No. 9 Tech Set For Rematch With No. 1 Florida At CWS

OMAHA – The No. 9 Texas Tech baseball team will face No. 1 Florida again on Thursday, June 21, in an elimination match in game 10 of the 2018 College World Series at T.D. Ameritrade Park in Omaha.

All of the final round of games will air on the ESPN family of networks and can be streamed on the ESPN app or on WatchESPN.com. As always, Tech games can be heard on 97.3 FM, the 97.3 app, the TuneIn app and online at TexasTech.com.

The Red Raiders (45-19) and the Gators (48-20) played in game four of the CWS on Sunday, with Tech claiming a 6-3 victory to move to the 1-0 game. The Red Raiders fell to No. 5 Arkansas on Wednesday, 7-4, while Florida defeated Texas, 6-1, to move on to Thursday night's matchup.

Sunday's game against the Gators was the second time the two teams have ever met, both coming in Omaha at the granddaddy-of-them-all. The Red Raiders used six runs on 12 hits, scoring five of the six in the middle innings to upend Florida for the program's second win at the CWS.

The first victory in Omaha also came against UF in 2016, when a 3-2 decision kept Tech alive after an 0-1 start. Senior Michael Davis and junior Davis Martin both competed in that matchup with Florida. Martin recorded his 10^th win of his freshman season in that game, tossing 7.0 scoreless frames with three hits, three walks & three strikeouts, while the sophomore Davis started at second base & helped record the final out of the game.

The Red Raiders are playing in their third College World Series in school history, doing so in each of the last three even years, making the CWS in 2014 for the first time and returning in 2016. Tech is one of just three programs with three or more appearances in Omaha in the last five years.

The third berth was clinched on June 11 at the end of a three-game set with Duke in the NCAA Lubbock Super Regional at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. The Red Raiders won game one of the series, 6-4, after erasing a 3-0 deficit & taking the lead in the eighth to capture the opener. After a loss in game two, Tech rebounded and never trailed in the finale to punch its ticket to the next round.

Florida is making its fourth consecutive trip to the College World Series, winning the national title for the first time in school history in 2017. The Gators roll into the game hitting .276 this season as a squad, with five starters above the team average. Jonathan India leads Florida with a .356 clip at the plate, also pacing the team in hits and runs with 78 and 64, respectively. Will Dalton has driven in the most runs this year with 60 RBI. The Gators have tagged opposing pitchers for a 6.08 team ERA, while its pitching staff has a 3.42 earned run average and has held opponents to a .232 mark at the plate.

The Gators will start freshman right-handed pitcher Jack Leftwich against the Red Raiders. This season, Leftwich is 4-5 over 23 appearances and 11 starts, as well as two saves, working in two of the team's five shutouts. He has a 4.32 ERA over 75.0 innings pitched, allowing 39 runs, 36 earned, while striking out 79 and walking 24 for an opponent batting average of .226.

The Red Raider offense continues to lead the Big 12 and ranks fifth in the country with a .309 overall clip, as six starters are hitting above the team line. Sophomore Josh Jung paces the class with 100 hits, 78 RBI and 69 runs scored. Freshman Gabe Holt & sophomore Grant Little follow closely with 93 & 90 hits, respectively, while Holt is one off Jung's run total at 68. Tech's hitters have tagged opposing pitchers for a 7.77 ERA this season, while the Red Raider pitching staff has held opponents to a .244 average at the plate for a 4.42 team ERA.

Sophomore RHP Caleb Kilian will get the nod on the mound for Tech on Thursday. He's 9-2 this season over 19 appearances and 10 starts, working in four of Tech's five shutouts. Kilian has a 3.04 ERA over 68.0 innings, striking out 59 and walking 25.

Four Red Raiders picked up All-America accolades this year. Little grabbed his sixth by the ABCA, while Jung has five to his name. Holt added an honorable mention All-America award to go with his three freshman AA marks, while senior Zach Rheams joined the group as a second teamer by the ABCA on Saturday.

Eleven Red Raiders were selected in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft last week, the most in program history. Grant Little (74^th – San Diego Padres), Steven Gingery (123^rd – St. Louis Cardinals), Ryan Shetter (262^nd – Atlanta Braves), Jose Quezada (291^st – San Diego Padres), Davis Martin (408^th – Chicago White Sox), Ty Harpenau (472^nd – Atlanta Braves), Caleb Kilian (595^th – Baltimore Orioles), Cody Farhat (703^rd – Cleveland Indians), Michael Davis (724^th – Minnesota Twins), Dylan Dusek (796^th – San Francisco Giants) and Zach Rheams (800^th – New York Mets) were all taken in this year's class, which had the most of any D-I program through the first 30 rounds of the draft.

With a win, the Red Raiders would advance to play Arkansas on Friday, June 22, at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

No. 9 Tech Set For Rematch With No. 1 Florida At CWS

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Players Mentioned

Michael Davis

Dylan Dusek

Cody Farhat

Steven Gingery

Ty Harpenau

Gabe Holt

Josh Jung

Caleb Kilian

Grant Little

Davis Martin

Jose Quezada

Zach Rheams

Ryan Shetter