LA Tech press conference:

https://12thman.com/news/2026/3/3/softball-hosts-louisiana-tech-for-military-appreciation-night

Includes this:

"The pitching staff ranks seventh nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.42) and 12th in WHIP (1.05), while offensively A&M is 11th in on-base percentage (.467) and 17th in total runs (162). Individually, Micaela Wark ranks 13th nationally in home runs (9), while Kennedy Powell is 15th in hits (33). Sydney Lessentine ranks seventh nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.50) and eighth in walks allowed per seven innings (0.59)."

Stats after 22 games (sortable):

https://12thman.com/sports/softball/stats/2026

Fun with numbers

Wark is interesting 8th in BA but 2nd in Slugging, 4th in OBP. Without looking we knew she was tops in HR and RBI

I have always thought OPS was the most important number which is Mya and the Micaela 1st and 2nd. However KP seems like the straw that stirs the drink and her OPS is pretty mid.

I will admit I don't look at stats for our players very often since I already know who is playing well.

I have used 'fun with numbers' in posts many times because, with me, it IS fun to look at the numbers. I'm a techie. An IT dude. But I certainly was not a nerd in my youth - was more a party animal (I consumed many pitchers of Shiner Bock at Dud's when I was a student!).

I DO dig looking at stats. But I also look at the human side of players. The intangibles. Heart, desire, leadership, motivation, emotions, etc. One of the reasons I bring up Hailey and Scout frequently. They are at the top of my list to choose from for 12th Man. Part time players but important parts of the team. Coach Ford uses a phrase a lot - everybody has their role on the team. I like it.

Knowing who is playing well (or not) is a huge help when I look at our stats because I can put a face and play to the stats for each player. Something I cannot do when I look at the stats of opposing teams. To add to your comments on Micaela, who leads the team in HR and RBI and 2nd in SLG, she is the only regular starter on the team with 0 doubles. Because she's really slow - it's obvious when she is running down the line to 1B. She also leads the team in SO's. These are not unusual at all for a power hitter and she's become a great addition to our roster and I am a huge fan!

I usually add "(sortable)" when I put a link to stats in a post because it is really interesting to sort by the various categories (hitting, pitching and fielding). I sort by just about every category. It is interesting. It is FUN.

A side note - two of my favorites sports movies are "Moneyball" and "Trouble With the Curve" (baseball movies). Both based on stats with the former a LOT. A great 'emotional' sports movie is "The Miracle Season". Heart, desire, will, etc. A volleyball movie. Also one of my favorite sports movies. Guess I'm a sucker for great sports movies !!

Anyway, we are all just Aggies supporting Aggie Softball in our various ways - Gig 'Em !!!

frankie00 said:

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I heartily agree with Ariel (aka AK) behind the plate.

I think KP was a lock at 3B this year and next two years it will probably be Ariel (aka AK). IF Tallen was returning she would be in the race. Gold glove at the position. But she will be gone so moot point.

Sometimes I think of Mya when I think of Maddie. Mya had a rough first year but, gosh, she has really done well since! Maddie might do the same AT the plate and might get better BEHIND the plate, too, or, as some suggested, at 1B. She certainly has potential with her bat. I hope Mya talks to Maddie about her journey.

On 1B, we have seen Micaela and Mya play it this year. Both really good at the plate and good at 1B. Next year hard to tell, especially with Micaela not around. Maddie IS listed as C/1B/3B so maybe.

Taylor Brown at 1B. Probably slim chance. I was really hoping we would finally, FINALLY see her on the mound this last weekend and thought Saturday would have been a great chance. If only for a couple of innings. But no joy. If we do not see her this coming weekend I really have to wonder why not. A LOT. She DID play 1B in HS in addition to pitching and had a great bat. Maybe, just maybe, her there next year? But, I have to say something I do not like saying, especially this early in the season - if she does not see action this weekend I have to wonder if she might start hearing transfer voices pop in her head. She's not from Texas so did not grow up wanting to be a Aggie. I think she would have no problem getting picked up by a decent team. She is from Missouri so perhaps them.

