Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Host Dallas Baptist
May 04, 2005 | Baseball
May 4, 2005
Texas Tech (28-16) vs. Dallas Baptist (29-20)May 5-7, 2005 - 6:30 p.m. Each Day
Dan Law Field - Lubbock, Texas
Texas Tech vs. Dallas Baptist - Gameday Central
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RED RAIDERS FACE DALLAS BAPTIST DURING FINALS PERIOD
The Red Raiders get a much needed break from Big 12 action as Tech will host Dallas Baptist in a three-game series this week. The series will begin on Thursday and end on Saturday with all three games being played at 6:30 p.m. to accommodate the final exam period. The series will begin an eight-game homestretch for Tech that will wrap up with a rescheduled game against New Mexico at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 16.
Texas Tech enters the week on a down note after dropping a crucial Big 12 series this past weekend at No. 11 Baylor. Tech dropped a 6-1 decision late in the game on Friday night but then recovered with a 3-2 win on Saturday to even the series. The 11th-ranked Bears, however, wouldn't go away quietly as they used four home runs on Sunday to win 8-5 and clinched the series two games to one. The Red Raiders are currently 28-16 overall and stand at 8-11 in Big 12 play which is good enough for sixth place in the league standings.
There are only three conference series being played this week with the marquee match-up taking place in Lincoln as the Missouri Tigers visit the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The series that presently has the most effect on Texas Tech will be the Oklahoma-Kansas State series in Manhattan. The Sooners are just a half-game behind the Red Raiders at 7-11 while Kansas State is also vying for the a spot in the Big 12 Tournament. The final league series will feature Texas at Kansas and all three of those games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.
Dallas Baptist enters the series with an overall record of 29-20 after taking two midweek games from Texas Wesleyan (15-4) and Texas State (6-1). The Patriots are riding a seven-game win streak and have won 23 of their last 40 games since falling to Tech 7-0 back on Feb. 22.
Tickets for the three-game series can be purchased by calling the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office at (806) 742-TECH or online at www.texastech.com.
CARNLINE, WYATT SOLID AGAINST BAYLOR
Junior right hander's Billy Carnline and Brian Wyatt posted solid outings this past weekend against Baylor and will be at the top of the rotation this week against DBU. Carnline dueled Baylor's Trey Taylor for the better part of six innings on Friday night but suffered the loss by giving up four earned runs in the seventh. He was pulled in the same inning after loading the bases with no outs and then walking in the first run.
On Saturday, Brian Wyatt's numbers were not spectacular but he gave the Red Raiders a chance and they took advantage by taking a 3-2 win with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Wyatt scattered two runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings in what turned out to be a no-decision.
The first two games of the Baylor series marked the first time since the Big 12 opener against Texas A&M that Tech got 5-plus innings by starters in back-to-back games. Ironically, it was Carnline and Wyatt who were the starters in those two games against Texas A&M.
AVANTS KEEPS HIS HOT STREAK
Senior second baseman Carey Avants is helping key Tech's recent offensive surge and is currently the third best hitter on the team with a .352 average. Avants, a senior transfer from Texas-Arlington, has been Tech hottest hitter over the last few weeks and his Big 12 average continues to rise. His .347 Big 12 average is second only to All-America candidate Cameron Blair and has risen dramatically since the Missouri series. He has posted a .404 average over the course of the last 11 league games with an on-base percentage of .451.
BIG 12 TOURNAMENT UPDATE
Texas Tech is currently in sixth place in the Big 12 standings and is a half-game ahead of seventh place Oklahoma. The Red Raiders need to finish in the top eight to secure a spot in the upcoming Big 12 Conference Tournament at Oklahoma City's Bricktown Ballpark May 25-28. Kansas and Kansas State are currently in the ninth and 10th spots respectively. The only time Tech has failed to make the Big 12 Tournament was in 2003 when the tourney was last played in Oklahoma City.
BLAIR ENJOYING SUCCESSFUL SENIOR YEAR
The decision to return to college for his senior year has turned out to be a good one for shortstop Cameron Blair. Blair is one of the top senior shortstops in the nation this season and will be a candidate for more Post-season awards to match those he earned in 2004.
Blair comes into the week with an overall batting average of .377 and that ranks tied for fifth in the Big 12 Conference. His 13 home runs on the season ranks third in the league and is tied for fifth nationally. Of Blair's 13 home runs this season, eight have come in the rugged Big 12 and that is the best mark in the league. He leads the team with 48 RBI and he now totals 129 in his career.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Texas Tech has been getting some key contributions offensively from its senior class. Seniors account for three of the top four hitters in the Tech lineup, including Cameron Blair who is tied for first on the team with a .377 average. Third baseman Carey Avants is third with a .352 clip and Cody Fuller is fourth with a .329 average. These three seniors account for 14 of Tech's 33 home runs, 104 of the 327 total RBI and 46 of 110 stolen bases.
