Tech Baseball To Host Northern Illinois In Weekend Series

Feb. 18, 2004

TEXAS TECH vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
February 20-22; Dan Law Field

Ticket Information
Tickets for this weekend's series against Northern Illinois are still available and can be purchased through the Texas Tech Athletic Ticket Office that is located in the south end of Jones SBC Stadium (Football). Tickets can also be purchased by phone at (806) 742-TECH or 1-888-GOBIG12. Fans who wish to purchase tickets online line can do so by visiting the Texas Tech Ticket Office here at www.texastech.com.

Are You A Member Of The College Sports Pass?
If you are the ultimate Texas Tech baseball fan then you need to be a member of the College Sports Pass. The College Sports Pass is a video and audio service at www.texastech.com that takes you right to the action of Red Raider baseball. The CSP is just $6.95 per month while quarterly and yearly subcriptions are available. Check out the latest on the College Sports Pass.

Weekend Promotions
The Texas Tech Athletics Department will sponsor one promotion for each of the three games against Northern Illinois.
Friday - Coca-Cola Friday; Fans will receive a special soft drink coupon that can be redeemed for a 32-ounce drink for $2.
Saturday - Fans who show their Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M men's basketball ticket will receive free admission to the game. Limited seating is available.
Sunday - ABC Bank Super Sunday; One fan per inning will be selected for a chance to win up to $5,000 in cash. Fans will sign up for the promotion at the game program stand.

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Texas Tech returns to Dan Law Field after a successful showing in the Minute Maid College Classic where it will play host to the Northern Illinois Huskies in a three-game series beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday. The series continues at noon on Saturday and will wrap up with a first pitch at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Second baseman Jose Delgado

The Red Raiders are coming off a strong showing at the annual Minute Maid College Classic where Tech finished the three-day event with a 2-1 record. Tech dropped a close 9-6 game in the ninth inning to defending national champion Rice on Friday night and then responded with a 12-7 extra-inning win over Houston on Saturday and a 9-4 win over Ohio State on Sunday. Both Houston and Ohio State were NCAA Super Regional teams in 2003 and both entered the weekend with national rankings of 26 in various polls. Tech's two wins in the tournament marked its best ever showing in what is widely considered the nation's top preseason baseball event.

Texas Tech will be the season opening opponent for the third consecutive week as the Huskies will kick off their 2004 campaign on Friday against the Red Raiders. Tech and Campbell both opened their respective seasons on Feb. 5 while the Rice Owls played their first game of the year against Tech last Friday night in Houston. The Huskies finished the 2003 season with a record of 34-24 and went 15-11 in MAC (Mid-American Conference) play. The 34 wins last year set a new school record and they are picked to finish in third the MAC this season. The Huskies are led by second-year head coach Ed Mathey.

All three games this weekend will be carried live on the Red Raider Baseball Radio Network. Fans in Lubbock can tune in to KKAM 1340 AM and hear the call from the broadcasting crew of Mark Finkner and Jason Totman. Friday's game against Northern Illinois will be webcasted as part of the College Sports Pass on www.texastech.com.

Texas Tech Projected RotationName            Day R/L W-L ERA GS  CG  SV  IP  H   R   ER  BB  SODallas Braden   Fri.    LHP 1-0 6.00    2   0   0   9.0 10  6   6   2   13Juan Razo            Sat.   RHP 1-0 0.00    1   0   0   11.0    10  4   3   3   7Steve Gooch   Sun.    RHP 0-0 6.75    2   0   0   8.0 13  8   6   0   10

Northern Illinois Projected RotationName            Day R/L W-L ERA GS  CG  SV  IP  H   R   ER  BB  SOJoe Piekarz Fri.    LHP 6-4 5.40    13  2   1   80.0    100 60  48  25  57Zach Minor  Sat.    LHP 6-4 3.63    12  1   0   79.1    81  44  32  40  62Nick Hall            Sun.   LHP 3-2 6.58    6   0   0   39.2    49  35  29  27  30

