COLLEGE STATION — After a blistering start to his Texas A&M baseball career, second baseman Chris Hacopian missed the last two games with the Aggies. And with speculation about what forced the slugger to miss time, head coach Michael Earley joined TexAgs Thursday morning and provided clarity on the situation.
“He is fine,” Earley began. “We said he wasn’t feeling right, then it turned into, ‘Chris is sick.’ He had a little but of a stiff back … It’s precautionary. Tomorrow, we will see. He is going to be OK.”
TexAgs, a website that covers A&M, reported that Hacopian was battling an illness ahead of the Aggies’ series finale against Tennessee Tech. However, according to Earley, the preseason All-American appears to instead be dealing with a lingering back issue. It remains unclear how it will affect his availability for this weekend’s series against Penn.
Hacopian appeared in two games last weekend, finishing 4-for-9 with four RBIs and two walks. He slugged .444 and posted an OBP of .545. The former Maryland star recovered from a hand fracture in the fall.
The Aggies (4-0) scored 53 runs, including 12 home runs, and batting .394 as a team in the four games. Their series against Penn begins Saturday.
Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.