Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Hosts Southern California At Dan Law Field
February 10, 2000 | Baseball
Feb. 10, 2000
Southern California (4-1) at Texas Tech (4-1)
Friday, February 11 - 4 p.m., Saturday, February 12 - Noon, Sunday, February 13 - 1 p.m.
Dan Law Field - Lubbock, Texas
A Quick Look at Texas Tech: The Texas Tech baseball team enters the weekend series with Southern California at 4-1. The Red Raiders have defeated West Texas A&M and New Mexico State twice. Through the first five games, Tech is averaging 16.8 runs and 15.8 hits per game. The Red Raiders set season highs on Tuesday with 20 runs and 22 hits in the win over West Texas A&M.
Tech will finish the eight-game season-opening homestand with Southern California this weekend in Lubbock. Next week, the Red Raiders go on the road to TCU, Long Beach State and New Mexico for five games. They will host Missouri February 25-27 at Dan Law Field in the Big 12 opener.
On the Offensive: The Red Raiders continue to put up impressive numbers early in the 2000 season. Tech is averaging nearly 17 runs per game and outscored opponents 48-7 in the first three innings. As a team, Texas Tech is hitting .401 with 24 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 72 RBI. With runners in scoring position, they are hitting .391 (36-92) and are 22-32 (.688) with a runner on third and less than two outs.
In the first four games this season, one Texas Tech hitter recorded four RBI: David O'Keeffe (2/2), Trey Lunsford (2/4), Miles Durham (2/5) and Chaz Eiguren (2/6). Eight Red Raiders have at least three extra-base hits and 11 hitters have recorded 24 multihit games in 2000. Scott Holzhauer leads the club with three home runs-he totaled just four in 1999.
In addition to the success at the plate, Tech is a perfect 10-10 on base paths. Durham leads the club with four steals. He swiped three of those on 2/5 vs. New Mexico State. Marco Cunningham has two steals while Holzhauer, Shaun Larkin, Jason Rainey and O'Keeffe each have one.
On the Mound: With the early offensive outburst, the Texas Tech coaching staff has been to look at a number of pitchers as the Red Raiders prepare for the Big 12 season. The Tech pitching staff owns a 6.40 ERA (32 ER/45.0 IP) in five games this year. Without the 23-17 (21 earned runs) loss to New Mexico State on 2/5, the staff would hold a 2.75 ERA (11 ER/36.0 IP). New pitching coach Britt Smith has been able to use 14 pitchers over the five games. Tech pitchers are averaging 7.8 strikeouts per 9.0 IP (39 SO/45.0 IP) and opponents are hitting .301 (58-193).
Hays Notches No. 1,200: Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays became the ninth coach in NCAA Division I history to tally 1,200 career wins on Feb. 2 with a 14-3 victory over West Texas A&M. In his 30th season, Hays is one of only four active NCAA Division I skippers to reach the 1,200-victory plateau. Entering the 2000 season, Coach Hays ranks fourth among active coaches and ninth among all-time coaches in career victories.
Coach Hays is Texas Tech's all-time winningest coach. He has led the Red Raiders to to three conference championships and posted winning seasons in 12 of his 13 years. The Red Raiders have put together a streak of seven straight 40-plus win seasons and five NCAA Regional appearances under Hays. In 1998, he guided Tech to the Big 12 Tournament Championship with just seven pitchers.
He was named 1997 Big 12 Coach of the Year after the Red Raiders won the conference title with a 23-7 Big 12 mark. Texas Tech also claimed the No. 1 ranking in collegiate baseball for several weeks, the first time a Red Raider sport was ranked No. 1 in school history. In the summer of 1997, he was an assistant coach for the USA National Team. In 1995, Texas Tech set a school record with 51 wins and advanced to the Midwest I NCAA Region championship game.
In 29 seasons at the collegiate level, Coach Hays has led teams to 12 league titles and guided his 1983 Lubbock Christian University team to the NAIA national championship.