Replacing Tallen at 2B. Perhaps Larisa? Running out of choices there. I think the coaches might bring in a dedicated 2B from the portal after the season. Maybe a 1B, too.

Note that we have Presley 'PK' Kilgore coming in next year. Honorable mention 3A All-State at 3B in 2023 and 2024 and first team in 2025. But she is listed as a C/3B and I think she played C in travel ball. So might have a good backup at those positions.

Anyway, it's still the 2026 season soooo ... we will see how the 'new lineup' works tomorrow and this weekend. Always interesting to think about all of these things! Last weekend before SEC so important !!

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Frankie Vrazel played infield in HS, fyi…but she's done well at outfield. She can definitely play anywhere as needed.

Game thread started for tonight

https://texags.com/forums/8/topics/3598346/replies/71981176

I will not be able to do the updates. Hoping Fitz or someone can do them

Note only is Frankie a converted IF but Scout, too.

I was also checking out the stats for our transfers, comparing this year's to last year's, and was reminded that Paislie was a 2B in her one year at Georgia.

With three really good OF's coming in next year one of them might move back to the IF, all has to do with how they look next Fall (Freshman and returners).

But I have learned not to be surprised at any position changes that the coaches make!

Lineup, run production vs LA Tech (8 hits, 4 walks, 1 HBP and one WP in the game)

KP - 2 RBI
Tallen -
Mya - 1 RBI
Micaela - 3 RBI
Ariel -
KK - 1 RBI
Paislie -
Kelsey - 1 RBI
Frankie - 1 RBI

Of course, it will vary from game to game but having production throughout the lineup is (obviously!) really good. 163 RBI's on the season. Get runners on, bring 'em in. Name of the game.

I briefly mentioned recently that I compared the current stats of our transfers to their previous year(s). Micaela's stats have changed quite a bit (must consider number of games played for the numbers in the categories). I noted the other day that she has zero doubles so far this year but has had several in the past. We'll see what happens the rest of the year. Additionally, this from her bio on her HS career: "Set school records in batting average, on-base percentage, home runs, RBI and doubles."

(Note: Redshirted her first year, whilst at Kansas)

https://d1softball.com/player/1645444/micaela-wark/

Signing her is looking better every game. I think it was in the Fall that she mentioned doing a lot of work with Harger on her hitting, trying to get it back to her earlier success. Definitely working out.

Kelsey getting hits now. Frankie, too - she was 3 of 3 with two doubles.

Kelsey to CF and Ariel (aka AK) to C still working out really well.

Several really, really hard hit balls last night, a great sign.

ESPN+ now listed for the Friday 4pm game against Texas St

How can we learn Taylor Brown's status? I asked Cessna to see why she has not pitched a week ago. Haven't seen where he mentioned her in his columns.

Thanks to both MUAG and Kay for asking about Taylor. I have been wondering about her since the Fall and have asked about her many times since then. The only time she has been in a game was last Oct 9 vs McLennan CC in a Fall game. I think she pitched two innings. Looked good. Approximately 65-67. Good movement. Had 4 SO's.

She is the only one on the team that has not seen any action. After sitting out last season because of the redshirt I think she should have had some innings during non-conference. Several opportunities. Would like to know how she does for a couple of innings over several games. Best to know now instead of waiting for conference. Just my two pfennig.

MUAG said:

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How can we learn Taylor Brown's status? I asked Cessna to see why she has not pitched a week ago. Haven't seen where he mentioned her in his columns.

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I don't expect you will see Taylor Brown play. It is my understanding she just doesn't have the talent to compete at this level.

Press release for San Marcos:

https://12thman.com/news/2026/3/5/softball-travels-to-san-marcos-showdown

Note: "...the game can be streamed on ESPN+ with former Texas A&M pitcher Brooke Vestal on the call as the analyst..."

