Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Takes Winning Streak to West Coast
March 13, 2014 | Softball
March 13, 2014
Texas Tech Notes | Gameday Central | Titan Classic Schedule | San Diego State Classic Central
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech will take its eight-game winning streak to the West Coast this weekend with stops at the Titan Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton and the San Diego State Classic. The Red Raiders will face DePaul, Canisius, UNLV and Cal State Fullerton on Friday and Saturday before making the short trip south to San Diego for a Sunday doubleheader against Long Beach State and San Diego State before the Monday finale against Harvard. It will be the busiest stretch of the season for the Red Raiders, who will play a total of seven games over the four-day stretch.
| TOURNAMENT INFORMATION | TITAN CLASSIC / SAN DIEGO STATE CLASSIC |
| Dates | Fri.-Sat., March 14-15 (Fullerton); Sun.-Mon., March 16-17 (San Diego) |
| Location | Fullerton, Calif. / San Diego, Calif. |
| Texas Tech Schedule | Friday, March 14 (at Cal State Fullerton) Texas Tech vs. DePaul - 5:30 p.m. Texas Tech vs. Canisius - 8 p.m. Saturday, March 15 (at Cal State Fullerton) Texas Tech vs. UNLV - 2 p.m. Texas Tech vs. Cal State Fullerton - 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 16 (at San Diego State) Texas Tech vs. Long Beach State - 2:30 p.m. Texas Tech vs. San Diego State - 5 p.m. Monday, March 17 (at San Diego State) Texas Tech vs. Harvard - 5:30 p.m. All times listed are Central Standard Time |
| Live Video | Cal State Fullerton Game Only |
| Radio | None |
| Twitter Updates | @TechGameday | @Matt_Dowdy |
ON THE HORIZON
Texas Tech will return to the friendly confines of Rocky Johnson Field to close out its non-conference slate as the Red Raiders will face North Texas in a March 19 doubleheader and then Texas State in a three-game series that runs March 21-23. Tech will play the next eight games at home following its California trip as Big 12 Conference play begins March 28 with a three-game series at home against No. 12 Baylor.
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Texas Tech's tournament opener with DePaul will mark the third-straight season where the Red Raiders and Blue Demons have faced each other. The two teams have split those two meetings with Tech taking a 2-1 victory in 2012 while DePaul answered with a 5-1 win a year ago. DePaul is 2-1 all-time against the Red Raiders as the Blue Demons also claimed a 5-3 victory in 2002 in a game that also took place at Cal State Fullerton.
• Canisius marks the fifth first-time opponent for Texas Tech this season, joining the likes of Akron, Weber State, Creighton and Rhode Island. The Red Raiders are 4-3 in those games this season.
• Texas Tech enters this weekend trailing in its all-time series with UNLV as the Rebels are 5-3 against the Red Raiders after splitting a pair of games last season. Tech dropped the Rebels, 10-6, early in the 2013 season before UNLV responded with a 5-3 victory later in the season. This will be just the third time the two teams have met at a neutral site as each of the past four contests were played in Las Vegas.
• The Red Raiders will be battling Cal State Fullerton for the first time since 2008 in the Titans Classic finale on Saturday. Texas Tech is just 1-6 all-time against the Titans after losing each of the past six meetings, including a 7-2 setback on Feb. 29, 2008, in what was the Red Raiders' last trip to Fullerton. Tech is 0-2 all-time against Fullerton on the road.
• Texas Tech and Long Beach State will be meeting for the fourth time in school history on Sunday in the San Diego State Classic. The Red Raiders are 1-2 all-time against the 49ers with losses in 1999 and 2000 before Tech picked up its first win in the series on Feb. 17, 2012. Tech topped Long Beach, 2-0, that day in a neutral site contest held in Las Vegas.
