Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech to Travel to Baylor
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
March 24, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - No. 10 Texas Tech (24-5, 7-1 Big 12) will travel to No. 18 Baylor (7-2, 21-6 Big 12) for a weekend series. Game times are 2 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m on Sunday.
Texas Tech enters the weekend after winning its last 10 consecutive games. Those 10 wins are a season high for Tech. The Red Raiders are one of the hottest teams in college baseball after winning 18 of their last 19 games. The one loss came at Missouri, 7-0 on Friday, March 5. Prior to the loss at Missouri, Texas Tech had won eight straight games.
Texas Tech leads the all-time series with Baylor 52-51 while head coach Larry Hays is 24-17 all-time against the Bears.
Probable starters for Texas Tech are RHP Shane Wright, RHP Kevin Tracey and RHP Brad Ralston. Baylor will probably counter with RHP Jason Jennings, LHP Josh Scott and RHP Chad Hawkins.
TECH ON 23-GAME HOME WIN STREAK
With its 11-1 victory Tuesday, Texas Tech is currently on a 23-game home winning streak. Texas Tech is obviously a tough team to beat at Dan Law Field. Already Tech has amassed a perfect 17-0 record at "The Law" this season.
Upon entering this weekend, the Red Raiders have their 23-game home winning streak in tact since last losing at home 15-1 to Oklahoma on April 24, 1998.
Texas Tech has had six straight .800+ seasons at Dan Law Field. That proves that Dan Law Field is one of the toughest venues to win at for an opponent.
The all-time home winning streak record is 30 straight games set from 4/28/95-4/27/96.
TECH BECOMES FIRST BIG 12 TEAM TO REACH 20 VICTORIES
With its 5-1 victory on March16 against West Texas A&M, Texas Tech became the first team in the Big 12 to reach 20 wins. At the time, Texas had 19 wins while Baylor had 17. Several other schools around the nation already had won 20+ games including Rice, Auburn, Florida International and Arizona State among others.
RAIDERS WIN 18 OF LAST 19 GAMES
Texas Tech is one of the hottest teams in collegiate baseball. The Red Raiders have put together a current 10-game win streak and have won 18 of their last 19 games.
WEBER IS THE "EXTRA BASE MONGER"
Jon Weber, nicknamed the RBI Monger earlier in the season by teammate Josh Bard, could also be nicknamed the "Extra Base Monger." Twenty-six (26) of Webers 40 hits have gone for extra-bases. Upon entering this weekend, Weber has totaled 12 doubles, six triples and eight home runs. He has 88 total bases on the season for a .786 slugging percentage. Weber is already tied for seventh among Texas Tech season leaders in triples with six. He needs only three more triples to break the single season record (8) held by Ron Mattson (1975) and Stubby Clapp (1996).
HAYS COACHES IN 1,800TH CAREER BASEBALL GAME
Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays coached in his 1,800th career baseball game, a 16-3 victory against New Mexico.
TECH FIELDING MUCH IMPROVED
In a comparison of last seasons fielding with this seasons fielding, Texas Tech has improved drastically. See a chart later in this release.
WRIGHT REACHES 20-COMPLETE GAME/30-VICTORY MILESTONES
With his complete game against Texas A&M, Shane Wright pitched his 20th career complete game. He also won his 29th career game against Texas A&M and his 30th-career game in a complete game win against UT-Pan American. He is currently and is 30-4 with 21 complete games in his career at Texas Tech.
TRACEY NAMED PITCHER OF WEEK
Texas Tech junior pitcher Kevin Tracey (Lake Oswego, Ore.) was selected the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 8-14, 1999 the Big 12 Conference released Monday. The Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week is selected by a panel of media covering Big 12 baseball in 1999. Texas catcher/outfielder Jason Cox was named the Big 12 Player of the Week.
Tracey edged a stellar field, including Tech teammate Shane Wright with 11 strikeouts in a 5-4 win over Texas A&M and Texas Scott Dun with a six-hit, complete-game 8-1 triumph over Kansas State, by going the distance in the Red Raiders 9-1 victory over then-third-rated-nationally Texas A&M. The Oregon resident scattered eight Aggies hits, struck out six, did not allow a base-on-balls, and pitched his third route-going job of the year. Tracey also lowered his 1999 ERA to 1.87 while raising his record to 5-1 with the Big 12 triumph.
CUNNINGHAM RANKED IN STEALS
Leadoff hitter Marco Cunningham has stolen 25 bases through 29 games. He is already ranked 13th among Texas Tech all-time season leaders in steals. The Texas Tech season record is 51 set by Matt Kastelic.
BARD MOVES TO 2ND IN DOUBLES
Josh Bard has moved into second place on the Texas Tech school career doubles list. Upon entering this weekend, Bard has 15 doubles on the season, giving him 60 doubles in his career. Clint Bryant (1993-96) holds the career record for doubles- 73 in his three-year career.
RUIZ MOVES TO 9TH IN CAREER STEALS
Ryan Ruiz moved into ninth place on the all-time Texas Tech career steals list. He currently has 20 steals on the season and 42 in his career.
BURNS IS A WALKING-MACHINE
Last year Brennan Burns finished the season with 13 bases-on-balls. This season and through the first 29 games, Burns has already surpased that total with 17 walks, good for third on the Red Raiders.
KU SERIES ATTENDANCE RANKS HIGH
Due to outstanding weather and superb baseball, Texas Tech drew 11,736 fans for the three-game weekend series, ranking it sixth all-time on Texas Techs list of top three-game series attendance. Saturdays attendance of 4,321 ranked 13th on the all-time Texas Tech top attended games list.
