Texas Tech Announces 2015 Softball Schedule
October 27, 2014 | Softball
Texas Tech will host a total of 18 games this spring at Rocky Johnson Field, including two home tournaments and three Big 12 Conference series. The home slate includes series against Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Oct. 27, 2014
The Red Raiders will host a total of 18 games at Rocky Johnson Field in Gregory's inaugural season, including a pair of home tournaments and three Big 12 Conference series against Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas - all NCAA Regional selections a year ago.
Before Tech can even make it to conference play, however, the Red Raiders will have played a total of nine non-conference games against NCAA Regional teams from 2014 such as Nebraska, DePaul, Tulsa, Utah Valley and Washington.
"We are eagerly awaiting the spring and the schedule it unfolds," Gregory said. "We have a solid preseason schedule setup and many challenges on the road. I believe the only way we grow as people is to challenge ourselves and choose to rise to the challenge. Not only playing previous NCAA Regional teams such as DePaul, Nebraska, Tulsa and Washington, but playing them on the road, will be an exciting, welcomed challenge."
Tech will also make tournament stops at Texas State (Feb. 13-15), UT Arlington (Feb. 20-22) and McNeese State (Feb. 28-March 2) before opening its home slate March 6 with the Texas Tech Invitational.
The Red Raiders will host the likes of Utah Valley, Tennessee-Martin and UT Arlington during the Texas Tech Invitational and then will welcome Mississippi Valley State and Tulsa the following weekend (March 13-14) for the fifth-annual Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic.
Tech will also play five games outside of tournament action as the Red Raiders will travel to UTEP for a March 11 doubleheader and then to the northwest to face nationally-ranked Washington in a March 18 two-game series before facing Seattle in a single game the following day.
The Spring Break trip to Seattle will allow two of Tech's seniors - Lea Hopson and Cara Custer - to play in their home state during their final season. Tech has not played in the state of Washington since Custer's 2012 freshman season when the Red Raiders took part in the NCAA Seattle Regional.
"Everything we do here at Texas Tech has a purpose," Gregory said. "This year we chose to travel to the great northwest to play Washington as well as Seattle. Both Cara and Lea reside from the northwest and haven't had many opportunities to play in front of their friends and family. We wanted to change that for them this year. Both programs will be a contest for us and who wouldn't want to play one of the best teams in the country in the Huskies."
The Red Raiders will open Big 12 play against Oklahoma following its trip to Washington as the Sooners, a Women's College World Series participant in each of the past three seasons, make the trip to Lubbock for a March 27-29 series.
Tech will also host Kansas on April 10-12 and in-state rival Texas on April 24-26 at Rocky Johnson Field. The Red Raiders will be on the road for their three other conference series against Baylor (April 2-4), Oklahoma State (April 17-19) and Iowa State (May 1-3).
"Our conference schedule is unique and full of opportunity," Gregory said. "We play major conference rivals at home this year. What a wonderful time for us as a Red Raider Nation to show what we are all about and bring a force. We feel extremely blessed to play Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas at home and we welcome to our facility with open arms and look forward to playing in front of our home crowd. It's going to be an exciting year."
Red Raider fans can secure their ticket to each of the Tech's 18 home games this year by purchasing the Olympic Sports pass that is on sale through the Tech Ticket Office. Olympic Sports passes can be purchased by visiting texastech.com or by calling 806-742-TECH.
