprettystrong.

We have to be consistent throughout the year, earntheopportunitytobeatthetopofthisleagueandhaveachance towin itat theend,and thenmaintainthat levelbeyondthat.Thisteamunder-standstheroadinfrontofthem.

What has many excited more than anything about the 2009 texas a&m aggies is the strength anddepthofthepitchingcorps.Withninereturn-ingpitchersandninenewcomers,anddepthinallphasesofthepitchinggame,Childressshouldhavealotofoptionsthisspring.

Texas A&M returns 84 percent of the inningspitched(495)offastaffthatfinished19thnationallyinearnedrunaverage.Itwasaveryyounggroupin08sixoftheeightreturningin2009arecoming

offeither their freshmanor sophomore seasonone that had to learn very quickly the ropes ofpitchingintheruggedBig12.Theweekendrotationthroughout league play and the postseason con-sistedoftwotruefreshmenandasophomorewithlimitedbig-gameexperience.

Its thefirsttime ina longtime,maybeever,in my coaching career that weve had this muchexperienceonthemoundcomingback,Childresssaid.Lastyear,thewaywewereoffensivelyreallyallowed these young pitchers to learn on the jobandexperiencesuccess.Wemighthavewonsomegames7-5or9-8,butwewereable towin thosegames.Andinturn,successwasbred.

Overall,41ofA&Ms46winsor89percentreturn on the mound, led by 08 freshman All-americans BArreT LOUX (Houston) and BrOOkS rALeY (Uvalde) and junior All-Big 12 honoreeCLAYTON ehLerT (Orange).

RaleywontheFridaynightstartingspotwithamasterful 10-strikeout performance in awin overRutgers inearlyMarch,andnever relinquished it.

The hard-throwing, fiercely competitive lefty ledthestarterswitha7-2recordandnearly93inningsofworkwhilefanning68batters.

Loux (6-2, 4.18 ERA),apowerright-hander,re-ally came intohisowndown the stretch.TheAg-giesNo.2starterforthemajorityoftheyear,hefinishedtheyeargoing5-1witha3.23ERA inhisfinalninestarts,andledtheteamin2008with81strikeouts.

Ehlert had a strong sophomore campaign. Hewent 6-2 in 11 starts and his 3.41 ERA was topsamongthestartingstaff.Inaddition,Ehlertwalkedjust10battersinalmost70inningsofwork.

While not new to the roster, a name who isexpected to be in the startingmix is juniorALeX wiLSON (Hurricane, W.Va.).Hesatout2008aftertransferringfromWinthropandhavingsurgery,andwasselectedinthe10th round by the Chicago Cubs inJunedespitenotthrowingapitchfortheAggies.TheNationalFreshmanoftheYearin2006,Wilsoncompiled a 19-7 record, 3.21 ERAand240 strike-outsintwoseasonswiththeEagles.

The piTCherS

Baseball america rivals.com nCBWa USAToday/ESPN 1. TeXAS A&M 1. NorthCarolina 1. NorthCarolina 1. LSU 2. LSU 2. LSU 2. LSU 2. NorthCarolina 3. NorthCarolina 3. TeXAS A&M 3. Rice 3. Rice 4. Texas 4. CalStateFullerton 4. TeXAS A&M 4. Georgia 5. CalStateFullerton 5. Rice 5. Georgia 5. TeXAS A&M

2009 preSeASON rANkiNGSThe starting rotation of Brooks raley, Barret loux and clayton ehlert is back

again in 2009, a large part of the reason why the Aggies are rated among the

nations best to start the year.



piTCherS (17) No. Name B/T Yr-exp. hometown (high School/College) 21 DennyClement R/R Fr-HS Bartlesville,Okla.(CasciaHallPrep) 39 AaronDaab L/L Fr-RS Katy,Texas(Katy) 37 TylerDyer L/L Jr-TR DeerPark,Texas(DeerPark/SanJacintoColl.) 13 ClaytonEhlert R/R Jr-1L Orange,Texas(LittleCypress-Mauriceville) 28 RossHales L/L Fr-HS Baytown,Texas(BarbersHill) 50 BarretLoux R/R So-1L Houston,Texas(Stratford) 45 StevenMartin R/R So-RS Brenham,Texas(Brenham/SeminoleStateColl.) 34 ScottMigl R/R Jr-2L Houston,Texas(St.Pius) 16 shane minks R/R Jr-2L West Columbia, texas (West Columbia) 30 BrooksRaley L/L So-1L Uvalde,Texas(Uvalde) 31 HankRobertson R/R Sr-1L Nocona,Texas(Nocona/NorthCentralTexasColl.) 32 ChadSherman R/R Jr-TR Bullard,Texas(Bullard/PanolaColl.) 36 RossStripling R/R Fr-HS Southlake,Texas(Carroll) 11 KyleThebeau R/R Sr-3L CorpusChristi,Texas(Carroll) 35 EstevanUriegas L/L Fr-HS RoundRock,Texas(Westwood) 18 AlexWilson R/R Jr-RS Hurricane,W.Va.(Hurricane/WinthropUniv.) 41 TravisStarling R/R Jr-2L Yoakum,Texas(Yoakum)

CATCherS (3) No. Name B/T Yr-exp. hometown (high School/College) 10 KevinGonzalez R/R So-1L Houston,Texas(MaydeCreek) 33 AndrewNettune R/R Fr-RS Athens,Texas(AllSaints) 3 JoePatterson R/R Jr-TR Tulsa,Okla.(Owasso/SeminoleStateColl.)

Threenewfacesthatshouldbattleforspotsinthe starting rotation are junior ChAD SherMAN (Panola College)andfreshmenrOSS hALeS (Bay-town) and DeNNY CLeMeNT (Tulsa, Okla.). Allthreehadverystrongfallseasons.

We feel like we have a goodmix of balanceanddepth,Childresssaid.Youthinkaboutallthepitchingwehaveback,andthenyouthrowintothemixfreshmenlikeRossHalesandDennyClementwhowill bebig factors forusa transfer inChadSherman, and a redshirt in Alex Wilsonby thetimewegettoconferenceplaywehopewehaveaquestionastowhowillbeinthestartingrotation.AndIdontknowthatweveeverhadthatbefore.

Oneoftheteamsstrengthslastyearpromisesto be even better in 2009. The bullpen posted a3.56 ERA in 08 while picking up 21 victories, 13savesandnineholds, and isexpected tobeevendeeperandmoretalentedthisspring.

Wevegotabunchofguysinthebullpenthataretalentedandwillbechompingatthebittogetinthegame,andtheywillgetthoseopportunities,Childresssaid.Werenotgoingtomessaroundifaguyisnotdoingwellasastarter,weregoingtogoto thepenearly. Ifourstartergetsus throughsixinnings,weoughttobeabletogetthelastnineoutswiththeguyswevegot.