JON WEBER NICKNAMED THE "RBI MONGER"
Jon Weber has already made his mark at Texas Tech. The junior transfer from Lakewood, Calif. drove in 20 runs in his first four games as a Red Raider and was named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week along with Big 12 Player of the Week honors for his accomplishments. Following this past weekend, Weber ran his RBI total to 44 in 21 games. Weber, who bats in Texas Techs third spot- in front of junior catcher Josh Bard, has been nicknamed the "RBI Monger" by the catcher because he drives in all the baserunners before Bard can even approach the plate.
WRIGHT DOESNT LOSE OFTEN...Shane Wright loses game for first time since March
Texas Tech All America starter Shane Wright lost his first game against Missouri and his first since last seasons loss at Texas A&M on Feb. 27, 1998. Wright had a string of 17 straight games started without a loss.
WRIGHT BREAKS TEXAS TECH SCHOOL RECORD FOR CAREER VICTORIES
Senior pitcher Shane Wright (Topeka, Kansas) broke the Texas Tech school career record for victories with his win against TCU on Tuesday, Feb. 9. His victory, along with a 9.0 inning complete game win against UCLA, gave him a 27-3 overall career record.
Wright surpassed Matt Millers old record of 25 career wins set from 1994-96.
BURNS HITS HOMER AGAINST UCLA
Brennan Burns home run against UCLA snapped a 158 at-bat and 174 plate appearance streak without a home run. But Burns shot meant that much more to the sophomore from Orange, Calif. It came against UCLA, the school Burns played at during the 1997 season. Burns was a redshirt freshman for the Bruins that season before transferring to Texas Tech. He knew several of the Bruin players along with head coach Gary Adams. Burns has nothing but respect for the UCLA coaching staff and players and says that he wouldnt ge at Texas Tech if it werent for his one year at UCLA. Burns hit only two home runs last year as a freshman last year.
TECH DEFEATS WEST TEXAS A&M 11-1
Red Raiders win 10th straight game and 18 in last 19 games with Tuesday victory
Texas Tech used a 14-hit attack along with key pitching from Cade Allison to register an 11-1 victory against West Texas A&M Tuesday at Dan Law Field. The victory gave Texas Tech (24-5) its 10th straight victory and 18th win in its last 19 games. The Red Raiders also won their 23rd straight home game. West Texas A&M fell to 20-10 on the season.
Texas Tech started strong with two runs in the first inning as the Raiders scored on a Jon Weber RBI groundout and a Josh Bard RBI double. Tech extended its lead to 4-0 in the third on an RBI single from Ryan Ruiz and an RBI double from Scott Holzhauer.
The Raiders rallied for four runs in the fifth on an sacrifice fly RBI from Jon Weber, a two-RBI double from Josh Bard and a sacrifice fly RBI from Scott Holzhauer.
Starter Cade Allison (3-0) earned the victory after pitching the first six scoreless innings. He allowed four hits, one walk and struck out a career-high eight batters. Steve Rowe, Daniel Cole and Brandon Roberson each threw one inning apiece to secure the victory.
Tech had its shutout shattered as West Texas A&M scored a run in the bottom of the ninth.
WEBER SETS BIG 12 SERIES RBI MARK...Weber finishes weekend with 20 RBI in four games!
Junior outfielder Jon Weber set a Big 12 Conference RBI record for a series against Howard when he drove in 20 RBI in the four-game series.
RAIDERS TIE SCHOOL WALKS RECORD...
Texas Tech ties school game bases-on-balls record with 17 walks on Saturday vs. Howard
Howard pitching yielded 17 bases-on-balls Saturday in Texas Techs 16-5 victory against the Bison. The 17 walks ties the Texas Tech school record of 17 walks also set on Feb. 14, 1995 vs. West Texas A&M and on March 23, 1996 vs. Baylor.
HONORS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS
HONORS EARNED
Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week
Jon Weber (week of February 1)
Big 12 Baseball Player/Pitcher of the Week
Jon Weber (week of February 1)
Shane Wright (week of February 22)
Kevin Tracey (week of March 8)
Collegiate Baseball Preaseason All America
Shane Wright (First Team), Josh Bard (Second Team)
Baseball America Preseason All America
Josh Bard (Second Team)
Baseball America Preseason All Big 12
Josh Bard, Shane Wright, Miles Durham, Brennan Burns
Collegiate Baseball Preseason "Players to Watch"
Shane Wright, Josh Bard, Brad Ralston, Ryan Ruiz
Baseball America Preseason Top Prospects (1999)
Josh Bard
Baseball America Preseason Top Prospects (2000)
Miles Durham
Baseball America Best Big 12 Tools
Best Pure Hitter- Josh Bard; Fastest Runner- Chris Sampson; Catcher/Best Arm- Josh Bard; Best Control- Shane Wright
SCHOOL RECORDS BROKEN
Shane Wright- career victories
Shane Wright- career complete games
Ryan Ruiz, game bases-on-balls vs. Howard 2/6/99 (5)
Texas Tech, game bases-on balls vs. Howard, 2/6/99 (17)
BIG 12 RECORDS BROKEN
Jon Weber- Big 12 RBI (series), 20 vs. Howard (4 games)
Texas Tech, game bases-on-balls vs. Howard, 2/6/99 (17)
TEXAS TECH IN THE 1999 POLLSWeek CB BA BW TSN
Preseason 13 19 20 N/A
Feb. 8 13 19 N/A N/A
Feb. 15 13 22 17 N/A
Feb. 22 17 23 19 N/A
March 2 18 18 13 N/A
March 8 21 18 17 N/A
March 15 18 13 13 N/A
March 23 14 10 13 N/A
Poll Key: CB=Collegiate Baseball; BA=Baseball America; BW=USA Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll; TSN=The Sporting News
