Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Baseball Hosts West Texas A&M
February 07, 2000 | Baseball
Feb. 7, 2000
West Texas A&M (0-1) at Texas Tech (3-1) Tuesday, February 8 - 4:00 p.m. at Dan Law Field
A Quick Look at Texas Tech: The Texas Tech Red Raiders are 3-1 after four games in 2000. They hosted West Texas A&M and three games with New Mexico State last week. Tech will continue its eight-game homestand with West Texas on Tuesday and Southern California this weekend at Dan Law Field. The Red Raiders go on the road to TCU, Long Beach State and New Mexico for five games after playing the Trojans. They will host Missouri February 25-27 at Dan Law Field in the Big 12 opener.
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 Tuesday with the 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. He started his coaching career at Lubbock Christian University where he compiled 695 wins. In his 14th season at Texas Tech, he has notched 505 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.
What time is BP?: In Texas Tech's first four games this year, the Red Raiders have scored 64 runs (16 R/game) on 57 hits. West Texas A&M held Tech to a season-low 14 runs in the first game of the season. In the three-game series with New Mexico State, the Red Raiders scored50 runs on 33 hits.
In every game this season, one Texas Tech hitter has recorded four RBI: David O'Keeffe (2/2), Trey Lunsford (2/4), Miles Durham (2/5) and Chaz Eiguren (2/6). Seven Red Raiders have at least two extra-base hits and Scott Holzhauer has two home runs on the season. 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.
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 seventh 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.
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.
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.