Leading the pack again will be a pair of first-teamAll-Big12selections,seniorkYLe TheBeAU (Corpus Christi) and junior TrAviS STArLiNG (Yoakum).

Afterstartingthesecondgameoftheyear,The-beaumade his remaining 32 appearances out ofthe bullpen and was the Aggies most consistentpitcher.Hewent6-5withanimpressive2.12ERA,stranding nearly 80 percent of inherited runnersandfanning79.Thebeaualsoheldopponentstoapaltry.206battingaverageontheyear.

StarlingwasadominantforceatthebackendoftheAggiestaff,leadingtheteaminvictories(eight) and saves (nine).HenaileddownarguablyA&Msbiggestroadwinoftheyear,a6-3,16-inningwinatfifth-rankedNebraska, bypitching a four-hit shut-outoverthefinaleightinningsofthegame.

senior hANk rOBerTSON (Nocona) returns afteraverystrongseasonoutofthepenwascutshortbyinjuryinearlyMay.Robertsonmade16ap-pearancesandheldopposinghitterstoateam-best.193average,allowingjust16hitsin24inningsofwork.

Junior ShANe MiNkS (West Columbia)figuresto be a big factor in the bullpen this season. Aspot starter in2008,Minksmadesomeoffseasonchanges and had a tremendous summer for theBeatriceBruinsculminatingwithhisbeingnamedthePitcheroftheYearattheNBCWorldSeriesinAugust.

Shanehastransformedhimselfintoaguythatwe are going to count on at the back end of thepen,Childresssaid.Hehadagreatsummer,andthatsatributetohimandthesacrificeshemade.Hecamebackandhadanincrediblefallforus.

AddingdepthtothestaffarenewcomersTYLer DYer (Deer Park), rOSS STripLiNG (Southlake) and eSTevAN UrieGAS (Round Rock). Fans canalsoexpecttoseesophomoresNiCk FLeeCe (Fort Worth) and STeveN MArTiN (Brenham)gettimeonthemound.

Wedohavealotofoptionsthisyear,Childresssaid. Everyone thats comingbackhasdonewellonthemound.Wehaveexperiencebackinthero-tationaswell as in thebullpen,andweveaddedagreatbunchofnewfacesintothemix.Nowtheguyshave togoout thereandperformwhen thelights comeonand the standsare full, andwereconfidentthattheywill.

Maybethebiggestquestionmarkentering2008for theAggieswas theonebehind theplate, butredshirtfreshmankeviN GONzALez (Katy) erased thatoneprettyquickly.Seeingactionin56gamesattheposition,GonzalezwasasteadypresenceforayoungA&Mstaff.Hecommittedonlytwoerrorsin almost 400 chances and threw out 36 percentofrunnerstryingtosteal.Alsoanunknownquan-tityattheplate,Gonzalezhit.261,deliveringsomebighitsthroughouttheyearanddrivingin29.Thesophomoreispoisedforanevenbiggerseason.

Gonzoisaguythatcouldbeconsideredoneofour teamMVPs last year, assistant coach JeremyTalbot said. He isasgoodadefensivecatcherasIve ever coached,oneof thebest in the countryandIthinkhesjustgettingbetter.Wevegotaverygoodpitching staffandaguy like that justmakesthembetter.Guysonthemoundlovetothrowtohim.Hesmadeacommitmenttotheweightroomandisgettingbiggerandstronger,andIthinkyoullseethatplayintohisbatalittlemore.WereexcitedaboutKevin.

Redshirt freshman ANDrew NeTTUNe (Ath-ens) did not play last year in his first year in theprogram,butgainedvaluableexperienceandcouldplayintothemix.Hepossessestremendouspowerfromtherightsideoftheplate,powerthattheA&Mcoachessayisasscaryasanyoneontheteam.

Thenewadditiontothecatchingcorpsisjuniortransfer jOe pATTerSON (Tulsa, Okla.), the rein-ingNational Junior College Player of the Year. Hehit .428 last yearwith28home runsand95RBIsatSeminoleState,andbringstheAggiesapower-fulbatfromtheleftsideoftheplateandastrongleadership presence both on the field and in thedugout.

Hesavocal leader,Talbotsaid.Hesasolidplayer thatbringsaquarterbackmentalitybehindtheplate. Joesmoreofanoffensivecatcherrightnowthatisworkingveryhardandimprovingsomethingsdefensively.Wereexcitedabouthimbring-ingleadershipbehindtheplateaswellasbigoffen-sivenumberstothetable.

The CATCherS

keviN GONzALez



Whilethepitchingcorpsisunderstandablyget-tingalotoftheattention,theAggieoffenseprom-ises to be as dynamic andpowerfulif notmoresothan the last twoyears,whereA&Mhit .314and totaled 147 home runs, over 1,400 hits andover900RBIswhilestealingnearly250bases.

ThethingaboutthisoffenseisthatinthelasttwoyearsIdontthinktheresbeenamoredynam-ic one across the country, associate head coach MattDeggs said. We return two centerpieces inkYLe COLLiGAN (Houston) and LUke ANDerS (College Station), both of whom are leaders andpossess tremendous resumes. You take guys likethat,surroundthemwiththekeyplayerswevegot,andcombinethatwiththepitchingwellhavethisyear,weregoingtobeprettydangerous.

Despite losing six starters, including Big 12Player of the Year and All-American Jos Duranandfirst-teamAll-Big12ersDaneCarterandDarbyBrown,theAggiesexpecttoseemuchofthesameproductionthattheyhaveoflate.

Thesheercompetitivenessandwilltosucceedin this group is amazing,Deggs said. Itwas themostintensefallandpreseasonthatIveeverbeenapartof.Thisyearsteamisanotherteamthatisacombinationofspeedandstrength.Wemaybealittlemorepowerheavythanwewerelastyear,butwecancertainlyrunaswell.

In2009,TexasA&MmustreplacethreestartersintheinfieldAll-AmericansJosDuranandBlakeStoufferatshortstopandsecondbase,respectively,andall-Big12thirdbasemanDaneCarter.Whilenoeasytask,thestructureoftheAggiesfallworkouts,

which split the squad into two teams thatplayednearly30nine-andtwo-inninggames,allowedforintensecompetitionandstrongdevelopmentattheopenspots.

Theonereturningstarterisatfirstbaseintwo-timeAll-Big12honoreeLUke ANDerS.Afterplay-ingmuchofthe07seasonatdesignatedhitter,hewon the first-base job last spring and blossomedinto the leagues best all-around first baseman.Draftedinthe11throundbytheNewYorkYankees,Anders isbackafterhitting .349with58RBIsandleadingtheteamwith16homeruns.

Luke is a massive target that any infielderwouldliketothrowto,Deggssaid.Hesincredibleat digging balls.One thing about Luke is hes notafraid tostickhisnoseonanything. If its in frontofhim,itsgettingknockeddown.Wereexcitedtohavehimbackforhisseniorseason.