(her sister, former Aggie Harley, is doing well as an OF at Texas State)

Current Aggie stats (sortable):

https://12thman.com/sports/softball/stats/2026

Are both the 11:00am and 4:00pm games on ESPN+?

I do not see us anywhere on today's ESPN+ schedule. What gives?

https://texags.com/forums/8/topics/3598601/replies/71988111

Game thread started for today.

I can't find a link for the 4pm game on ESPN+ so hopefully that will show up later today

Thanks for the replies! Looking forward to watching these!

MSTC Man said:

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MUAG said:

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How can we learn Taylor Brown's status? I asked Cessna to see why she has not pitched a week ago. Haven't seen where he mentioned her in his columns.

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I don't expect you will see Taylor Brown play. It is my understanding she just doesn't have the talent to compete at this level.

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Well I was wrong. She saw action this morning when we were up 15 to 1.

Several firsts in the first game yesterday.

Piper White first hit as a Aggie. Larisa first RBI as an Aggie. Tallen first HR as an Aggie. Others but do not remember - sorry, ladies! But the big one ...

Taylor Brown FINALLY saw action - groovy !!!

Came in to face the top of the order of the Tarleton State lineup. Bad luck. But ... fly out (on a 1-1 count), strike out looking (1-2), single (1-0), Scout error allowed unearned run (would have been a fly out, 3-1)), ground out (1-2). Pretty good counts: 1-1, 1-2, 1-0, 3-1, 1-2. Imagine how nervous she was. FINALLY got in a game. Redshirt last year and not seeing any action the first 22 games this year. I would have been nervous. Gosh, wish I could have seen her but no telly for the game - darn it! Anyway, she did pretty darn well for her first ever appearance in Maroon and White, especially after the long wait. Hope to see her again soon. And there was probably some teasing between Taylor and Scout after the game - and Scout is STILL one of my favorite players !!

What I would also love to see? Her getting some at bats! She was an awesome hitter in HS. But Coach does not allow her pitchers to play two ways or hit - only pitch. I wish she would. Taylor was a 1B in HS. Really good stats at the plate. Lot of homeruns. Gosh, she might be another Mya or Micaela - but we may never know! Think about a few other pitchers at other schools ...

At Tech: Last year Canady led the team with 11 HR's. Not many this year. She was the first million dollar player in college softball and was 'allowed' to hit. She not only is an awesome pitcher but she hit, too, and pretty darn well. This year, Kaitlyn Terry, the outstanding pitching transfer from UCLA, is hitting .589, second on the team in BA, third on the team with 8 2B, third on the team with a 1.518 OPS, .643 OB% to lead all starters, 12 walks to only 4 SO.

I do not remember the Florida player's name but I think she's the one from Texas. Great pitcher but also played in the field and hit.

We have had some really good pitchers who were also great hitters in Aggie history. Would like to see that start up again. Something to think about.

Texas State game. I might be the only one but glad to see former Aggies do well. Aiyana Coleman was fantastic last year, best hitter on the team. Same this year. Keely and Harley also among their best hitters. Former Aggies beat the Aggies. Good for them. They transferred to get playing time, not more money. Not a darn thing wrong with that. AND, all three of them are Texans. Great to see Texans doing well at Texas schools. Well, not at that school in Austin, of course !!!

Loss? We are an above average team at this point in time. Lots of ups and downs. Far from being an elite team. There will be more losses. Maybe 8-10 more this year in the regular season. Perhaps more. But what matters is how we do at the end of the season. Think positive.

Is there any way we can compare stats from now to this time last year? Seems like more higher batting avg now vs early last year? Also, thought Brooke did a really good job on the broadcast. She was very complementary of Aggies.

I do not know how to find stats at any one time during a season other than the current stats for the current year. Basically looking for a 'snapshot in time'. Someone on the softball staff or someone like Matt Simon might be able to.

Of course, someone else here might be able to find it straightaway - if so, pleaese post it.

