Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Host The San Diego State Aztecs
March 02, 2000 | Baseball
March 2, 2000
A QUICK LOOK AT TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders host the San Diego State Aztecs for a three-game series this weekend at Dan Law Field. Texas Tech defeated New Mexico 13-10 on Tuesday in Lubbock. Shaun Larkin and Eric McLamore hit their first home runs of the season while Chad Reynolds picked up his second win of the season in his second start.
Chaz Eiguren was named Big 12 Player of the Week after hitting .619 (13-21) in four games against New Mexico and Missouri. The senior designated hitter posted a 1.381 slugging percentage aftere hitting five home runs and a double in the four games.
The Red Raiders are 9-8 and have won three of their last five, but have lost six of the last 10. Tech lost a season-high four games in a row from 2/15-20 and fell out of the top 25 for the first time since 2/13/95. The Red Raiders were shutout in back-to-back games for the first time since the 1990 season last weekend at Long Beach State. The 49er's won 3-0 on Saturday and 8-0 on Sunday. Texas A&M accomplished the feat on 3/23-24/90 at College Station.
After the San Diego State series, the Red Raiders will go on the road for five straight games. They will be at Texas A&M March 10-12 and UT-Pan American, March 13-14.
AT THE PLATE
Through 17 games, the Red Raiders have outscored opponents 179-141. In the last 10 games, opponents have lead 88-87. Tech is averaging 10.5 runs and 11.8 hits per game. As a team, Texas Tech is hitting .327 with 51 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs and 157 RBI. With runners in scoring position, they are hitting .327 (73-223), but are averaging 9.1 runners left on base per game (155 in 17 games). The Red Raiders are hitting .329 (176-535) against right-handers while going 25-79 (.316) against lefties. Tech pinch hitters are 9-23 (.391).
Texas Tech has hit three grand slams and nine Red Raiders have at least four extra-base hits. Eight players are hitting at least .300 with Chaz Eiguren hitting .470. He leads the club in average, hits (31), extra-base hits (14), home runs (7), RBI (34), slugging percentage (.894) and on-base percentage (.519).
ON THE MOUND
The Tech pitching staff owns a 7.01 ERA (116 ER/149.0 IP) in 17 games this year. Red Raider pitchers are averaging 6.6 strikeouts per 9.0 IP (110 SO/149.0 IP) and own a 2.4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (110 SO/46 BB). Starting pitchers have walked 21 batters in 74.1 IP (2.5 BB per 9.0 IP) and the bullpen is averaging 7.5 strikeouts per 9.0 IP (62 SO/74.2 IP). Opponents are hitting .334 (213-638) and have hit 54 doubles against Texas Tech pitchers. Tech pitchers have hit at least one batter in eight straight games and 14 of the 17 contest this year.
Right-hander Kevin Tracey has notched two complete games in his last three starts. He went 8.0 innings on 2/19 at Long Beach State and tossed 9.0 innings on 2/27 vs. Missouri. In those two games, Tracey is 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA (6 ER/17.0 IP) with five walks and 13 strikeouts. Steve Rowe leads the staff in appearances (10) and owns a 3.8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (15 SO/4 BB). J.J. Newman is averaging 8.5 strikeouts per 9.0 IP (21 SO/22.1 IP). Chad Reynolds has not walked a batter, but allowed 20 hits over 13.2 IP this season.
EIGUREN NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Texas Tech senior Chaz Eiguren was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week by a select panel of media covering Big 12 baseball for games played Feb. 21-27. The designated hitter blasted five home runs and 16 RBI in Tech's four games last week. He was 13-21 (.619) at the plate and owned a 1.381 slugging percentage with 29 bases in 21 official trips. Eiguren tied an NCAA record last Tuesday with two home runs in the same inning. Against New Mexico, he hit a two-run homer and a grand slam in the Red Raiders' 10-run fifth inning. In his next at bat, the Broomfield, Colorado native sent a solo shot over the right-center field wall. For the game, he went 4-6 with three home runs and seven RBI.
In three games against Missouri, Eiguren hit .600 (9-15) with two home runs, a double and nine RBI. In Friday night's extra-inning loss, he tied the game with at three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. His final home run of the week came in the first inning on Sunday when he hit a two-run homer to put Tech up 2-0. Eiguren tallied three hits in all three games as he went 3-6 on Friday with five RBI, 3-4 on Saturday and 3-5 with four RBI on Sunday. Eiguren is the first Texas Tech Big 12 Player of the Week since Jon Weber was honored for the week of Feb. 1 last year. Shane Wright and Kevin Tracey were named conference Pitchers of the Week on Feb. 22 and Mar. 8, respectively.