After that, the remaining three positions arecharacterizedbyaconstantthemesurroundingthe09 Aggiesversatility and depth. The remainingsevenplayersallcanplaymultiplepositionsandwillgivethecoachingstaffmanyoptionswhiletryingtosettleonalineup.

The favorite to replace Duran at shortstop istruefreshmanADAM SMiTh (Spring), an all-state selectionoutofKlein.At63,Smithpossessesgoodhandsandrangealongwithaverystrongarm.

Adamisalegitimatefive-toolprospectthathasoneofthebestarmsthatIveevercoached,Deggssaid.ThethingaboutplayingshortstopisthatyouhavetobeMr.Consistent,andthatmeansmakingthe routineplays andbeing the leaderout there.ThatsalottoputonafreshmanbutIthinkhesuptothetask.

BattlingwithSmithforthestartingnodwillbejuniorBrODie GreeNe (Bullard),whosawactionatmultiple infieldpositions in2008.Greene,whohadaverystrongfinishtothefallattheshortstop

position,willalsobeinthemixatsecondbase.

Brodiehasterrificspeed,averysolidarm,andsofthands,Deggssaid.Hehasreallymaturedontheinfieldandfinishedthefallbyplayingsomefan-tasticshortstop.

The battle at third base should be betweensophomoreNiCk FLeeCe (Fort Worth) and juniortransfer NiCk ANDerS (Temple College). Fleece,whoplayedin27gamesasatruefreshmanbutsawnoactiononthe infield,willbemaking themovetothehotcornerinthespring,butisexpectedtoseeactionaswellatfirstbase,intheoutfieldoronthemound.

nick has a tremendous arm and moves very wellforabigguy,Deggssaid.Weregoingtoseewhathe looks likeat thirdbase,and ifhecandothattheleftsideofthediamondwilllooklikeabig-league infieldwith thebodiesandtheathleticismwehaveoverthere.

NickAndershadanexcellentfallatthirdforthe

Aggies,notonlyplayingstrongdefensebutleadingthe squad in home runs. The A&M Consolidatedproductwillseetimeateitherthirdorsecond.

Nick Anders is a hard-nosed infielder thatmovesverywellandhasasolidarm,Deggssaid.Hesgoing tobeconsistentand isgoing tomakeplays.

SophomoreCALeB ShOFNer (Hewitt) embod-iestheversatilityoftheAggieinfieldin2009.OneofA&Msgo-toutilityplayers,Shofnerwhoplayedin18gameslastyearandledtheteaminpinchhitscouldseeactionatthird,secondorevenfirstbase.

Calebisasolidplayeracrosstheboardthathasahard-nosedmentality,Deggssaid.Hesagoodguy to have on the club because he can do so many thingsanddothemprettywell.Hewillseeplayingtimethisyear.

A pair of freshmen, SCOTT ArThUr (Spring) and zACh LUTher (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), bring a wealth of talent and depth to the middle in-

iNFieLDerS (9) No. Name B/T Yr-exp. hometown (high School/College) 44 LukeAnders L/L Sr-3L CollegeStation,Texas(A&MConsolidated) 2 NickAnders R/R Jr-TR CollegeStation,Texas(A&MConsolidated/TempleColl.) 14 ScottArthur R/R Fr-HS Spring,Texas(KleinOak) 24 NickFleece R/R So-1L FortWorth,Texas(Boswell) 4 BrodieGreene S/R Jr-2L Bullard,Texas(Bullard) 6 ZachLuther R/R Fr-HS LagunaNiguel,Calif.(AlisoNiguel) 42 BrettParsons L/R So-TR TheWoodlands,Texas(TheWoodlands/NavarroColl.) 1 CalebShofner R/R So-1L Hewitt,Texas(Midway) 20 AdamSmith R/R Fr-HS Spring,Texas(Klein)

The OFFeNSe

The iNFieLDerS

LUke ANDerS



field.Arthur,whowasastandoutshortstopinhighschool,madethemovetosecondbase in the fallandplayedwellandisexpectedtoseeagoodbitofplayingtime in2009.Luther isasure-footedmid-dle infielderwithgoodhandsthatbattled injuriesmuchofthefallbutisplannedtofactorintothemixaswellinthemiddle.

Both Scott and Zach possess great feet andhands,Deggssaid.Theycanbothplayeithermid-dle infield position andboth have a bright futurehereatA&M.

Im excited about our infield, Deggs said.Yeah,were starting over in three spots, butwehavea lotof interchangeablepartsandguys thatcanplayseveraldifferentpositions.Morethanany-thing,wehaveguyswithathleticismthatcannotonlymovebuthavesolidarms.

TheAggieoutfieldshouldbeanexcitingonetowatchin2009.AnytalkoftheA&Moutfieldstartswithseniorandfirst-teamAll-Big12selectionkYLe COLLiGAN (Houston), who has made 148 careerstartsincenterfield.Colliganhit.317lastyearwith14homerunsand39RBIsoutoftheleadoffspot,whileswiping12bases.

Anytimeyouvegotaguythatsplayedcenterfieldforthebulkofhiscareerandhasputupthenumbers he has, its a very good start, assistantcoachJustinSeelysaid.HeisnotthemosttalentedplayerIveseenintheoutfield,buthemaybethebestcenterfielderIveevercoached.Hesgotgoodspeedandseestheballoffthebataboutaswellasanyone Ivebeenaround.We feelverygoodwithhimoutthereleadingtheway.

AfterColligan,theplayerswiththemostoutfieldexperiencearejuniorBrODie GreeNeandsopho-mores BrOOkS rALeY and NiCk FLeeCe.Greenestarted at all three positions in 2008, totaling 34

starts.Hehit.290ontheyearwithfourhomerunsand27RBIs.Raley isanotherplayerwhoshowedversatilityintheoutfield,pickingup14startsatallthreepositions.Fleecetotaled10startsinbothleftandrightfield.

A pair of junior college transfers should alsocontendforstartingspots.JuniorDYLAN peTriCh (Butler CC)andsophomoreBreTT pArSONS (Na-varro College) both had strong falls both at theplateandinthefield.ReturningredshirtfreshmanDAviD ALLeMAN (The Woodlands) provides asteadypresenceandcouldalsocontendforaspot,while true freshman rANDALL ThOrpe (Grape-

vine) possesses tremendous speed and arguablythestrongestarminthegroup.

This is an extremely versatile bunch of guysthatgivesusalotofoptions,Seelysaid.Wecouldgoalmostalllefthanders,oralmostallright-hand-ers.Wecouldrunoutalineupthatsreallyfast,oronethathasalotofpower.Or,wecouldrunoutablend.

the aggies have built a challenging 2009 sched-ulethatfeatures14NCAATournamentteamsand37gamesinfrontoftheOlsenFieldfaithful.A&Misslatedtoplay26contestsagainstteamsthatmadetheNCAATournamentin2008.Infact,allbutfiveofA&Msopponentsfinished08witha.500orbet-terrecord.

