Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Host No. 14 Oklahoma in Weekend Series
March 31, 2011 | Softball
March 31, 2011
Game Notes | Promotions | Gameday Central | 
Preview
LUBBOCK, Texas - No. 22 Texas Tech continues its six-game homestand to start Big 12 play when the 14th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners come to town for a two-game series that begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Rocky Johnson Field.
LIVE STREAMING
Texas Tech will stream every home game free of charge this season at RaiderVision All-Access on the school's official website, www.texastech.com. Matt Driskill and Harley Chambliss will call the action from Rocky Johnson Field during every Big 12 Conference game as the online broadcast can be heard through the video stream.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Texas Tech fans unable to make the trip to Rocky Johnson Field can keep up with all the action through the Gameday Central page at texastech.com. The page will contain live scoring, an in-game blog, and stats and box scores from every Tech game along with postgame video from head coach Shanon Hays.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Texas Tech (35-3; 0-2) - No. 22/23
Oklahoma (28-9; 1-1) - No. 14/15
(ESPN.com/USA Softball - NFCA/USA Today)
ON DECK
The Red Raiders face a quick turnaround before No. 17 Baylor travels to Lubbock for a midweek doubleheader next Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Rocky Johnson Field.
THE SERIES
Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 30-5, after winning 10 of the last 11 meetings. The Red Raiders will be looking for their first win against the Sooners in Lubbock as Tech is 0-12 at home in the series.
RED RAIDERS 30TH IN FIRST RPI RANKINGS
After the best start in school history, Texas Tech ranked 30th in the first NCAA RPI rankings released this week. The Red Raiders are the seventh-highest ranked team in the Big 12, trailing Texas (No. 3), Missouri (No. 5), Oklahoma (No. 8), Nebraska (No. 11), Baylor (No. 14), and Oklahoma State (No. 23).
BIG 12 COULD BE OPEN RACE
After only one week of Big 12 play, the conference race appears it could go down to the final weekend. Three out of five series were split last weekend while Texas and Missouri both posted sweeps. The Tigers already have four wins to lead the league, which has eight teams currently ranked in the top 25.
A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA...
The Sooners arrive in Lubbock fresh off a split series against Nebraska last weekend in Norman and a midweek win over Central Arkansas on Wednesday. The Sooners have played one of the toughest schedules in the country as five of their nine losses have come to opponents ranked in the top 25. Keilani Rickets leads OU in the circle with a 16-5 record and 1.14 ERA, while Jessica Shults has recorded a .358 average at the plate to go along with a Big 12-leading 18 home runs and 53 RBIs.
SARTINI PROMOTED TO ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH
Texas Tech head coach promoted assistant coach Aly Sartini to the title of associate head coach this week. Sartini, in her second year at Tech, directs the Tech pitching staff and outfielders, while also assisting in the program's recruiting efforts as well as academic and travel matters.
BLEDSOE A REGULAR ON THE BASES
Through 38 games this season, Emily Bledsoe has reached base in 37 of those outings, including the first 34 games of the year. Bledsoe is second on the team with a .515 on-base percentage, trailing only Cydney Allen's .542 percentage.
RED RAIDERS LOOK TO REBOUND AGAINST OU
Missouri's Chelsea Thomas stifled the Tech offense for most of the two teams' series last weekend, holding the Red Raiders to only two runs off five hits. Tech had not been held to under two runs in a game all season and its two hits in the series finale set a new season low.
OFFENSE FOUND SUCCESS A YEAR AGO
The Red Raiders were able to plate more than enough runners last year against the Sooners, scoring seven runs in each game of a midweek doubleheader on April 15. Tech lost the first game, 9-7, before rebounding to win in extra innings, 7-6, in the finale. The Sooners shut down the Red Raiders in the Big 12 quarterfinal game, however, as Keilani Rickets threw a three-hit shutout en route to a 2-0 victory.
FANS PACK THE ROCK
Texas Tech's 1,248 fans in attendance during the series finale against Missouri easily broke the school record of 853 set on March 28 last year against Iowa State. Three of the five largest crowds in school history have come in Shanon Hays' two-year tenure and fans are encouraged to once again pack Rocky Johnson Field again this weekend against Oklahoma.