As for BA, last year I started keeping a screenshot of each game's starting lineup. The last non-conference game was vs Texas Tech, we won 7-6. The following game was the first SEC series vs Florida. The lineup for the Florida game, with BA's, was:

Koko - .400
KP - .352
Mac - .300
Mya - .456
Allie - .310
KK - .355
Frankie - .356
Ojo - .292
Kramer - .347

Lineup for Texas State game yesterday with current stats (as of this morning, note it is almost a completely different team !!):

KP - .450
Tallen - .426
Mya - .464
Micaela - .324
Ariel - .405
KK - .321
Paislie - .293
Kelsey - .286
Frankie - .373

On the stats page, you CAN select the year and then select 'game-by-game' for an easy view of stats for each game (instead of looking at the box scores for each game on the schedule page).

https://12thman.com/sports/softball/stats/2026

sobering.
Mizzou @ Gators are tied up at 3. T10 on SECN+
Gators win 7-6 in the B11

Belton Ag said:

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Without getting into individual names, I can only see 2 or 3 players in our lineup that would start on another team in the upper half of our league. It's all three phases of the game. Pitching, hitting, fielding… we're a bottom third SEC team. It sucks, but it's going to be a struggle to make a regional this year.

We need to keep from being swept multiple times in conference play. Starting with LSU. I can't believe I'm typing this in year 4 of Ford's tenure.

This program needs an influx of NIL money or it's going to degrade to the level we were at when Evans was here. I don't know specifics but I gather we are way, way behind the pack in that category.

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Pretty much this. I love Coach Ford and think she's done a great job, even this year when we don't have the talent we had last year. But she will be gone if we don't step up the NIL game.

What? Are you going to replace her with another Women's National Team Coaching staff member and not increase that person's NIL options & availability?

Didn't someone state that softball is in the top half of the SEC in terms of NIL money, or not?

Wabs said:

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Belton Ag said:

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Without getting into individual names, I can only see 2 or 3 players in our lineup that would start on another team in the upper half of our league. It's all three phases of the game. Pitching, hitting, fielding… we're a bottom third SEC team. It sucks, but it's going to be a struggle to make a regional this year.

We need to keep from being swept multiple times in conference play. Starting with LSU. I can't believe I'm typing this in year 4 of Ford's tenure.

This program needs an influx of NIL money or it's going to degrade to the level we were at when Evans was here. I don't know specifics but I gather we are way, way behind the pack in that category.

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Pretty much this. I love Coach Ford and think she's done a great job, even this year when we don't have the talent we had last year. But she will be gone if we don't step up the NIL game.

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She said in a recent interview that she had the NIL support to be competitive. That was in the context of recruiting. I suspect that is a change from transfer portal last summer (pre revenue share). Also, it was pretty clear from her comments that we aren't the highest, but that A&M has a lot of other things to sell along with a $ amount.

I try to be positive and not doom and gloom. But there WILL BE bumps in the road the rest of the season. Some HUGE bumps. And I HAVE said for awhile that we need a dominating pitcher. Two would be awesome. Unfortunately, college sports has become pro sports. I really dislike this. A LOT. The teams with the most money can buy the best players. We apparently cannot afford the top stars, especially pitchers. I think we CAN afford some top players at some positions but just not a whole roster of them. It really *ucks but it is current reality and we have to do what we can. HOWEVER, think about this - George Steinbrenner's money bought a lot of World Series rings for the Yankees but far from every year. Other teams, with smaller budgets, DID win. Regularly. It IS possible.

We have an average pitching staff. We have some really, really good days and some not. I think our bats are above average and can be scary at times but the trouble is inconsistency. Again, we can have really, really good days and some not. Same with fielding and base running. We lack consistency. We DO have some really good players on the roster. Recall a couple of years ago, against the sips at their place, we came very, very close to defeating them and advancing to the WCWS. On paper they were far more talented. But we 'stepped up' our game and played very, very well - all three games were decided by only one run. Liberty played really well last year and showed us once again that the better team on paper does not always win. But we DO have enough talent to defeat most teams, even the top teams, IF we have a really, really good day with all cylinders running. But it is very difficult to have a really, really good day three days every weekend, week in and week out.