TexasA&Mopenstheseasonagainst2007NCAAparticipantWrightStateand,followingafour-gamesetwiththeRaidersandapairofmid-weekgamesagainstCentenary, theAggieswillheadtoMinuteMaid Park for the annual Houston College Clas-sic.A&MwillplaythreegamesatthehomeoftheHoustonAstrosagainstaloadedfieldthatincludes

NCAA regional finalist Houston alongwith top-15opponentsBaylor,Rice,UCLAandUCIrvine.

a seven-game homestand then brings the ag-giesup toBig12play,highlightedbyamid-weekshowdownwithnationalpowerCalStateFullertononMarch10.Itwillmarkthefirstmeetingbetweenthe schools since the College World series in 1999 andistheTitansfirstvisittoOlsensince1983.

Other non-conference highlights include visitsbyMountainWestConferenceteamsUtah(March 6-8) and New Mexico (March 17-18), nCaa Re-gionalfinalistHouston(April 7) and nCaa tourney teamsTCU (April 28),DallasBaptist (April 30-May 2) andSamHoustonState(May 5).

A&M will play its only non-conference roadgameoftheyearonApril14atCollegeWorldSeriesparticipantRice.

Our non-conference schedule is very good,Childresssaid.WeopenwithaWrightStatepro-gramwhichhadtwotoppicksintheMajorLeaguedraftthispastsummer.WegototheHoustonCol-legeClassic,whichwillbeagreatchallengeforus.WeplayRicetwiceinHouston.WehaveCalStateFullertoncominginonaTuesdaynightrightbeforeBig12playopens,whichoughttobeexciting.Andthats just some of the tough teamswe play. Itsgoingtobeatoughgrindleadinguptoconferenceplay.

TexasA&MopensBig 12playonMarch13 inWacowiththeannualsplit-siteseriesagainstBay-lor, concluding the series in College Station onMarch14and15.Duringconferenceplay theAg-gies will also play host to Kansas (March 27-29), Nebraska on ParentsWeekend (April 17-19) and oklahoma state (April 24-26), while opening thespilt-serieswithTexasatOlsenonMay8inthefinalBig12homegameoftheyear.

A&MwilltraveltoMissouri(March 20-22), texas tech (April 3-5),KansasState(April 9-11) and texas (May 9 & 10).TheAggieswillalsoclosetheregularseason at oklahoma (May 16-18) before headingjustuptheroadtoOklahomaCityforthePhillips66Big12Championshipthefollowingweek.

This year we have a very tough conferenceschedule,Childresssaid.Itisaschedulethatweplayedtwoyearsagoandweplayeditto.500.Yearinandyearout theBig12 isoneof the toughestleaguesinthecountry.Therearenonightsoff,andwellhavetobereadytoplayeverytimewestepbetween the lines inorder to successfully defendourchampionship.

OUTFieLDerS (8) No. Name B/T Yr-exp. hometown (high School/College) 9 David alleman s/L Fr-Rs the Woodlands, texas (the Woodlands) 12 KyleColligan R/R Sr-3L Houston,Texas(Dulles) 24 NickFleece R/R So-1L FortWorth,Texas(Boswell) 4 BrodieGreene S/R Jr-2L Bullard,Texas(Bullard) 42 BrettParsons L/R So-TR TheWoodlands,Texas(TheWoodlands/NavarroColl.) 27 DylanPetrich R/R Jr-TR Wichita,Kan.(Maize/ButlerCC) 30 BrooksRaley L/L So-1L Uvalde,Texas(Uvalde) 8 RandallThorpe R/R Fr-HS Grapevine,Texas(ColleyvilleHeritage)

The OUTFieLDerS

The SCheDULe

kYLe COLLiGAN



texas a&m SqUAD BreAkDOwN

1B lukeANDerS#446-6sr-3L

CollegeStation,Texas

.349, 16 hr, 58 rBi, 13 2B, 57 runs, .660 slug%

CF kyleCOLLiGAN#126-2sr-3LHouston,Texas

.317, 14 hr, 39 rBi, 19 2B, 67 runs, .568 slug%, 12 sB

C kevinGONzALez#105-10so-1L

Katy,Texas

.261, 3 hr, 29 rBi, 6 2B, 22 runs

UT brodieGreeNe#46-1Jr-2LBullard, texas

.290, 4 hr, 27 rBi, 7 2B, 3 3B, 34 runs

pOSiTiON STArTerS LOST (6)

Dh darbyBrOwN#42Sr.Lubbock, texas

.339, 12 hr, 69 rBi, 15 2B, 43 runs, .570 slug%

3B daneCArTer#1Sr.Graham,Texas

.371, 8 hr, 64 rBi, 16 2B, 9 3B, 15-18 sB, 67 runs

SS josDUrAN#6Jr.Fort Worth, texas

.372, 6 hr, 68 rBi, 15 2B, 7 3B, 14-21 sB, 65 runs

LF benFeLTNer#35Sr.Leander, texas

.214, 0 hr, 11 rBi, 17 runs, 10-16 sB

rF brianrUGGiANO#17Jr.Austin,Texas

.315, 9 hr, 45 rBi, 13 2B, 53 runs, .515 slug%

2B blakeSTOUFFer#3Sr.san antonio, texas

.258, 5 hr, 38 rBi, 13 2B, 55 runs, 17-21 sB

reTUrNiNG piTCherS (8)

r claytonehLerT#166-1Jr-2L

orange, texas

6-2, 3.41 era, 16 app, 68 iP, 10 BB, 48 k

r barretLOUX#506-5so-1LHouston,Texas

6-2, 4.18 era, 16 app, 90 iP, 76 h, 81 k

r scottMiGL#346-4Jr-2LHouston,Texas

3-3, 4.26 era, 15 app, 61 iP, 20 BB, 45 k

r shaneMiNkS#166-3Jr-2L

West Columbia, texas

4-1, 3.27 era, 11 app, 33 iP, 16 BB, 31 k

L brooksrALeY#306-2so-1LUvalde,Texas

7-2, 4.76 era, 18 app, 92 iP, 27 BB, 68 k

r hankrOBerTSON#315-11sr-1L

nocona, texas

1-0, 3.75 era, 16 app, 1 sv, 24 iP, 26 k, .193 avg

r travisSTArLiNG#415-10Jr-2LYoakum,Texas

8-2, 3.70 era, 28 app, 9 sv, 48 iP, 16 BB, 40 k

r kyleTheBeAU#116-1sr-3L

CorpusChristi,Texas

6-5, 2.12 era, 33 app, 3 sv, 76 iP, 79 k, .206 avg

reTUrNiNG pOSiTiON STArTerS (4)

piTCherS LOST (7)

r kevinCrAveY#14Fr.Spring,Texas

1-0, 3.00 era, 11 app, 12 iP, 6 BB, 10 k

r carsonMiDDLeTON#27So.Lindale, texas

4-0, 5.70 era, 13 app, 30 iP, 11 BB, 24 k

r evanGerALD#37Jr.amarillo, texas

0-0, 7.94 era, 6 app, 5 iP, 4 BB, 7 k

r blakerAMpY#20Sr.tomball, texas

0-0, 2.25 era, 7 app, 8 iP, 4 h, 4 k

L michaelheArD#8So.montgomery, texas

0-1, 5.40 era, 8 app, 8 iP, 4 BB, 10 k

L kirklandriverS#28Sr.Henderson,Texas

0-1, 8.37 era, 13 app, 23 iP, 13 BB, 24 k

CLASS BreAkDOwN reTUrNiNG reDShirTS (5) David alleman.......................... Fr. aaron Daab.............................. Fr.StevenMartin.......................... So.AndrewNettune....................... Fr. alex Wilson................................Jr.

