THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA
SEEING DOUBLE Women’s basketball looks to maintain streak in second Vanderbilt matchup By Hannah Underwood @hannahbunderwoo After topping No. 15 Kentucky on Sunday, the No. 20 Texas A&M women’s basketball team is looking to extend its winning streak to six straight games as the Aggies take on Vanderbilt on Thursday. Vanderbilt (6-14, 1-6 SEC) has had only one Southeastern Conference win this season — an 80-68 win over Ole Miss — and is coming off an 80-69 loss to South Carolina. The Aggies and the Commodores last met three weeks ago, with A&M coming out on top 50-43. The victory at Memorial Gym in Nashville ignited the Aggies’ hot streak. However, the difference this time is a healthier Vanderbilt team, according to A&M head coach Gary Blair. In December, Vanderbilt had only seven active players on its roster due to various injuries. “We’re going to have our work cut out against Vanderbilt,” Blair said. “We struggled to win that ball game in Nashville 50-43 and there hasn’t been too many games in my 16 years where we’ve won a game by only scoring 50 points. I’m in charge of the offense. I’ve got to find some more points.” Junior guard LeaLea Carter is emerging as one of Vanderbilt’s top scorers, having racked up 20 points in three of her last four games. Blair compared her to Kentucky’s BASKETBALL ON PG. 2 Cassie Stricker— THE BATTALION
Sophomore guard Chennedy Carter leads the Aggies in points with 346 and a 21.6-point season average.
Aggie softball to kick off 2019 season as No. 20 team Texas A&M one of 10 SEC teams to be ranked in preseason polls By Angel Franco @angelmadison_ The start of the Texas A&M softball season is around the corner, meaning the preseason rankings are now out. The Aggies came in at No. 20 on both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the ESPN/USA Softball Collegiate polls. A&M opens its season next weekend as it hosts the Aggie Classic in its new stadium starting Feb. 8. Along with A&M, 10 of the 13 SEC schools made an appearance on the preseason poll. Florida, which eliminated the Aggies in the super regional round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, is the highest ranked SEC team on the poll, at No. 5 overall (USA Today/ESPN). Georgia directly follows at No. 6 on USA Today and No. 7 on ESPN. Rounding out the top 11 teams on the poll are Tennessee (No. 8 USA Today/ESPN), Alabama (No.9 USA Today/ No. 11 ESPN), South Carolina (No. 10 USA Today/ No. 9 ESPN) and LSU (No. 11 USA Today/ No. 10 ESPN).
NO FEBRUARY SILVER TAPS Silver Taps, typically held on the first Tuesday of each month during the fall and spring semesters, will not be observed this February. The tradition honors Texas A&M students who have passed away since the previous Silver Taps ceremony. According to a statement from Student Assistance Services, the following students will be honored on March 5 as per their families’ requests: Noah Joseph Gunhouse, Grant Jacson Hernandez, Hannah Michalski and Kristen Lane Moss.
Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION
Third baseman Riley Sartain is the lone senior on the Aggie’s 2019 roster. A&M opens its season with the Aggie Classic Feb. 8-10 at Davis Diamond.
PROVIDED
Professor Kennicutt will co-chair Astro 2020 Decadal Survey.
Texas A&M students gear up for Big Event Shaping the future Registration for annual day of B-CS service stays open through Feb. 15 By Savannah Mehrtens @SJMehrtens The Big Event is an annual international day of service that originated at Texas A&M as a time to give back to Bryan-College Station community residents. Job requests opened on Jan. 1. Organization and student sign-ups for The Big Event opened during MSC Open House on Jan. 20 and will close on Feb. 15. On March 30, around 20,000 students are expected to gather in front of the 12th Man statue for early morning activities before picking up their tools and heading out into the community to serve over 2,500 residents of Bryan-College Station. Both organizations and indiFILE
viduals can sign up to participate. Reese Svetgoff, business honors senior and director of The Big Event, said students and organizations are required to have an organizational leader attend one meeting before the event date. This year, students can also sign up individually with a college or department if they do not have an organization they would like to serve with. “We’re hoping to see a bit more comradery under the individual sign-ups because when people sign up randomly, it’s kind of hard to make that connection,” Svetgoff said. Svetgoff said there will be a unique experience for each student who serves in The Big Event, no matter what their assigned resident needs. “I think it’s kind of our way of showing the community and the nation that service matters to us,” Svetgoff said. “We have 2,500 unique service projects, and each student has a different experience, so I just think that’s one of the coolest things about it.” On the day of The Big Event, students will have their group leader sign in. After that, students can spend their time at various events held near the 12th Man statue before going to pick up the tools required for their service projects. BIG EVENT ON PG. 4
of star exploration A&M professor to co-chair Astro 2020 survey of scientific research projects
By Giselle Warren @GiselleWarren16 Texas A&M professor Robert Kennicutt has been selected to serve as co-chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Astro 2020 Decadal Survey. Every 10 years, the U.S. Congress commissions a survey to assess recent astronomical discoveries and prioritize research projects for funding, Kennicutt said. He will be at the forefront of deciding which projects are most deserving of financial support. More than 100 projects are pitched and the survey must narrow them down to about 10 projects to present to Congress, giving the survey significant political influence and prestige. Kennicutt’s experience in this field has put him at the cutting edge of new developments in astronomy. He said the opportunity to be part ASTRO 2020 ON PG. 4