Roberson Out at Least Three Weeks: Texas Tech opening day starter Brandon Roberson will be out at least three weeks with a strained tendon in his right (throwing) elbow. The right-hander injured his arm in the fourth inning against West Texas A&M in the season opener. He will undergo 2-3 weeks of rehabilitation and then start throwing.
Texas Tech On The Air: For the eighth consecutive season, the entire Texas Tech baseball schedule will be broadcasted live on the Red Raider Baseball Network. A number of Big 12 games will be available on statewide affiliates. Voice of Texas Tech Baseball Sam Stephens will handle the play-by-play duties. Former baseball sports information director Kelly Robinson will provide color commentary for home games. Stephens has a 15-minute pregame show and interviews players and coaches following each game. Games will be carried on Texas Tech's hometown station, KXTQ-950 AM.
Coach Hays on the Air: Coach Hays' morning radio show will run on Thursday mornings on KKAM-1340 AM. Coach Hays will talk with Tech football/basketball broadcaster Jack Dale from 8-9 a.m. starting in mid-March.
The 1998 season marked the debut of The Larry Hays' Show, coach Hays' weekly television show. In its third season, the show will air on Sunday nights beginning March 19 and run through May 14. It will be broadcasted on ABC-affiliate KAMC at 11:00 p.m. and CBS-affilate KLBK at 11:30 p.m.
New Additions: Texas Tech baseball welcomes 18 new players and two new assistant coaches to the program this season. In July, Larry Hays hired Daren Hays and Britt Smith.
Daren Hays returns to Texas Tech after serving as the head coach at Lubbock Christian the past eight seasons. He spent the 1991 season as a Tech assistant where he was the hitting coach. While at LCU, Coach Hays compiled a 356-163 record and became the first LCU coach to win 300 games in just seven seasons. He will work with Red Raider outfielders and hitters.
Britt Smith also comes to Texas Tech from Lubbock Christian where he was the pitching coach last year. Prior to LCU, Smith played and coached at West Texas A&M. He played all nine positions for the Buffalos. Coach Smith has assisted three other former assistants of Larry Hays - Jimmy Shankle (former LCU head coach), Todd Howey (Tech grad and current West Texas A&M head coach) and Daren Hays. He will work with the Texas Tech pitching staff.
Coach Hays will look to replace All-Americans Josh Bard and Shane Wright with 18 newcomers (eight pitchers). Of those 18 new faces, there are 14 transfers and four true freshman.
Texas Tech in the Polls: The Red Raiders are ranked in two of three preseason polls. Tech is ranked 18th in the Collegiate Baseball poll and 20th in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches' poll. They enter the season unranked by Baseball America.
Texas Tech entered the top 25 when they were ranked 23rd by Baseball American on 3/18/91. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 1 for three weeks in 1997 by Collegiate Baseball. They held the top spot from 4/14-28 after being ranked 25th in the preseason poll.
Preseason Honors: RHP Brandon Roberson was named preseason third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The senior right-hander was Texas Tech's opening day starter. Roberson was named first team All-Big 12 last year after setting the single season school save record (10) in 1999.
The Dallas Morning News picked the Red Raiders third in a preseason Big 12 poll and named outfielder Marco Cunningham and designated hitter Chaz Eiguren to the all-conference team.
Outfielder Miles Durham was cited by Baseball America as one of the top 100 in the college class of 2000. Durham was ranked 58th by the magazine's writers and major league scouting directors. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1997 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Schedule: The 2000 baseball schedule features a number of teams ranked up and down the preseason top 25 polls. Tech plays six teams in the preseason Collegiate Baseball poll, three in Baseball America and six in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN poll.
Red Raider opponents in the preseason polls posted a 255-131 (.661) overall record in 1999. Texas Tech will host Southern California (2/11-13), Baylor (3/17-19) and Texas (4/14-16) at Dan Law Field. The Red Raiders go on the road to visit Long Beach State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.
Eiguren declared eligible by NCAA: Senior designated hitter Chaz Eiguren was cleared by the NCAA to play this spring. Texas Tech appealed to the NCAA after Eiguren did not qualify under the NCAA-mandated statisfactory progress rule.