True Freshmen............. 8

redshirt Freshmen....... 3

Sophomores................. 7

juniors........................ 11

Seniors.......................... 4

reTUrNiNG LeTTerwiNNerS (14) Luke anders.............. Sr. Jordan Chambless.... Sr.KyleColligan............. Sr. Clayton ehlert............Jr. nick Fleece.............. So.KevinGonzalez........ So.BrodieGreene...........Jr. Barret Loux.............. So.

ScottMigl..................Jr. shane minks..............Jr. Brooks Raley............ So.HankRobertson....... Sr.CalebShofner.......... So. travis starling............Jr.KyleThebeau............ Sr.

LeTTerwiNNerS LOST (17) Daman aaron........... Sr.DarbyBrown............ Sr.PhilCarey..................Jr. Dane Carter.............. Sr. Jordan Chambless.....Jr.KevinCravey............. Fr.JosDuran.................Jr. Ben Feltner............... Sr.EvanGerald...............Jr.

MichaelHeard......... So.KeithMcInnerney.... So. Carson middleton.... So.BlakeRampy............. Sr. Joey Register.............Jr.KirklandRivers.......... Sr. Brian Ruggiano..........Jr.BlakeStouffer........... Sr.

r jordanChAMBLeSS#22Jr.CorpusChristi,Texas

0-0, 0.00 era, 4 app, 1 h, 3 iP, 0 BB, 6 k, .083 avg

coaching andsupport staff

2009 tEXas a&M BasEBaLL offICIaL GuIDE CoaCHING aND support staff

36 TEXAS AGGIE BASEBALL ATTITUDE APPROACH

29one of the top pitching coaches and recruiters in the country,

Rob childress enters his fourth season as the coach of the Texas a&M baseball program.

named the Big 12s coach of the Year by his peers in 2008, Childress guided the Aggies to 46 wins, their first regular-season championship in nine years and the first back-to-back NCAA regional championships in school history. along the way a&M set a new school and Big 12 record by winning 16 straight conference games.

After just one season at the helm, Childress orchestrated the biggest turnaround in ncaa division i baseball. his 2007 team finished 48-19, winning 23 more games than in 2006, in addition to claiming the NCAA College Station Regional championship, a berth in the Super Regionals and the schools first Big 12 title since 1999.

The Gilmer, Texas natives expertise as a pitching coach is evident and has made an immediate impact, as a&Ms pitching staff has ranked second in the rugged Big 12 in earned run average in each of his three seasons. His 2006 squad finished 25th in the country with a 3.56 team ERA, the Aggies lowest since 1993 (3.40), while last years staff ranked 19th nationally at 4.02the highest finish by an A&M staff in 15 years.

Childress was named the 19th head baseball coach in school history on June 21, 2005, after spending the previous eight seasons at Nebraska--the first five as an assistant under current Arkansas Head coach dave Van horn and the last three as an assistant with current NU skipper Mike anderson. in those eight seasons, the Huskers made the NCAA Tournament five times, advanced to the Super Regionals four times and made three appearances in the college World Series (2001, 2002 and 2005).

childress was a collegiate assistant coach for 14 seasons, including 10 years at the division i level. he spent seven seasons at Nebraska overseeing the pitching staff

and the Husker recruiting efforts after serving with Van Horn at northwestern (La.) State from 1995 to 1997.

As a pitching coach, Childress has constructed his pitching staffs into some of the best in the nation. His teams have posted sub-4.50 ERAs in each of the past nine seasons. The Nebraska pitching staff also turned in the top five single-season strikeout totals in school history under Childress watch, including a school-record 538 strikeouts in 2005, while issuing fewer than three walks per game in his final five seasons in Lincoln.

Under his tutelage, 31 pitchers were drafted or signed as free agents over the last 11 seasons. in the last three years, six aggie pitchers have been selected in the first 12 rounds of the Major League

Baseball draft (Austin Creps, 6th round in 2006; David Newmann, 4th round, Kyle Nicholson, 7th round and Gary Campfield, 12th round in 2007; Kyle Thebeau, 9th round and Alex Wilson, 10th round in 2008).

over the past eight seasons, childress has coached nine first-team All-Big 12 pitchers and nine Freshman All-American hurlers. The list is headlined by Shane Komine, the only two-time All-American in Nebraska baseball history and a two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. in fact, childress has coached three Big 12 Pitchers of the Year (Komine in 2000 and 2001, Aaron Marsden in 2003), two Big 12 newcomers of the Year (Joba Chamberlain in 2005, David Newmann in 2007) and a Big 12 Freshman of the Year (Johnny Dorn in 2005).

In 2005, Childress staff at Nebraska finished the season with a team ERA of 2.69, ranking in the top five nationally and at the top of the Big 12. in 2004, Nebraska tied for second in the Big 12 and was 25th nationally with a 3.76 ERA. In 2003, the Husker pitching staff guided Nebraska to 47 wins and the schools second Big 12 regular-season title

HEAd CoACH FoURTH SEASoNNoRTHwood UNIVERSITy, 1990

RoB CHILDrEss

tHE CHILDrEss fILE

BIrtHDaY September 26, 1968

HoMEtoWN gilmer, Texas

faMILY wife, amanda (A&M Class of 92) daughter, hannah (12) son, Maxwell (6)

EDuCatIoN harmony high School, gilmer, Texas Northwood University, 1990 (bachelors in business administration) Texas A&M-Commerce, 1994 (masters in science)

CoaCHING CarEEr 2006- ..................Texas a&M ................. head coach

(119-68-1, three seasons) 2003-05 ............... Nebraska ........assoc. head coach 1998-2002 ........... Nebraska ............ assistant coach 1995-97 .......northwestern State .... assistant coach 1994 ............. Texarkana College ........... head coach 1993 ..............northwood Univ. ...... assistant coach 1991-92 ........ Texarkana College ..... assistant coach

CoaCHING HoNors 2008 Big 12 coach of the Year



in three years. The Huskers ranked second in the Big 12 with a 3.79 ERA, while ranking first or second in the league in seven categories, including a league-high five shutouts.

