Tag: Aggie softball

Coach Ford will have a familiar face in Aggieland in for next season

Aggie softball will get a boost of experience in College Station with grad transfer Jazmine Hill

Coach Ford and her staff will have very talented and experienced players coming to Aggieland in the fall via the transfer portal. In this day and age, if you are not taking advantage of the portal to improve your team a give an athlete a fresh start, you will not be coaching at a high level very long. Outside of a few schools that actually need athletes to transfer out to make room for new athletes, the portal is a great place to find the missing piece for a program.

We’ll start with the official transfer announcement of Jazmine Hill who will be rejoining Coach Ford in College Station after spending three of her four years under her tutelage at Arizona State. Coach Ford gave a little insight into what Hill can bring to the program.

“I’m excited to have Jaz back with us,” Ford said. “She brings an instant boost to our lineup, and she is a premier outfielder. Jaz is someone that will bring a lot of energy and experience to Aggieland.”

There also a few reports via social media that another transfer will be announced in the next or so. I like what Coach Ford has going early in her Aggie career and expect to see a big jump in production next season.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

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Aggie junior, Julia Cottrill, named to NFCA All-American Team

Aggie junior, Julia Cottrill, named to NFCA All-American Team

When a new coach comes to a team, there is always an adjustment period, and trust needs to be earned between the coaching staff and the players. During that transition, the coaches hope a player/coach can emerge to help bridge the gap between the two sides. Not only must a person be vocal, they must be able to back it up with their play.

This describes Junior catcher Julia Cottrill to a T. She is the type of player you want in your locker room and working for the pitcher behind the plate. The way she plays the game is a model that should be standard for all athletes that step onto the diamond to play the game of softball.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed, as she was selected as an NFCA All- American, earning a third-team spot.

Julia cottrill stat line:

  • Batting Avg – .331
  • Hits – 51
  • RBI – 43
  • Doubles – 12
  • Home runs – 10
  • SLG% – .617 / FLD% .992

2023 accolades:

  • All-SEC First Team
  • NFCA All-South Region First Team
  • NFCA Player of the Week
  • D1 Softball National Player of the Week

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

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Three Aggies enter the transfer portal as the softball season comes to an end

The Aggie softball team will lose three players to the portal

With the Aggie Softball season over, players are starting to evaluate their roles on the team and their personal lives outside the game; a few have decided to transfer out. Freshman Riley Valentine, Senior Star Ferguson, and RS Sophomore Bre Warren barring a change of mind, will be on a different roster when the 23′-24′ season starts next year.

Riley valentine stat line:

  • Batting Avg – .188
  • Home Runs – 6
  • RBI – 20
  • SLG% – .516 / OB% – .325
  • Started 20 of 40 played games

 

Star Ferguson stat line:

  • Career Batting Avg – .191
  • Career Stolen Bases – 17
  • Career RBI – 4 / Runs – 31
  • Career SLG% – .202 / OB% – .248
  • Career – Started 46 of 151 played games

 

Bre warren stat line:

  • Career Batting Avg – .191
  • Career Hits – 56
  • Career RBI – 31 / Runs – 33
  • Career SLG% – .411 / OB% – .388
  • Career – Started 70 of 91 played games

Rosters can evolve rapidly in the college ranks, and no team is immune to the transfer portal. Also, as expected, when you have a new coach, there will be roster changes simply due to a change in staff and coaching/play style.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

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Three Aggies land on the All-SEC Teams

Three Aggies earn All-SEC honors in softball

The SEC softball season has been really competitive this year and the young Aggie team under first-year Head Coach Trisha showed they will be a team to beat in the upcoming years. That success led to three Aggies earning All-SEC honors this year. Junior catcher Julia Cottrill and Junior infielder Rylen Wiggins were named to the First team, while Sophomore infielder Koko Wooley was named to the second team.

