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COLLEGE STATION — Coming into the season, Texas A&M's Asa Lacy was expected to be the shining light of the Aggies. Perhaps Lacy will still need time to adjust to the "Ace" role, but Friday's showcase indeed showed the scouts why this southpaw would be the man you want on the mound at the next level.

The SEC announced that Lacy earned SEC Pitcher of the Week recognition for his dismantling of the New Mexico State Aggies. The league office would make the decision Monday following the weekend slew of games.

Lacy put the nation’s hottest bat to bed Friday evening. New Mexico State entered the weekend as the nation’s leader in on-base percentage (.472), as well as ranking second in batting average (.343) and scoring (11.0 RPG), and fifth in slugging percentage (.559).

Lacy held the other Aggies hitless in his 7.0 innings of work, striking out an SEC weekend-high 13 batters and allowing two walks. The Las Cruces Nine put a runner on second base on just two occasions during Lacy’s outing, but the brawny southpaw fanned all three batters he faced with runners in scoring position.

“That is the best I have ever seen Asa Lacy pitch since he has been with Texas A&M," A&M manager Rob Childress said. "Dominating from the first inning on, I think if we had kept running him on, he would have been dominate until we had to turn the lights off. It was so impressive what he did, fast ball both sides of the plate, and slider and change. Again, the best I have ever seen him pitch.”

Through three games this season, the Kerrville, Texas, native is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA, .111 opponent batting average and 46 strikeouts in 24.0 innings this season. He currently is fourth in the nation with strikeouts and seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (17.25).

Last season, Lacy earned the right to call himself a 2020 preseason All-American. He posted an 8-4 record with a 2.13 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 88.2 innings, earning All-America Third Team recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and All-America Honorable Mention distinction from Perfect Game/Rawlings.

This season, the Aggies' top man was listed as Preseason All-America first-team across the board and placed on the Golden Spikes Award watch list. He is only the third Aggie in school history to make the preseason list and would be the first to win the award later this year.

The Aggies return to action Tuesday evening with a 7 p.m. contest against the Rice Owls at Reckling Park in Houston. The team will then begin conference play on the road against the Auburn Tigers for a three-game series. Childress has yet to announce a starter for either events.