Nebraskas pitching depth carried the Huskers to 47 wins and a second straight College world Series appearance in 2002. The Huskers finished second in the Big 12 and 15th nationally with a 3.66 team ERA, while ranking first or second in the league in four categories, including ERA, complete games (nine, first), shutouts (five, second) and opposing batting average (.250, second).

The Husker pitching staff was instrumental in leading NU to its first regular-season conference title in 51 years in 2001 and in 2000, the Huskers led the nation with a 3.14 ERA. In 1999, the Huskers posted a 5.50 ERA, the lowest NU mark since 1994 at the time, and struck out a then-school-record 438 batters in 526 innings of action. despite joining the staff 34 days before the 1998 season opener, Childress impact was immediate, as Husker pitchers allowed just 236 earned runs, the fewest in seven years, and lowered the team ERA by nearly a run per game.

In his final season as the pitching coach at Northwestern State in 1997, Childress staff had a 4.20 ERA and held opponents to a .268 batting average. He coached current San diego Padre Brian Lawrence, who became the first demon baseball player to reach the Major Leagues since 1954. In 1996, the demons staff owned a 4.66 ERA and held opponents to a .259 batting average. At Northwestern State, Childress handled the pitching coach duties, and was also responsible for recruiting, field maintenance, fund-raising, academic advisement and coordinating camps.

tHE CHILDrEss faMILY: roB, aMaNDa, HaNNaH aND MaX.

Childress and Van Horn first teamed up at Texarkana College during the 1991 and 1992 seasons. during that span, the Bulldogs were 93-22, winning the league title in 1991. Following the two seasons as an assistant at Texarkana, Childress was an assistant coach at his alma mater Northwood University. In 1994, he returned to Texarkana as the head coach and finished with an impressive 43-10 record in his only season as coach.

Before his coaching career, childress, who graduated from harmony high School in gilmer, Texas, attended Northwood where he was twice named an all-conference pitcher. Northwood won two NAIA conference championships during his career and was runner-up at the regional tournament once. childress was elected the schools academic athlete of the Year as a sophomore and senior. along with his collegiate coaching experience, Childress coached the Texarkana Mavericks to a 31-10 record in summer league play in 1991.

Childress graduated with a bachelors degree in business administration from Northwood in 1990 and earned a masters degree of science from East Texas State (now TAMU-Commerce) in 1994. He and his wife amanda (A&M Class of 1992) have a daughter, hannah, 12, and a son Maxwell, 6.


38 GIE BASEBALL ATTITUDE APPROACH INTENSITY TOUGHNESS

MaTT DEGGs15ASSoCIATE HEAd CoACH FoURTH SEASoNNoRTHwood UNIVERSITy, 1994district Coach of the year honors in 2001. He coached five All-Americans and 25 all-conference players in his five seasons, while sending 35 players to division 1-A programs. In addition, deggs signed and coached current Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence.

deggs spent the 1996 and 1997 seasons as the hitting and infield coach at northwestern (La.) State University under Van horn, helping the demons to the Southland Conference title in 1997. His infield units ranked among the top groups in the country in both seasons.

deggs was an infielder at Alvin Junior College from 1991-92 and at Northwood University from 1993-94. He played professionally for three years for the Mobile (Ala.) Baysharks and the Tennessee Tomahawks, two of which were spent as a player/coach under former Boston Red Sox manager Butch Hobson and former Red Sox catcher Mike o Berry.

deggs is married to the former Kathy Saldua (A&M Class of 94). The couple has a son, Kyler (9), a daughter, Klaire (5) and a daughter, Khloe (3).

Matt deggs enters his fourth season as the third base coach at Texas A&M under Rob Childress and is in charge of running the offense and the infielders while assisting in recruiting. deggs utilizes an aggressive offensive attack that he describes as a pack mentality approach that has helped the Aggies capture back-to-back Big 12 championships.

Every hitter inside The Pack has a duty or function, deggs said. Some of them run, some produce runs, some hit for power and some do all three. But they all know their role and they function as a pack.

The pack philosophy has paid big dividends for A&M. over the last two seasons, the Aggies have hit .314 with 147 home runs and over 1,400 hits and 900 runs driven in, the best two-year totals in nearly a decade. In addition, Texas A&M has swiped 242 bases at a better than 75 percent

success rate. In 2008, six players who saw regular time hit over .315 for the year, while seven drove in at least 38 runs apiece.

deggs and Childress have similar backgrounds. Both natives of Texas, the connection began in 1993 when deggs, a native of Texas city, played for childress, who was an assistant coach at northwood University. Additionally, they spent two years together on dave Van Horns staff at Northwestern (La.) State in 1996 and 1997, and both served a stint as the head coach at Texarkana Junior college.

one of only a handful of coaches to win both a Big 12 and an SEC title, deggs spent three seasons at Arkansas as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for Van Horn from 2003 to 2005. He coached three All-SEC players and three freshman All-Americans while helping the Hogs to the SEC Championship and a trip to the college World Series in 2004.

deggs was a key figure in the Razorbacks return to national prominence, as the Hogs offense steadily improved to one of the best in the SEC. The team saw its batting average increase from .278 prior to deggs arrival to .303 in 2005, the best by a Razorback team in eight seasons. The Razorbacks also finished 05 with the fourth-best slugging percentage (.451) in the SEC and fifth in on-base percentage (.382). The Hogs 133 doubles tied for the third most in the league and seventh most in school history. Arkansas finished second in the league with 108 stolen bases.

Prior to his stint at Arkansas, deggs tallied a record of 187-100 as the head coach at Texarkana College. In his five-year stay at Texarkana, deggs led the team to two Texas Eastern Athletic

Conference runner-up finishes and a pair of TEAC titles (2001 and 2002). in 2001, deggs squad won the Region XiV championship and advanced to the JUCo world Series for the first time in school history.

deggs was named the TEAC Coach of the year following the 2001 and 2002 seasons. In addition, he earned Region XIV and Southern

tHE DEGGs faMILY: katHY, Matt,kYLEr, kHLoE aND kLaIrE.

38


39 O-BACK BIG 12 CHAMPIONS BACK-TO-BACK NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS

JEREMy taLBot5aSSiSTanT coach FoURTH SEASoNUNIVERSITy oF ARKANSAS, 1997Tournament championship, and a spot in the ncaa Regionals. Twelve Huskers were eventually drafted that played on the 1999 squad, including major leaguers Ken Harvey, Jamal Strong, Adam Stern, Shane Komine and Adam Shabala. during Talbots year at Nebraska, the Huskers tied a school record with a .338 team batting average and finished third in the country in runs scored per game.

In 1998, Talbot began his coaching career at Nicholls State under Jim Pizzalato. In the summer of 1998, Talbot coached the Anchorage Glacier Pilots of the Alaskan Summer League.