Julia Cottrill – League Play Snapshot

  • Named D1 Softball Player of the Week in April
  • Named NFCA National Player of the Week April
  • Finished with an overall .354 batting average
  • Finished top 10 in SEC in doubles (12)
  • Finished top 10 in SEC in slugging pct .636
  • Finished top 10 in SEC in home runs (6)

Rylen Wiggins – League Play Snapshot

  • Finished top 10 in SEC in batting avg .349
  • Finished top 15 in SEC in on base pct .453
  • Finished with a .955 fielding average
  • Finished with a .450 average with runners in scoring position

Koko Wooley – League Play Snapshot

  • Named Co-SEC Player of the Week
  • Finished second in SEC in triples (3)
  • Finished fifth in SEC hits (6)
  • Finished ninth in SEC in steals (6)
  • Finished with a .915 fielding average

Below are the official social media announcements and Coach Fords reaction.

Game Recap: Softball – No. 23 Texas A&M vs South Carolina

The Aggies fall in a low scoring affair to South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament

The Aggies exchanged hitless and scoreless innings with South Carolina through seven innings in the opening round of the SEC tournament before falling 1-0 in the eighth.

Texas A&M’s pitching staff was on point for the majority of the game only allowing three hits in eight innings of work. Shaylee Ackerman went through four innings allowing zero hits, three strikeouts, and zero runs. Emiley Kennedy was on the same path for the remainder of the game allowing three hits, five strikeouts, and one run. Unfortunately for Kennedy, the last hit and run would be all South Carolina needed for the victory.

Through seven innings both teams could not find a way to break the stalemate until the top of the eighth inning. The first chink in the armor came in the form of hit batters. Kennedy traded hit by pitch and strikeouts through the first four batters putting two on base and two outs. South Carolina finally broke the scoreless with a single through the right side to go up 1-0 before play stopped due to a four-hour weather delay.

With an opportunity to extend the game, Texas A&M fought through some solid at bats placing the tying run on second base and the winning run on first base. Koko Wooley worked a seven pitch at bat to the best of her ability to eventually lose that battle with a game ending fly out.

Below are a few of Coach Ford’s comments after the game:

“That’s a tough one for us. I thought we had a good plan. I thought Shaylee did a great job pitching four innings. Kennedy came in and pitched well. Obviously got herself in some trouble with some hit batters that ended up a run after a base hit. It’s time to get ready for regionals now. My message to them before that last inning and I talked to them before the game was we’re not out of this until the last out. So obviously I’m very happy with that last inning. I think we could have done a better job of having that type of energy, approach and focus earlier on in the game.”

Final Score: Aggies 0, Gamecocks 1 – W: Gobourne, Donnie ; L: Kennedy, Emiley (11-5)

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1

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Texas A&M names their Whataburger Players of the month for April

Bennett and Cottrill are April’s Whatabuger Players of the month

Each month, Texas A&M athletics recognizes two athletes as the Whataburger Players of the Month for their achievements in their respective sports. For the month of April, A&M has chosen fifth-year senior golfer Sam Bennett from the Men’s Golf team and junior catcher Julia Cottrill from the Softball team.

Sam Bennett – April Snapshot

  • Named SEC Player of the Week on February 20th
  • Earned Silver Cup as the low amateur
  • Finished in 16th place becoming the first amateur to finish in the top 20 at the Masters since 2005
  • Shot a 2-under 286 at the Masters
  • Named SEC Golfer of the week on April 12th

Julia Cottrill – April Snapshot

  • Named D1 Softball Player of the week
  • Named NFCA National Player of the week
  • Recorded 11 RBI with four home runs against Missouri
  • Five home runs, 24 RBI and averaging .369 in the month

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1

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Texas A&M softball earns No. 7 seed and will face South Carolina in SEC Tournament

Aggie Softball start the SEC tournament against South Carolina

Year one of Coach Trisha Ford has been a very solid start to her Aggie career, but if you ask her they are barely scratching the surface of how good this team can be. Texas A&M (33-18, 12-12 SEC) doubled their SEC win total from last year with 12 and are coming into the SEC Tournament with momentum after back-to-back league wins beating Ole Miss and Missouri.

In a re-match of last year’s SEC first round the No. 7 seed Aggies will take on the No. 10 seed South Carolina Gamecocks. While Texas A&M came out on top last tournament 5-3 A&M still has the sour taste of getting manhandled by the Gamecocks about a month ago when they got swept in Columbia.

