Texas A&M Aggies
Overall Rank: #41
Conference Rank: #11 SEC
Texas A&M has gone to 18 straight NCAA Tournament’s under the leadership of Coach Jo Evans. That streak came dangerously close to ending in 2019 though when the team won just six SEC games and went 28-27 overall. The Aggies did not prove they belonged once in the tournament either, losing both of their games against Houston and Texas. But this group has more than enough talent to return to their former glory and win 40 games and reach the Super Regionals.
2019: 28-27, 6-18
2019 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jo Evans
Key Departed Players:
Baylee Klingler, .289 BA, 5 HR, 29 RBI
Riley Sartain, .255 BA, 7 HR, 25 RBI
Payton McBride, P/1B, .329 BA, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 3.49 ERA, 9-7 W/L, 114.1 IP, 69 SO
Kendall Potts, P, 3.14 ERA, 12-13 W/L, 147.0 IP, 86 SO
Key Returning Players:
Kelbi Fortenberry, OF, .343 BA, 1 HR, 26 RBI, 11 SB
Haley Lee, C, .269 BA, 2 HR, 15 RBI
Projection:
Kendall Potts and Payton McBride performed well in the circle in 2019, but neither are returning following the shortened 2020 campaign. Kayla Pointer was off to a good 2020 season, tallying a 1.68 ERA in 11 appearances. She will be the leader in the circle now. Kelbi Fortenberry is a solid hitter. She batted .343 with 26 RBIs and 11 stolen bases last season. Fortenberry will spend a lot of time on base, but somebody needs to drive her home. The Aggies struggled in that department in 2019, ranking 13th in the SEC in home runs and scoring. Florida State transfer Makinzy Herzog will help in that regard. As a freshman with the Seminoles in 2019 she hit .316 with three homeruns, 26 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. If Texas A&M cannot find a way to generate more runs this season, this group could again find themselves dangerously close to ending their impressive tournament streak.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