An all-state and three-time all-district performer at Assumption High School, Talbot began his collegiate playing career at nicholls State, where he hit .310 as a freshman. He played one year at Mendocino (Calif.) Junior College, earning all-conference honors, before transferring to Arkansas where he started at dH and catcher. Talbot helped the Razorbacks to a Regional appearance and a national ranking. Arkansas 18-0 start in 1996 was a school and SEC record.

Talbot is married to the former Pixie hutchinson. The couple has two childrenHutch, who is five, and Brooke, who is three.

tHE taLBot faMILY: jErEMY, BrookE, pIXIE aND HutCH.

Jeremy Talbot is in his fourth season as an assistant coach under Rob Childress at Texas A&M. Talbot coaches the catchers and is the hitting instructor, and as recruiting coordinator helped pull in the nations sixth-best recruiting class in 2008.

Under his tutelage, A&M hitters saw a massive improvement after just one year in the program. From 2006 to 2007, the Aggie offense saw a 62-point increase in batting average and a 121-point jump in slugging percentage, as the team saw its highest offensive output in eight seasons.

The squad kept its offensive punch in 2008, as A&M scored 516 runs and blasted 81 home runsboth the highest totals in nearly a decade. The 08 Aggies also rank in the schools all-time single-season top five in five offensive categories.

Talbot also oversees the catchers, who have gunned down 76 (or 35 percent) of would-be base stealers over the last three seasons, while committing only 15 errors in over 1,500 chances for a .990 fielding percentage.

Prior to coming to aggieland, Talbot coached the 2005 season at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala. under head coach Jim Case. The Gamecocks won the ohio Valley Conference Regular-Season Championship, just missing the ncaa Tournament by dropping the championship game in the oVC post-season tourney. Before his stint at JSU, Talbot served as an assistant for four seasons at Louisiana-Monroe, where his teams set multiple offensive school and conference records. Talbot coached 12 ULM players who went on to play professional baseball.

A native of Labadieville, La., Talbot spent the 2000 season as an assistant at northeast Texas community college in Mount Pleasant, Texas, where he coached all position players and assisted in recruiting.

Talbot served as the volunteer assistant coach for dave Van horn

at Nebraska in 1999, which is where he met Rob childress. Talbot helped the Huskers to a 42-18 finish, the Big 12


40 AS AGGIE BASEBALL ATTITUDE APPROACH INTENSITY TOUGHNESS

JUSTin sEELY19VoLUNTEER ASSISTANT CoACH FIRST SEASoNUNIVERSITy oF NEBRASKA, 2003

tHE sEELY faMILY: justIN aND tara.

Justin Seely is in his first season with Texas A&M baseball program as the volunteer assistant coach for Rob childress.

Seely will work with the outfielders, coach first base and assist with on-campus recruiting. He comes to A&M after spending last year as an assistant coach at Texarkana College. Under former Aggie assistant will Bolt, Seely was the recruiting coordinator and hitting coach. At Texarkana, the Bulldogs led the league in multiple categories and finished third or better in hits, slugging percentage, doubles, on-base percentage and home runs.

A starter on Nebraskas first two College world Series teams, Seely spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater. His extensive work with the Husker outfielders paid dividends in 2006, as three earned All-Big 12 honors.

Seely spent the two seasons prior to Nebraska as an assistant coach at Paris (Texas) Junior College for Head Coach deron Clark. At Paris

JC, he worked with the position players, helped run the teams offense and served as the programs recruiting coordinator. In

2005, Paris Junior College had 11 players sign National Letters-of-Intent. Seelys first full recruiting class helped produce the schools most successful season in 50 years.

Seely also coached the Parkville (Mo.) Sluggers in 2003 of the M.i.n.K. league. For two summers, Seely coached the 17 and 18-year-old teams for Sam Carpenters dallas Mustangs,

one of the top Connie Mack programs in the country.

Seely served as the Huskers starting outfielder and designated hitter during his two years in the program. He made 87 starts, hitting .355 with 11 homers and 65 RBIs at NU. His best season came in 2002, where he hit .320 with 19 doubles, seven homers and 37 RBIs

in helping the Huskers return to the College world Series. Seely was best known for his grand slam in the decisive third game of the Super Regional against Richmond, a blast that sealed nUs second straight trip to omaha.

A native of Nacogdoches, Texas, Seely began his collegiate career at northeast Texas community college under current a&M assistant Jeremy Talbot, where he was a two-year starter. Seely, who received his undergraduate degree in history from the University of Nebraska in 2003, is married to the former Tara Hill of Garland.

40


41 K-TO-BACK BIG 12 CHAMPIONS NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS

JaSon HutCHINs26dIRECToR oF BASEBALL oPERATIoNS 11Th SEASoNTEXAS A&M UNIVERSITy, 1998Jason hutchins is in his 11th year as the director of operations for

the Texas A&M baseball team. Hutchins is responsible for organizing the day-to-day activites associated with the baseball program, is director of the dugout Club, and his baseball knowledge is a huge asset to the Aggie coaching staff.

Hutchins is also vital in the administration and teaching aspects of the Texas a&M Baseball camp, serving as the camp director for the last four seasons.

Hutch, a native of Irvine, Calif., was a pitcher on the 1991 and 1992 Aggie baseball squads, both of which advanced to the NCAA

regional tournament. In 1991, he made 13 appearances and started 11 games for the Aggies. He finished the season with

a 4-3 record and tallied 56 strikeouts in 54 innings. He is believed to hold the single-season record for hit batters with 10 during the 1991 season.

In 1992, Hutchins saw action in 12 games, all out of the bullpen, allowing just four earned runs and fanning 18 hitters in 17 innings.

hutchins played professional baseball in the colorado Rockies organization with stints in Bend, Central Valley and New Haven. He also spent a season in the Arizona Fall League and the hawaiian winter League. In 1992 he was selected as the top prospect in the northwest League. An arm injury forced

Hutchins to retire in 1996.

After retirement, Hutchins returned to Texas a&M and earned a degree in sport management in 1998. while

finishing his degree, he assisted the a&M coaching

staff in various capacities.

hutchins is married to the former Alicia Frank (A&M Class

of 1993). The couple has a son, Jace Ryan, who is nine, and a

daughter, halle grace, who turns six in april.

JACE HutCHINsBaT BoY FoURTH SEASoN

Jace hutchins is the son of Texas a&M director of Baseball operations Jason Hutchins and is in his fourth year as the Aggies bat boy. Jace is in the third grade at Forest Ridge Elementary in College Station.

He likes playing baseball, basketball and football and wants to play for the aggies when he grows up. his favorite a&M

baseball player of all time is Cliff Pennington.

tHE HutCHINs faMILY:aLICIa, jaCE, HaLLE aND jasoN.



chRiS russ17GRAdUATE MANAGER FIRST SEASoNTEXAS A&M UNIVERSITy, 2001

LANCE HarvELL51STRENGTH CoACH SECoNd SEASoNTEXAS A&M UNIVERSITy, 2006

tHE HarvELL faMILY:LaNCE aND CourtNEY.

tHE russ faMILY:CHrIs, MEGaN aND BooMEr.

