PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Conference champions meet this weekend as 2007 BIG EAST Champion Rutgers heads to College Station, Texas for a three-game series with 2007 Big 12 Champion and No. 21 Texas A&M. The Scarlet Knights and Aggies open the series with a pair of night games with first pitch set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, followed by a 1:00 p.m. game on Sunday at Olsen Field. Game times are listed in eastern standard time.
Rutgers (2-4) continues the challenging early portion of its schedule with its third nationally-ranked opponent in as many weekends. The Scarlet Knights lost a 9-5, daylight-shortened game to Temple on Wednesday in their home opener. After splitting a doubleheader with then No. 25 Old Dominion on the road, RU took one of three at then No. 22 Georgia Tech last weekend.
Junior preseason All-BIG EAST selection Tom Edwards (West Caldwell, N.J.) leads Rutgers offensively. The Scarlet Knights\’ No. 3 hitter owns a .435 average (10-for-23) with seven RBI in six games this season. He was a perfect 4-for-4 last time out against Temple.
The Rutgers weekend rotation consists of senior righty Steve Holt (Toms River, N.J.) on Friday, sophomore righty Casey Gaynor (Toms River, N.J.) on Saturday and junior righty Matt Giannini (Millington, N.J.) on Sunday. In his first game in nearly two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, Holt pitched seven strong innings last Friday in a no-decision at Georgia Tech. He registered three strikeouts and allowed just one earned run. Gaynor pitched into the eighth inning against the Yellow Jackets and posted a career-high nine strikeouts in a one-run loss last Saturday. Giannini struck out five in 5.2 innings last Sunday at Georgia Tech. He didn\’t surrender a run until the sixth inning and retired seven-straight at one point against the Yellow Jackets.
Texas A&M is 9-2 on the season and enters the series on an eight-game winning streak. Last weekend, Texas A&M captured the Aggie Baseball Classic with victories over Ohio State, Arkansas and Louisiana Tech. The Aggies defeated Nicholls State twice during the week. Senior third baseman Dane Carter is hitting .465 with four doubles, four triples and three home runs. Texas A&M\’s only losses came in the season\’s opening weekend as the Aggies dropped a pair to Northern Colorado.
The Aggies will go with freshman righty Barret Loux (0-0, 5.14 ERA) on Friday, freshman lefty Brooks Raley (1-0, 3.68 ERA) on Saturday and sophomore righty Scott Migl (1-0, 2.31 ERA) on Sunday. Reliever Travis Starling has not allowed a run in six appearances, spanning six innings and has three saves on the season.
This weekend marks the first meeting between Rutgers and Texas A&M on the diamond. Rutgers will be playing in the state of Texas for the first time since 1999 when the Scarlet Knights traveled to Lubbock, Texas for an NCAA Regional, hosted by Texas Tech. RU dropped a pair of games in the regional, falling to the host Red Raiders, 5-2, and Rice, 6-1.
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