Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Opens Fall Baseball Team Practices
September 15, 2011 | Baseball
The Red Raiders opened team practices Thursday with 60-degree weather
Sept. 15, 2011
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LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech baseball team opened its fall team practices on Thursday afternoon at Dan Law Field with 47 players, including 12 returning pitchers, 10 returning position players, a pair of returning two-way player and four redshirt athletes along with 19 newcomers.
"I'm very excited," fourth-year head coach Dan Spencer said about the start of the fall season. "We have a good group. I think they are excited to play. I think we have a good combination of returners who have done something in Division I baseball and young guys fighting for some jobs."
The Red Raiders return nine of their top 11 hitters and have brought back 83 percent of the team's innings pitched from a year ago. In addition, eight players have earned All-Big 12 honors over the past two seasons.
Among the top players returning are third baseman Reid Redman (.320, 12 2B, 34 RBI), who led Tech in hitting in 2011 and was drafted in the 37th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Two-time All-Big 12 center fielder Barrett Barnes (.290, 10 HR, 38 RBI) is back for his junior season along with junior second baseman Jamodrick McGruder (.293, 35 BB, 25 HBP, 28 SB) and 2011 Freshman All-American David Paiz (.284, 27 RBI, 3-5, 50.2 IP, 34 SO, 17 BB).
Tech's pitching staff returns all three weekend starters along with its top options from the bullpen. Tech's weekend rotation - all sophomores this year - Paiz, right-handed pitcher Trey Masek (5-4, 4.70 ERA, 17 APP, 12 GS, 67.0 IP, 33 SO) and right-handed pitcher Duke von Schamann (5-0, 3.92 ERA, 13 APP, 7 GS, 41.1 IP, 19 SO, 9 BB) all return and so does senior All-American right-handed pitcher John Neely (9-1, 2.97 ERA, 30 APP, 7 SV, 60.2 IP, 56 SO, 21 BB) and right-handed pitcher Brennan Stewart (2-1, 3.40 ERA, 22 APP, 3 GS, 55.2 IP, 38 SO, 13 BB).
The Red Raiders have also welcomed a lot of talented newcomers, many of which have earned All-Conference, All-Region or All-American honors at the high school or junior college levels prior to joining the Texas Tech program.