I would not say revenge is on the mind, but the Coaches will probably give them the message of there is an opportunity in this first round to show South Carolina how much better of a team they are at this point in the season. Also, the winner of this game will get to play No 2 seed Georgia. If they take care of business against South Carolina they will have another chance to face the other SEC team that swept them in the regular season.

Overall, this season has been successful with a few ups and downs, but they continued to fight all season long. Coach Ford has this team on the right track and if they put together a complete game, they are good enough to beat multiple teams SEC teams.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1

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Game Recap: Softball – No. 23 Texas A&M vs Houston

The deep ball leads Texas A&M to victory over Houston in their last game of the regular season

The Aggies close out the regular season in dominant fashion with a midweek win over the Cougars. No. 23 Texas A&M (33-18) tallied eleven hits and three home runs on the road to notch their 33rd win of the season beating Houston 9-3. This was yet another style of win Coach Ford challenges her team to produce by imposing their will and closing teams out instead of letting them hang around in the game. You could not ask for a much better way to end the regular season.

Once again, the Aggies got off to a quick start with a solo shot by Trinity Cannon in the first inning. That was followed up by an RBI double by Allie Eright and an RBI single by Koko Wooley for a 4-0 lead after two innings. Houston did cut the lead in half with 2 runs in the third, but that would deter Texas A&M one bit, especially not Koko.

With one out and the bases loaded in the top of the fourth Wooley hit a grand slam over the right-field wall bursting the feel-good bubble of Houston extending the lead to 8-2.

What a great time for the La Porte High product to hit her first career grand slam in front of a lot of friends and family that made the trip.

Texas A&M was not quite down score yet. Enright, who has found her swing again, would match Cannon’s earlier home run with her own solo shot to center field for a score of 9-3.

The last run of the game just happened to come off a wild pitch during a strike out that allowed Houston to put one across the plate before a foul out on the last batter closed out the game.

Final Score: Aggies 9, Cougars 3 – W: Kennedy, Emiley (11-4); L: Edwards, Taylor (3-7)

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1

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Game Three Recap: Softball – No. 24 Texas A&M vs Missouri

Senior night at Davis Diamond ended on a high note with a series clenching game three win over the Missouri Tigers

Now that’s how you bounce back after getting punched in the mouth. Even better it was on Senior Night during the last regular season home game at Davis Diamond. Texas A&M (32-18, 12-12 SEC) had to do some work after falling behind early, but the long ball proved too much for Missouri (31-22, 5-16 SEC) to overcome falling 11-4 to the Aggies.

Going into the bottom of the fourth inning Missouri had a 4-1 lead and the Aggies only had three hits. I’m not sure what the coaching staff told the team but with two out the bats came alive. Allie Enright got it started with a two-run home run. Amari Harper knocked in Koko Wooley and Star Ferguson on a single up the middle to take the lead 5-4. Not to be outdone, Julia Cottrill hit her third home run of the series to extend the lead to 8-4.

To add a little insurance Cottrill hit her fourth home run of the series to add another three runs to the lead for a final score of 11-4.

Final Score: Aggies 11, Tigers 4 – W: Kennedy, Emiley (10-4); L: Krings, Laurin (11-11)

The Aggies will be in action on Wednesday, May 3rd against Houston.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1

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Game Three Highlights: Softball – No. 24 Texas A&M vs Missouri

Highlights: The Aggies take game three on Senior night and win series against Missouri

After a lackluster showing in game two, the Aggies took Coach Ford’s criticism to heart and gave the fans at Davis Diamond a game to remember. They bounced back in game three for an 11-4 victory making Senior night a little more special.

Coach Ford gave a few thoughts after the game

“I am so happy for our team to see us get punched and then to punch back. We’ve done that in some situations, but tonight we did a great job of coming back and putting them away. Today we were able to come in and stifle Mizzou.”

Julia Cottrill on playing against her dad on the final game of the series

“It is a fun rivalry for sure. We had a deal of whoever won paid dinner that night. It kept me locked in the game because I knew I had someone on the other side that I wanted to beat. It was really fun and a cool experience, because not many people get to play against their dad in college.

Check out some highlights of the midweek match-up from the official Texas A&M Softball Twitter account