Texas A&M star freshman infielder will miss Game 1 vs. Ole Miss

No. 7 Texas A&M (36-10, 15-8 SEC) will hit the road for the final time in conference play before the SEC Tournament, set to take on No. 20 Ole Miss in Oxford, starting on Friday night. On Thursday, second-year coach Mike Earley revealed that for the first time this season, junior pitcher Shane Sdao will not start on Friday night.

Instead, Clemson transfer Ethan Darden, who has served as a middle relief pitcher during his first season in College Station, will make his first start on the bump in Game 1, while Earley further stated that Shane Sdao will be "heavily involved" this weekend despite not starting.

If this new rotation works out, this season's ace, Aiden Sims, will take the mound on Saturday, while Weston Moss, who is coming off his best start of the year last Sunday, should continue as the Game 3 starter. While this rotation will be a continuous storyline this weekend, star freshman third baseman Nico Partida's hamstring injury is something to monitor.

For the third consecutive game, Partida will be sidelined for Friday's game, according to the latest injury report, and, outside of pitchers Caden McCoy and Josh Stewart, who are out for the year, Partida is the latest and only new addition. Missing just two games this season, Partida's .317/.415/.585 slash line and 12 home runs will be missed.

Earley will likely continue starting reserve first baseman Blake Binderup while star junior Gavin Grahovac continues to start at third base, where he began his Aggie career. Texas A&M will face Ole Miss on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. The game will be available to stream on SEC Network +.

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