Texas Tech Projected Starting LineupPos.    Name            Class.  Avg.    GS  R   H   2B  3B  HR  RBIC   Cooper Fouts Junior  .200    6   5   3   0   0   0   21B  Josh Brady Junior  .464    6   11  13  3   0   4   192B  Jose Delgado Junior  .462    6   11  12  1   2   1   6SS  Cameron Blair   Junior  .333    6   8   10  3   0   0   43B  Josh Haney Senior  .375    6   5   9   2   0   1   6LF  Michael Mask Junior  .478    6   8   11  2   0   2   10CF  Cody Fuller   Junior  .250    4   4   4   1   0   0   3RF  Ryan Andrews Junior  .200    4   3   3   1   0   0   3DH  Matthew Coco Junior  .267    4   3   4   2   0   0   2

Tech Has Good Showing In Houston

Texas Tech finished play in the Minute Maid College Classic with a 2-1 overall record. Tech fell to No. 1 Rice 9-6 in the top of the ninth on Friday night and then responded with a 12-7 extra-inning win over Houston and a 9-4 win over Ohio State.
Texas Tech's 2-1 record in the Minute Maid Classic is its best showing in three appearances in the tourney as Tech went 1-2 in both 2001 and 2002.
Texas Tech picked up wins over two NCAA Super Regional teams from a year ago as both Houston and Ohio State made it to phase two of the NCAA playoffs.
Left fielder Michael Mask was the leading hitter for Tech in the tournament as he went 8-for-16 for a .500 clip. He totaled two doubles, one home runs and six RBI.
Juniors Josh Brady (first base), Michael Mask (outfield) and Adam Fry (right-handed pitcher) were named to the Minute Maid Classic All-Tournament Team at their respective position.
Junior first baseman Josh Brady was the team MPV as he went 5-for-14 with two home runs and eight RBI.

Catcher Cooper Fouts

A Threesome To Be Reckoned With
The threesome of second baseman Jose Delgado, first baseman Josh Brady and outfielder Michael Mask have been dealing plenty of blows to opposing pitchers in just six games this season.

The three junior college transfers account for 35 of the team's 68 total RBI and are all hitting over the .400 clip. Mask leads the team with a .478 average while Brady is in second with a .464 clip. Brady is the team leader with 19 RBI and four home runs. Delgado has proven to be Tech's clutch hitter as he is batting .462 with a team-high two triples.

The three players bat second through fourth in the lineup respectively and account for seven of the team's 11 home runs this season.

Gattis Out For The Season
Redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher Randy Gattis will be forced to sit out the remainder of the 2004 baseball season due to a reoccurring blood clot in his right (throwing) arm.

Gattis, a native of Mesquite, Texas, made just one appearance in 2003 before a blood clot formed in his throwing arm and ended his season. After a six-month rehabilitation process, he returned to the team in the fall and quickly developed into a weekend starter for the Red Raiders. He pitched six shutout innings against Campbell in the season opener on Feb. 5 to earn the first win of his short career.

Gattis was scheduled to pitch against Houston on Saturday in the Minute Maid College Classic in Houston but was scratched prior to the game after swelling developed in his arm.

He is being evaluated by a team of physicians, and the Red Raiders are hopeful that his condition can be treated successfully so that he can rejoin the squad next season.

Fry Comes Up Huge Against Houston
Texas Tech pitching coach Travis Walden got just what he was hoping for against Houston in right-handed reliever Adam Fry. Fry came out of the Tech bullpen with the game tied at 7-7 in the seventh and pitched the final 4 2/3 innings allowing no runs on just one hit while striking out five. The outstanding performance landed him on the Minute Maid Classic All-Tournament Team.

Briefly

Texas Tech and Northern Illinois will meet for the first time on the baseball diamond. Tech played its first ever opponent with the title "Northern" when it hosted Northern Iowa last year.
Josh Brady and Jose Delgado are both hitting .500 with runners in scoring position. Brady is 7-for-14 while Delgado is 5-for-10.
Third baseman Josh Haney has started in all 61 games of his career and will go for 62 on Friday.
RHP Michael McGowan threw his first bullpen while in Houston and Tech pitching coach Travis Walden hopes to have him ready in the next few weeks. He has been slowed by a sore arm.
The Saturday and Sunday games of the series will not be webcasted on the College Sports Pass due to scheduling conflicts with basketball.

Texas Tech University Athletics

Tech Baseball To Host Northern Illinois In Weekend Series

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