Texas Tech University Athletics
Baseball Heads To Midland
February 15, 2007 | Baseball
Feb. 15, 2007
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (4-3; 0-0)
at
2007 MIDLAND COLLEGE CLASSIC
Date(s): February 16-18, 2007 (Friday-Sunday)
Location: Midland, Texas
Stadium: Citibank Ballpark
National Rankings: None
Radio: Texas Tech Sports Network - Available to all affiliates
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Raiders Hit The Road For First Time In `07
After starting the season with a seven-game homestand, the Red Raiders will hit the road for the first time in 2007 this weekend. Tech will make a short two hour trip south to the Permian Basin where the Red Raiders will take part in the Third Annual Midland College Classic at Citibank Ballpark in Midland. Texas Tech will face Dallas Baptist at 6 p.m. on Friday, St. John's at 5 p.m. on Saturday and will close out the weekend with a 2 p.m. game against St. John's on Sunday.
The Red Raiders are a perfect 6-0 in the Midland College Classic and are 7-0 all-time in the newly constructed Citibank Ballpark. Tech's first game in the new Rockhounds stadium came back in 2004 when the Red Raiders defeated Houston 12-11 in front of a soldout crowd on March 23. In the 2006 Classic, the Red Raiders defeated Dallas Baptist (13-5), Texas-Arlington (15-7) and Oral Roberts (7-4).
Texas Tech enters the MCC riding a three-game win streak by posting wins in the final three games of the Red Raider Classic this past weekend at Dan Law Field. After suffering a 12-7 setback to Northwestern in the opener, the Red Raiders posted a 4-3 win over the Wildcats on Sunday morning and then defeated Western Illinois 12-2 in the final game of the Sunday doubleheader. The Red Raiders closed out tournament play with a 13-11 win over Western Illinois on Monday afternooon.
Tickets for the Midland College Classic are currently on sale through the Midland Rockhounds Ticket Office and can be purchased over the phone by calling (432) 520-2255.
Morgan Lost For The Season
Sophomore right-hander Miles Morgan, the 2006 Big 12 Freshman Pitcher of the Year, will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn rotator cuff suffered prior to the start of the season.
Morgan made just one appearance this season in the series finale last weekend against Stephen F. Austin and was chased after allowing two runs on four hits over four innings of work. He finished the 2006 season with a 6-7 overall record and a 3.63 ERA over 106 2/3 innings of work. He picked up Big 12 Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors and was named to the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Magazine Freshman All-America team.
Newcomers Leading Tech Offense
Newcomers Chris Hall and Geoff Byrns have made their presence felt through the first seven games of the season as they currently rank first and second on the team in batting average.
Hall, a freshman infielder/designated hitter from Abilene (Cooper High), leads the squad with a .476 average (10-of-21) and is tied for third with five RBI. Hall has made five starts this season with the last three coming as the designated hitter. His quick start to the season is equally impressive because he was forced to miss his final high school season due to a knee injury.
The fact that Geoff Byrns is second on the squad doesn't come as much of a surprise as he came to Tech from Chabot College where he was named the All-Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2006. Byrns has posted a .393 batting average and is currently riding a team-high seven game hit streak.
Left-handers Impressive In Red Raider Classic
The good news for Texas Tech Pitching Coach Lance Brown over the weekend came in the form of two left-handed pitchers. Senior Aaron Odom and sophomore Cory Large both had impressive outings over the weekend to help lead Tech to a 3-1 record in the Red Raider Classic.
Aaron Odom logged six innings of work against Western Illinois on Sunday and allowed just one run on five hits and struckout five. The win marked his first since beating Arizona State (7-2) back on April 17, 2006 and was just the fourth time in his career that he lasted six or more innings.
Sophomore left-hander Cory Large made just his second career start in Monday's tournament finale and pitched two scoreless innings. The Red Raiders pitched by committee in the game so Large was credited with his first career win as a Red Raider. Monday's game was also his first appearance of the season as he had been battling a minor arm injury.
Short Hops
- Senior shortstop Kyle Martin belted two home runs in Monday's Red Raider Classic finale against Western Illinois, marking the second time in his career that he has hit two dingers in a game. Martin also added four RBIs in the contest to tie his career high.
- Of the 48 total runs scored by Tech opponents this season, 31 have come in or after the sixth inning and 11 of those have scored in the ninth. On the flip side, 21 of Texas Tech's 54 runs scored this year have come in or after the seventh inning.
- Junior catcher Matt Smith leads the squad with four home runs and is quickly on his way to surpassing his entire home run total from last season (7).
- Sophomore right fielder and preseason All-American Roger Kieschnick picked up his second career grand slam on Sunday. Kieschnick broke open a 1-1 game against Western Illinois in the fifth inning with a towering shot that cleared the Tech bullpen in left field. His only other grand slam came in his Red Raider debut against Louisiana-Monroe back on Opening Day of 2006.
- Texas Tech is now riding a three-game win streak for the first time since winning four-straight May 10-14, 2006 (New Mexico and Missouri). Prior to Sunday's 4-3 win over Northwestern, the Red Raiders had lost nine of their last 10 contests dating back to 2006.
- Four Red Raiders currently have hit streaks of five-plus games. Junior Geoff Byrns leads the way with seven and is followed up by freshman Taylor Ashby who has hit in six straight. Roger Kieschnick and Matt Smith each have five-game streaks.