The Broomfield, Colo., native batted .340 last year with seven home runs and 24 RBI. In Big 12 play, he hit six of his seven home runs and posted a .442 average. He is expected to fill the designated hitter role for the Red Raiders in 2000.
Red Raiders vs. Trojans - The Series
Texas Tech trails in the all-time series 3-1. The two schools met for the first time in the 1996 NCAA Regional in Lubbock. In one of the most memorable games in recent Texas Tech baseball history, the No. 1-ranked Trojans defeated Texas Tech 13-10 in 11 innings. A record crowd of 5,814 jammed Dan Law Field for the game. USC was able to overcome deficits of 6-4, 7-6 and 10-7 to win and move on to the final against Oklahoma State.
Last year, the Red Raiders went to Los Angeles and lost two of three games to the Trojans. Tech won the opener 9-8 and lost the final two games, 5-3 and 5-4.
A Quick Look at Southern California:USC comes to Lubbock with a 4-1 record and No. 6 ranking by Baseball America. USC's game with Loyola Marymount on 2/8 was postponed due to darkness and will be completed on March 21. The Trojans swept Pepperdine to open the season and won two of three against Long Beach State last weekend.
Head coach Mike Gillespie is in his 14th season as head coach at USC. He owns a 523-294-2 (.641) career record and was recently named head coach for the 2000 USA National Team. He is just one of two men that have played and coached on a national championship team. He was the starting leftfielder on USC's 1961 NCAA championship team and later coached the Troy to the 1998 national title.
As a team, the Trojans are hitting .347 and averaging 6.3 runs per game. They are lead by freshman second baseman Anthony Lunetta. He leads USC in hitting (.591), hits (13), slugging (.955), on base percentage (.655) and total bases (21). Third baseman Justin Gemoll comes into the series hitting .421 with two home runs and seven RBI.
The pitching staff owns a 4.22 ERA (25 ER/53.1 IP) through five games. Starters Mark Prior and Rik Currier have combined to fan 25 in 24.0 innings. Anthony Reyes leads the staff with a 0.90 ERA (1 ER/10.0 IP).
Texas Tech Hitters Notes
#9 MARK AUSTRY, 1B, L/L - Overall: .200 (1-5) ... Played in all five games ... has one hit in five at bats ... is errorless in 12 chances at first base ... recorded first hit of the season with a single on 2/8 vs. West Texas A&M.
#24 DERON BERTILLION, C, R/R - Overall: .000 (0-3) ... Has seen action in four of five games this season ... hitless in three at bats.
#10 BRENNAN BURNS, 3B, R/R - Overall: .400 (6-15) ... Is 6-15 (.400) in five games this year ... started the first three games of the season ... is 2-2 as a pinch hitter ... went 3-5 with two runs and three RBI on 2/5 vs. New Mexico State ... scored three runs while going 1-4 with an RBI double on 2/4 vs. New Mexico State.
#7 GRANT CULVER, OF, R/R - Overall: .500 (1-2) ... Played in two games ... went 1-2 on 2/8 vs. West Texas A&M ... played on 2/6 vs. New Mexico State, but didn't have a plate appearance.
#6 MARCO CUNNINGHAM, OF, R/R - Overall: .286 (6-21) ... Has started all five games in centerfield ... has six hits, six runs and six RBI ... is credited with three multihit games ... is 4-10 with runners in scoring position ... went 2-4 with with two runs and three RBI on 2/8 vs. West Texas A&M ... was 2-3 with three walks on 2/5 vs. New Mexico State.
#8 MILES DURHAM, OF, L/R - Overall: .500 (10-20) ... Ranked 58th by Baseball America in the college class of 2000 top 100 ... owns a seven-game hitting streak dating back to 5/29/99 ...leads the team with 10 hits, four stolen bases and four multihit games ... is 5-12 (.417) with runners in scoring position ... owns a .750 slugging and .545 on base percentage ... is 5-9 with a double, a home run, five runs and seven RBI in his last two games ... missed New Mexico State game on 2/6 with the flu ... swiped three bases on 2/5 vs. New Mexico State ... returned to start on opening day after spraining right thumb two weeks earlier in practice ... wears a protective brace on right wrist when running the bases.
