Texas A&M baseball starting pitcher Aiden Sims shut down for rest of season
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M right-handed starting pitcher Aiden Sims has been shut down for the rest of the season due to an injury, A&M coach Michael Earley announced Saturday following a 17-2 win over Texas State in the College Station Regional. Earley said Sims attempted to work his way back from what he initially described as “tightness” – which has kept him out since throwing at Ole Miss on May 9 – before being ruled out for the season.
“He was going good, he was good Thursday, he was fine on Friday,” said Earley, who didn’t disclose the exact nature of Sim’s injury or his projected return timetable. “It’s just not there, and for the best interest of the kid, he’s not going to pitch. And that was not the case early on (before he got shut down). …
“He was throwing off the mound. It just got to that point where (it was) not right to throw him out there.”
Sims enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign, opening the season as the Game 3 weekend starter before sliding to the Game 2 spot for six series. He distinguished himself as the most effective starter for the Aggies, producing an 8-1 record with a 3.84 ERA over 13 starts and 68 innings while totaling 73 strikeouts vs. 19 walks.
Partly because of Sims, A&M earned the No. 12 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and the opportunity to host the ongoing College Station Regional.
“He was a warrior this season,” Earley said. “He’s a huge part of why we’re in this position, he did his job and it’s just not the right thing for him to go out there and throw.”
In an 18-5 victory over Ole Miss on May 9, Earley and pitching coach Jason Kelly pulled Sims earlier than usual. He threw his second-lowest number of pitches for the season, racking up just 66 in three innings. The Aggies also needed 15 more innings on the mound in a series-ending doubleheader that day.
Now, Sims struggled in the bottom of the third, surrendering three runs on three hits and a hit by pitch. And while A&M scored nine runs over the third and fourth frames combined, Sims sat for a prolonged amount of time. Still, his exit raised questions.
“We just think he needs some rest,” said Earley at the time ahead of the ensuing series against Mississippi State. “ … He’s tight, and we need to make sure he’s ready to go for the long haul.”
Without Sims, A&M finished the regular season starting left-handed pitcher Ethan Darden in two of its three clashes vs. Mississippi State and its lone SEC Tournament game against Auburn, while right-handed Weston Moss led the way in the other matchup against MSU. Left-handed Shane Sdao and Moss started in the first two games of the College Station Regional against Lamar and Texas State, respectively.
Moss (W, 5-2) shined for the Aggies in their blowout victory over the Bobcats, earning the win after surrendering just two runs on five hits and a walk while tallying a career-high 10 strikeouts over 7.1 innings and 91 pitches.
Earley said he doesn’t yet know who he will start in the College Station Regional Final, which will be at 8 p.m. Sunday against the winner of the 3 p.m. game between No. 2 seed USC and No. 3 seed Texas State.