• Texas Tech and San Diego State have become familiar opponents during the Shanon Hays as the two teams will be meeting Sunday for the fourth time in a five-year span. The Red Raiders are 2-1 against the Aztecs under Hays and 7-4 all-time in the series that dates back to 1998. This is the second-straight year where the Red Raiders will face the Aztecs in their own San Diego State Classic. The Aztecs, who are 2-1 when facing Tech on their home field, took a 3-0 victory a year ago.
• Like San Diego State, Harvard is another familiar opponent for the Red Raiders under Shanon Hays as the two teams have met in each of Texas Tech's last two NCAA Regional appearances. Tech delivered a 7-0 rout of Harvard in the first meeting between the two schools during the 2011 Tucson Regional before the Crimson delivered a 2-0 shutout that eliminated the Red Raiders from the 2012 Seattle Regional.
RED RAIDERS OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2011
Texas Tech heads to California in the midst of its best start to a season since 2011 when the Red Raiders set the school record for best winning percentage thanks in part to its second straight 40-win campaign. The 2011 club won the first 24 games that season en route to finishing 42-16 overall after falling to Arizona in the finale of the NCAA Tucson Regional. The Red Raiders take an 18-6 overall record to California following a successful homestand where Tech won its final eight games. It is the longest winning streak for the Red Raiders since recording 10-straight victories from March 9-16 last year.
AUCOIN, TALLEY LEADING TEXAS TECH TO SUCCESSFUL START IN THE CIRCLE
Texas Tech head coach Shanon Hays knew experience in the circle could play a big part in the Red Raiders' success this season. Little did he know that the Red Raider pitching staff would develop into a dominant rotation led by senior Brittany Talley and sophomore Gretchen Aucoin, who enter this weekend with the Big 12's lowest two ERAs. Talley has totaled a league-leading 1.08 ERA while Aucoin trails closely behind with a 1.17 ERA of her own. The pair have helped Tech record a 1.98 ERA as a team, its lowest average for a Shanon Hays club through 24 games in his tenure. The Red Raiders enter this weekend ranked third in the Big 12 for ERA, trailing only Baylor and Kansas. Tech has benefited of late from the emergence of junior Cara Custer, who 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA over the last two weekends alone.
TALLEY OFF TO BEST START TO A SEASON SINCE 2011
Brittany Talley will look to continue her strong start to her senior season this weekend in California. The southpaw is 7-0 currently on the season with a Big 12-leading 1.08 ERA that is the lowest for a Texas Tech pitcher through 24 games during the Shanon Hays era. She is the only conference pitcher ranked in the top seven for ERA to remain undefeated so far this season. Talley's 7-0 start is just win shy of matching the best start to a season in her career as she opened her collegiate career in 2011 with an 8-0 record. Talley ended the 2011 season 14-7 overall, marking her most wins in a single season during her career. The Little Elm, Texas native has a chance to end her career in scarlet and black among the best pitchers in school history as she currently ranks among the top seven all-time in every pitching category. She needs one more win to pass Erin Crawford (2003-06) for fourth all-time at Texas Tech as she currently has 42 wins in three-plus seasons.
RED RAIDERS ON PACE TO SHATTER STOLEN BASES RECORD
Texas Tech's offense has taken on a new dimension this season as the Red Raiders, led by newcomers Sydni Emanuel and Lea Hopson, have become one of the most nation's lethal teams on the base paths. The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 Conference and rank 19th nationally, averaging1.88 stolen bases per game. The quick start on the base paths has put the Red Raiders in position to possibly break one of the longest-running school records in the 81 stolen bases from the 2001 season. Tech's 45 stolen bases so far are almost twice as many as the 24 the Red Raiders had through 24 games in 2001. With seven games on the docket this weekend, the Red Raiders will remain ahead of pace as Tech did not reach the same amount in 2001 under the 33rd game of the season. Emanuel is tied with the Big 12 lead with 19 stolen bases this year while Hopson is a perfect 13-for-13 to rank sixth in the conference.