#44 CHAZ EIGUREN, DH, R/R - Overall: .467 (7-15) ... Played four games at DH ... leads the club with four doubles and 11 RBI ... has not struck out in 15 at bats ... runners have been on base in 13 of his 15 at bats ... is 7-13 (.538) with runners on base ... notched first home run with a towering shot on 2/8 vs West Texas A&M ... went 3-4 with two doubles, a run and four RBI on 2/6 vs. New Mexico State ... has at least one RBI in every game ... didn't play on 2/5 vs. New Mexico State due to a hip injury the day before.
#30 DAVID GARZA, INF, B/R - Overall: 1.000 (1-1) ... Has played in three games ... went 1-1 and scored a run on 2/8 vs. West Texas A&M ... did not record an at bat in first two games.
#1 SCOTT HOLZHAUER, SS, L/R - Overall: .409 (9-22) ... Started all five games at shortstop ... was slated to be the starting third baseman in 2000 after playing second base last year ... has two errors in 33 chances at shortstop ... leads the team in at bats (22), runs (12) and home runs (3) ... is one homer shy of last year's total of four ... owns three multihit games and two three-RBI games ... is 5-10 with runners on base ... has struck out just twice while walking seven times ... went 2-5 with a double, home run, three runs and three RBI on 2/6 vs. New Mexico State.
#17 CHAD LANDRY, INF, L/L - Overall: .250 (2-8) ... Played in three games ... started as the DH on 2/5 vs. New Mexico State ... went 0-4 with a run and an RBI ... was 2-4 in two games vs. West Texas A&M.
#4 SHAUN LARKIN, 2B, L/R - Overall: .450 (9-20) ... Leads the team with eight walks ... is errorless in five starts at second base ... has five multihit games and is 4-9 (.444) with runners in scoring position ... has at least one RBI in last four games and two walks in each of the last three games ... was 2-5 with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base on 2/4 vs. New Mexico State ... started Texas Tech career by going 3-4 on 2/2 vs. West Texas A&M.
#18 TREY LUNSFORD, C, R/R - Overall: .357 (5-14) ... Started all five games behind the plate ... has a four-game hitting streak after going 0-2 in the season opener ... has scored at least one run in four of five games ... was 1-1 with a run and an RBI on 2/8 v. West Texas A&M ... went 1-3 with a run and four RBI on 2/4 vs. New Mexico State.
#5 ERIC MCLAMORE, INF, R/R - Overall: .364 (4-11) ... Has started the last two games at third base ... totaled just one at bat in the first three games ... went 3-6 with two doubles, two runs and three RBI on 2/8 vs West Texas A&M ... was 1-4 with a double and two runs on 2/6 vs. New Mexico State ... has committed five errors 11 chances (.545).
#15 DAVID O'KEEFFE, 1B, R/R - Overall: .400 (6-15) ... Hit a grand slam in first at bat of the season on 2/2 vs. West Texas A&M ... has started all five games at first base ... is errorles in 39 chances at first base ... four of six hits on the season are for extra bases (3 2B, 1 HR) ... went 2-3 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI on 2/8 vs. West Texas A&M ... was 0-1 with two runs and three walks on 2/4 vs. New Mexico State ... went 2-4 with grand slam, two runs and four RBI on 2/2 vs. West Texas A&M.
#11 JASON RAINEY, OF, L/L - Overall: .444 (8-18) ... Started all five games in left field ... leads the team with 12 hits, three triples and six strikeouts ... put together a three-game hitting streak, 2/2-5 ... is 7-14 with runners on base ... went 2-2 with a triple, three runs and an RBI on 2/8 vs. West Texas A&M ... was 3-6 with a double, triple, four runs and two RBI on 2/5 vs. New Mexico State.
#19 CORY SELLARS, OF, L/L - Overall: .571 (4-7) ... Played in four games, starting one ... went 2-4 with a double, home run, two runs and two RBI on 2/6 vs. New Mexico State ... was 1-2 with a double and a run on 2/8 vs. West Texas A&M.