2026 SEC schedule, (H) home or (A) away, Mar 3 ESPN ranking if any

(A) - LSU, 16
(H) - Kentucky
(A) - sips, 3
(H) - Georgia, 12
(A) - Ole Miss
(H) - MS State, 17
(A) - South Carolina, 24
(H) - OU, 4

(Note we do not play TN, Bama, FL or Arky. All teams in the Top 10. Luck of the draw.)

I think we CAN take 2 of 3 against all but the sips and OU. Maybe even sweep 3 or 4 of them. But we have to have really, really good days to do so. Can we do it? I will be positive and say we can.

Can we do well enough, especially at the end of the year, to host a regional? Maybe. I think so.

Belton Ag said:

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Without getting into individual names, I can only see 2 or 3 players in our lineup that would start on another team in the upper half of our league. It's all three phases of the game. Pitching, hitting, fielding… we're a bottom third SEC team. It sucks, but it's going to be a struggle to make a regional this year.

We need to keep from being swept multiple times in conference play. Starting with LSU. I can't believe I'm typing this in year 4 of Ford's tenure.

This program needs an influx of NIL money or it's going to degrade to the level we were at when Evans was here. I don't know specifics but I gather we are way, way behind the pack in that category.

---

In the past, this recruiting class and upcoming portal will be more competitive. They previously bid low, but now they realize that won't work anymore. This will likely be the last tough year, and I fully expect us to still host a regional. Coach Harger, my friend, absolutely overworked this team with the scheduleway too many road games. We'll show youwe'll beat you on your home turf. I respect him, but this was excessive!

It's important to beat Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia at least once each, and Louisiana State University twice. You should also aim to sweep the remaining teams. If you can achieve a record of 17 wins and 7 losses in the league, you will likely place in the top 8 to 12 teams, avoiding the need to face Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and UCLA in the Supers!

But I need to see one more slapper, and Frankie never does what she did against TX State, hit away instead of slap, that was absolutely confusing

Positivelyag512 said:

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It's important to beat Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia at least once each, and Louisiana State University twice. You should also aim to sweep the remaining teams. If you can achieve a record of 17 wins and 7 losses in the league, you will likely place in the top 8 to 12 teams, avoiding the need to face Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and UCLA in the Supers!

But I need to see one more slapper, and Frankie never does what she did against TX State, hit away instead of slap, that was absolutely confusing

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What?

If they finish 17-7, it would match (better by 1/2 game, actually) last year's conference record. This year's schedule is tougher than last year's. I don't see a viable path to 17-7.

We're a lot further away from achieving that kind of record than one more slapper.

This weekend in the SEC

A&M, *OU and *Miss St were out of conference

Alabama swept *Ole Miss - 5-3, 13-2(6), 2-1
Tennessee swept *LSU - 5-0, 11-6, 8-5 (LSU lead 4-0 in both game 2 and 3)
*Texas swept *S Carolina - 4-2,3-0, 5-2
Florida swept Mizzou - 5-4, 4-3(11), 5-2
Arkansas won 2 of 3 vs *Georgia - 2-7,7-6, 6-0
Auburn won 2 of 3 vs *Kentucky - 3-8, 6-2, 6-5(13)
* Teams on A&M schedule

SEC Teams on A&M schedule went 5-13 in the opening weekend

Edited to reflect Monday night game

LSU is an interesting team

They seem to be a good team that hasn't put it together yet. Had a rough weekend in clearwater and got swept by #1 team in the country.

15-0 at home. 2-7 away from home.

A&M will need to bring their A game to win the series on the road. A&M is 7-6 away from Davis and 0-1 in true road games.

Interesting stat drop from Kay! Assuming the dynamic is quality of opponents early in the season this year compared to last. Still don't think this team is as bad as their record indicates. Have been in competitive situations vs tough opponents, they just need to find ways to win.

But what about pitching stats?