FULLER EARNS ATHLETICS DEPT. HONOR
Senior center fielder Cody Fuller was named Texas Tech's Male Student-Athlete of the Year at the Academic Awards Banquet. Fuller, a dual sport athlete from Smithson Valley, is currently hitting .345 as Tech's lead off hitter and totals 21 stolen bases. In the classroom, he has maintained a 3.48 cumulative GPA and will graduate in May with a degree in Communications/Political Science. He is the first baseball player to be earn this honor.
110 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Opposing pitchers and catchers--BEWARE--Tech is on the prowl again in 2005. After sporting the quickest team in the Big 12 in 2004, the Red Raiders are looking for a repeat. Texas Tech leads the league with 110 stolen bases and that is 41 more than second place Nebraska who has 69 on the year. Tech stole seven bags in the weekend series at Baylor to reach the 110 mark.
Tech has three players with 18-plus stolen bags in Cody Fuller (21), Chris Williams (22) and Cameron Blair (18). The Red Raiders have averaged 110 stolen bases over the last four seasons.
TECH vs. DALLAS BAPTIST
Texas Tech and Dallas Baptist will be meeting for the third, fourth and fifth times this week as the two teams play a three-game series at Dan Law Field. The all-time series is tied at 1-1 with the first-ever meeting coming on May 12 of last season.
Dallas Baptist won the first-ever meeting between the two teams in 2004, 4-3, but Tech evened the series with a 7-0 shutout earlier this season. Tech and Dallas Baptist will meet again during the finals period in 2006 with the two teams playing a three-game series at Dan Law Field.
CHANGES TO THE LINEUP
Tech Head Coach Larry Hays continues to try and find ways to generate more offense for the Red Raiders - including another revamped lineup card. Hays' latest changes came on Sunday when he put Cameron Blair back into the leadoff position while dropping Cody Fuller to the eight hole.
Blair has plenty of experience as the leadoff hitter with 18 games under his belt this season and 65 in his career. Over the course of 18 games this season as the leadoff hitter, Blair has a .391 average compared to Fuller's .245 average through 26 games.
Against left-handers, look for Hays to possibly drop Trey Stewart to the bottom of the lineup in order to generate some offense there while batting freshman Matt Smith in cleanup.
STEWART PROVIDING SOME PUNCH
Junior first baseman Trey Stewart as been one of the biggest components of the Tech offense over the last several games. Stewart, who played sparingly over the first portion of the season, has picked up 15 RBI over the last 13 games after accounting for just 10 in his first 22 games. In the last 13 games, he has an overall batting average of .405 along with three doubles, four walks and four stolen bases.
Stewart made his first appearance back at first base (Saturday vs. Baylor) after re-injuring his left hamstring against Kansas State. Stewart had been serving as the designated hitter while going through rehab.
RED RAIDER TIDBITS
- Texas Tech currently has three former players on Major League rosters...RHP Travis Smith was called up this week to the Florida Marlins while Keith Ginter is with the Oakland A's and Josh Bard with the Cleveland Indians.
- The Red Raiders have won six-straight games on two different occasions this year. The longest losing streak was a three-game stretch between March 20 and March 25. Tech's longest losing streak in Big 12 play was a five-game stretch that began on March 20 against Texas A&M.
- Senior shortstop Cameron Blair extended his current hit streak to 13 games with a solo home run in the ninth inning against Baylor on Sunday. Blair needs to hit safely in seven more games in order to tie the 20-game streak he had in 2004. His hit streak was put on hold on Saturday at Baylor as he did not register an official plate appearance. He went 0-for-0 with three walks and was hit twice.
- Blair is also on pace to tie or even surpass his home run total (14) from last season. His 13 home runs is tied for third in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State's Adam Carr and Nebraska's Alex Gordon.
- The third and final note in the "Ode To Cameron Trilogy" is this: Of his 101 career games at Texas Tech, 44 of those have been multiple-hit games and 31 of them have been multiple-RBI.
- Texas Tech is playing during the final exam period for the third straight season. Tech played Wofford in a non-conference series in 2003 and then faced Missouri in 2004 during exams.
- Cody Fuller and Tanner McElroy will be taking final exams for the last time as undergrads. Fuller and McElroy will graduate next week.
- Junior right-hander Zach Butler improved to 6-0 on the season after taking the win over Baylor on Saturday. Butler has been one of Tech's top middle to late inning relievers this season and is now second on the team with a 4.34 ERA.
- Tech played the first of four scheduled nationally televised games on Saturday in Waco. The Red Raiders defeated the 11th-ranked Bears in front of a national audience on Fox Sports Net. Tech will wrap up the 2005 regular season with three games at Oklahoma and all three will be televised by ESPNU.
