Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Baseball Opens Its 55th Season On Thursday
February 03, 2004 | Baseball
Feb. 3, 2004
The Texas Tech Red Raiders will open the 2004 season on Thursday as the Campbell Camels will come to Dan Law Field for a three-game series. The series is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Thursday, 3 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday.
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Texas Tech (0-0) and Campbell (0-0) will meet for the first time on the baseball diamond and the series will mark the sixth straight year that the Red Raiders have opened the season at Dan Law Field. The series against Texas Tech will also be the season lidlifter for the Campbell Camels.
Campbell finished the 2003 campaign with a 22-28 overall record and a 10th place finish in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Shortstop and right-handed pitcher Tom Rispoli is the leading returning hitter for Campbell as he finished last season with a .309 average with 14 doubles, four home runs and 32 RBI. Senior right-hander Josh Blades is the team's top returning pitcher as he went 5-2 last season with a 3.67 ERA through 61 1/3 innings of work.
The Red Raiders will be looking to turn things around in 2004 as Tech missed the NCAA Tournament last year for the first time in eight years. The 2003 squad finished the year with a 30-25 overall record and finished ninth in the Big 12 after going 8-18 through league play.
The Red Raiders will have several new faces on this year's squad as only four position starters return along with just six returning pitchers. Josh Haney will be the team's top returning hitter as he hit .338 in 2003. Steve Gooch is the team's top returning hurler as he went 4-5 last season with a 4.00 ERA in 105 2/3 innings.
Red Raiders Eager For Season Opener
Texas Tech opens its 55th season of intercollegiate baseball this weekend when the Red Raiders take on the Campbell Camels. Texas Tech actually began playing baseball in 1926 and did so for four seasons before disbanding the program for 24 years. Tech began playing again in 1954 and through its 55 seasons on the diamond, the Red Raiders are 1,205-925-8.
For the sixth straight season, Texas Tech will kick things off at home as the Red Raiders will face Campbell at 3 p.m. on Thursday. Texas Tech has an all-time record of 32-22 on opening day and is 19-8 at home. Tech has won its last five season openers with the last loss coming in the 1998 season opener at New Mexico (7-6) on Feb. 3, 1998.
Texas Tech finished the 2003 campaign with a 30-25 record and missed out on the Big 12 and NCAA post season tournaments.
New Look Raiders
The 2004 version of the Red Raiders will look significantly different than that of the 2003 squad. Texas Tech Head Coach Larry Hays returned just 10 letterwinners from last year's squad that failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine years. Joining the team this year will be 23 newcomers that includes 21 junior college players and two true freshmen.
- Freshmen RHP Brady Campbell will redshirt this season and is not factored in the above numbers.
- The 2004 roster includes 21 players from the State of Texas, the most since 1999 (21). Only two players on this year's squad hail from California marking the lowest Sunshine State players since 1996 (3).
- Texas Tech will have its first Aussie player as Matthew Coco comes to the Red Raiders from Brisbane, Australia (via Seminole State Community College in Oklahoma).
Tech Looking For Offensive Punch
After a less than stellar year at the plate in 2003, Texas Tech will be looking to juice things up in 2004. The Red Raiders have brought in high-caliber hitters for this season and they hope their past achievements will continue.
Josh Brady: Hit in the three hole for JUCO World Series Champion Southern Nevada last season and will probably hit in the same spot for the Red Raiders. Brady tallied a .346 average with 16 doubles, six home runs and 31 stolen bases.
Michael Mask: Hit .452 at Galveston College last year along with 10 home runs and 17 doubles.
Cameron Blair: Hit .396 for Grayson County Community College last year. Tallied 16 home runs and stole 30 bases.
Gooch Returns, Hopes To Anchor Staff
Texas Tech right hander Steve Gooch returns to the hill for his senior season after logging 105 2/3 innings last year with a team best 4.00 ERA. Gooch comes into his first start having a grand total of 217 2/3 innings of work under his belt of the course of two seasons. He needs just five more innings to surpass Chris Phillips at No. 10 on the all-time innings pitched list at Texas Tech. His first start in 2004 will also move him to the No. 7 spot on the all-time games started list.
Briefly
- The Red Raiders are opening the season in February for the first time since the 2000 season. Tech has opened the last week/weekend of January in each of the last three years.
- Head Coach Larry Hays enters the series with a career record of 1,351-731-3 record making him the fifth winningest head coach in NCAA history.
Up Next
Texas Tech travels to Houston, Texas for the 2004 Minute Maid College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Tech will take on Rice at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, Houston at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Ohio State at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