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 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.
INJURY REPORT
Starting pitcher Chaz Ackerman has been throwing in the bullpen after injuring his right arm on 2/13 against USC. The junior was warming up for the fourth inning when he suffered the injury. He could be back in one or two weeks.
Matt Harbin will not pitch in the San Diego State series. Harbin, a left-handed starting pitcher, suffered a bone bruise that caused him to leave the Long Beach State game on 2/18. He left the game after warming up for the second inning. Harbin is scheudled to start throwing on Monday.
Texas Tech opening day starter Brandon Roberson has been throwing, but not off the mound. The right-hander injured his arm in the fourth inning against West Texas A&M in the season opener. He is not expected to pitch in the San Diego State series.
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. Stephens has a 20-minute pregame show and interviews players and coaches following each game. Games will be carried on Texas Tech's hometown station, KXTQ-950 AM as well as Texas Tech's official website www.texastech.com.
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.
BIG 12 ON THE TUBE
On Feb. 29, Regional Sports Networks, LLC., announced the debut of the COLLEGE SPORTS Southwest network beginning April 1, 2000. The network will cater to the members of the Big 12 Conference and will be on Cox Cable affiliates throughout Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. It will provide coverage of more than 31 live conference baseball and softball games in addition to live and replay coverage of the 2000 Big 12 Phillips 66 baseball tournament from Oklahoma City.
The first live telecast will be March 31 at 6:30 p.m. when Texas plays at Oklahoma. Texas Tech will be featured April 21-23 when they play at Kansas.
In addition to the COLLEGE SPORTS package, FOX Sports Net will broadcast a number of Big 12 baseball games for the four consecutive season. Texas Tech will open the FOX Sports broadcast season on March 19 in Lubbock. It will be a regional broadcast on FOX Sport Southwest, Midwest and Rocky Mountain. The Big 12 Tournament Championship game will be nationally broadcasted on May 12 at 1 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 17 new faces, there are 13 transfers and four true freshman.
TEXAS TECH IN THE POLLS
For the second straight week, Texas Tech is not ranked in the three major college baseball polls. The week of 2/21 marked the first time that the Red Raiders were not ranked in the three national polls since Feb. 1995. They opened the season on two of three preseason polls. After winning two of three games against USC, Tech was ranked 16th in the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches' poll and 25th by Baseball America.
Texas Tech entered the top 25 for the first time 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. In 2000, Eiguren leads Tech in average, hits, extra-base hits, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
RED RAIDERS VS. AZTECS- THE SERIES
Texas Tech leads the all-time series 4-1. The two schools played each other for the first time in 1988 and will meet for the first time in Lubbock. The Red Raiders won last year's meeting 6-2 at the San Diego State Classic. Tech has won the last four meetings.
| Overall | Tech leads 4-1 |
| 1st meeting | 2/17/88 |
| in Lubbock | First meeting |
| in San Diego | Tech leads 4-1 |
| Last 5 meetings vs. SDSU | 4-1 |
| Last Tech win | 6-2, 2/18/99 |
| Last SDSU win | 11-4, 2/17/88 |
| Biggest Tech win | 6-2, 2/18/99 |
| Biggest Tech loss | 11-4, 2/17/88 |
A QUICK LOOK AT SAN DIEGO STATE
The Aztecs come into Lubbock with a record of 11-8 after upseting No. 19 UCLA on Tuesday. San Diego State defeated the Bruins 9-8 in 10 innings. They have won four of their last five games and post a team batting average of .310. The Aztecs played the Big 12's Oklahoma State four times and went 2-2. The pitching staff owns a 4.20 ERA while fanning 148 batters in 165.0 innings. Opponents are hitting .258 against the Aztec pitching staff.
Head coach Jim Dietz is in his 29th season at SDSU and has a career record of 1131-681-18. He has led the Aztecs to 22 winning seasons in the past 24 years and eight NCAA Regional appearances.
The Aztecs are led at the plate by outfielders Billy Montgomery and Paul Lockhart. Montgomery, a junior, is hitting .400 with three doubles and six RBI while Lockhart, a senior, is hitting .349 with three home runs, two triples and four RBI.
On the mound, junior left-hander Ben Julianel is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in six starts. Freshman right-hander Rory Shortell has tallied three saves and a 1.54 ERA in 10 appearances out of the bullpen.