Former Texas A&M All-American Chris Russ is in his first season as a graduate manager for a&M coach Rob childress.

Russ was a four-year letterwinner for the Aggies from 1998-2001 as

both a pitcher and infielder. An All-Big 12 and All-America honoree in 1999, Russ went 12-2 on the hill with a 3.27 ERA, helping A&M win its second straight Big 12 title and advance to the College world Series for the first time in six seasons. The Kerrville, Texas native compiled a career 23-7 record, 141 strikeouts and ranks second on the school charts with 16 saves. He enters the 09 season as A&Ms record holder for career appearances on the mound with 86.

Russ, who graduated with a degree in Agricultural Economics in 2005, was taken in the 12th round of the 2001 Major League Baseball draft by the New york yankees. After moving to the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 2004, Russ spent the 06 season at double-A Springfield. He split his final season of 2007 between Springfield, triple-A Memphis and a stint in the triple-A Mexican League.

Born March 27, 1979, Russ is currently pursuing his masters degree in Higher Education Administration. He is married to the former Megan Meadows (A&M Class of 04), and the couple resides in College Station.

Lance harvell is in his second season on coach Rob childress staff and will serve as the teams strength coach this spring.

The College Station native graduated from A&M Consolidated High School in 2001 and, after walking on with the Aggie baseball program, earned a bachelors degree in sports management in 2006. harvell is scheduled to graduate with his masters degree in the same field in May.

harvell played two seasons at Richland Junior college in dallas, helping lead his team to back-to-back national championships and earning all-conference and all-region honors as a catcher.

Born May 24, 1983, Harvell is married to the former Courtney Ellison (A&M Class of 05). The couple resides in College Station.


43 ASEBALL BACK-TO-BACK BIG 12 CHAMPIONS BACK-TO-BACK NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS

JoSh CoHENATHLETIC TRAINER FoURTH SEASoNCoLLEGE oF wILLIAM & MARy, 2003

Josh Cohen is in his fourth season as an assistant athletic trainer at Texas A&M. He serves as the Head Athletic Trainer for the baseball program and assists with the cross country team. his other responsibilities include managing the prescription drugs and pharmacy system utilized by the Texas A&M Sports Medicine department.

Cohen, 28, came to Texas A&M after spending one season as the athletic trainer for the UT Arlington baseball team. Prior to that, Cohen spent two seasons as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Nebraska, where he first worked with current a&M head coach Rob childress.

Cohen earned his masters degree in Educational Administration from Nebraska after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree

in Kinesiology and Psychology in May of 2003 from The college of William and Mary.

while at william and Mary, Cohen worked with the football, baseball and field hockey teams under hall

of fame athletic trainer Steven Cole.

Before coming to Nebraska, he spent internship stints with the Los Angeles dodgers, Pittsburgh

Pirates and the new Jersey gladiators, a professional arena football team.

A native of old Tappan, N.J., Cohen is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, Southwest Athletic Trainers Association and the Brazos Valley Athletic

Trainers Association.

R.L. fLoraNCESTUdENT MANAGER THIRd SEASoN

JAREd NELsoNSTUdENT MANAGER SECoNd SEASoN

BLAKE BaHLMaNSTUdENT TRAINER FIRST SEASoN


TEXAS AGGIE BASEBALL ATTITUDE APPROACH INTENSITY TOUGHNESS

aMY BraGGdIRECToR oF PERFoRMANCE NUTRITIoN FIFTH SEASoNUNIVERSITy oF HoUSToN, 2000

TEXAS A&M BASEBALL support staff

Amy Bragg is in her fifth year as director of performance nutrition for the Texas A&M athletic department and is one of only 18 sports nutritionists in the nation working full time in division I athletics.

A Board Certified Specialist in Sports dietetics, and a registered and licensed dietitian, Bragg provides nutritional education, weight management and supplemental consultation for A&Ms student-athletes. Passionate about utilizing the environment to teach student-athletes about nutrition, Bragg treats eating team meals and choosing a recovery food after team workouts as hands-on educational opportunities.

Nutrition services offered to student-athletes range from grocery shopping tours and cooking demonstration classes to team meetings and one-on-one counseling for performance enhancement. Bragg also plans training table, travel and pregame meals and works closely with the coaching, strength and conditioning and athletic training staffs, recommending ways to help maximize the student-athletes health and performance.

Born and raised in Pittsburg, Texas, Bragg received a bachelor of business administration degree in finance from the University of Texas in 1995 and a bachelor of science degree in human nutrition and foods from the University of houston in 2000.

Following her graduation from Houston, Bragg served as a nutrition coach and consultant in the Houston area. She has advised more than 6,000 athletes and others on how to improve their athletic performance and general health by controlling their weight and increasing muscle mass, strength and stamina.

Bragg is an active member of the American dietetic Association (ADA) and the american college Sports Medicine (ACSM). She has been a part of two practice groups of the AdA regarding sports, cardiovascular and wellness dietitians and the nutrition entrepreneurs.

Bragg, whose hobbies include cooking, biking and reading, is married to Bobby Bragg. They are the proud parents of a four-year old girl, Rebecca Mallory. MindY GarrIsoN

ATHLETIC ACAdEMIC SUPERVISoR SECoNd SEASoNTEXAS A&M UNIVERSITy, 2005

Mindy Garrison is in her second year as athletic academic supervisor at Texas A&M where she works with the baseball, softball and volleyball teams.

A 2005 graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelors degree in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, Garrison earned her masters degree in Higher Education Administration from A&M in 2007.

Upon graduation, Garrison spent one year as an academic advisor for the Baylor University football and womens basketball teams before her return to Aggieland.

Garrison was a four-year letterwinner for the womens basketball team from 2001-05, earning three Academic All-Big 12 honors in her career. As a senior, she helped the Aggies to postseason play for the first time in nine years.

A native of San Marcos, Texas, Garrison is a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics.

J.P. BraMHaLL,M.D.dIRECToR oF SPoRTS MEdICINE SEVENTH SEASoNTEXAS A&M UNIVERSITy, 1985

JP Bramhall, M.d. is in his seventh year as the director of Sports Medicine for Texas a&M University. he has served as a team physician and orthopedic surgeon for Texas A&M athletics since 1991.

dr. Bramhall, Texas A&M Class of 81, was a four-year baseball letterman (1978-81) for coach Tom chandler and the aggies.

In 1980 he hit .350 and earned the wally Moon Award, given to the most improved player on the squad. He finished up his senior season with a career .323 batting average and entered the Texas A&M Medical School holding four school records, including most walks in a season (57) and most career stolen bases (40). The only home run h

Date post:	29-Mar-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	jonathan-lee
View:	237 times
Download:	1 times

2009 Baseball Media Guide

Documents