Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Close Road Trip at McNeese State
February 26, 2015 | Softball
The Red Raiders wrap their 20-game road trip to start the season this weekend at the Cowgirl Classic hosted by McNeese State. Texas Tech enters Friday's tournament opener against Drake riding a season-high four game winning streak.
Feb. 26, 2015
LEADING OFF...
? Drake is a late addition to the tournament as the Bulldogs were previously scheduled to take part in a doubleheader at Austin Peay on Thursday before beginning the Purple and Gold Challenge hosted by Lipscomb on Friday. Both events were canceled due to winter conditions.
? This will be Tech's first ever trip to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to face McNeese State. The Red Raiders traveled to the state of Louisiana to open the 2014 season as Tech took part in the Lions Classic hosted by Southeastern Louisiana.
? The Red Raiders enter this weekend riding a four-game winning streak after a perfect 4-0 showing at the UT Arlington Invitational. This is Tech's longest winning streak so far this season.
? The Red Raider offense has been hitting at all cylinders lately as Tech has totaled 40 runs over its last four games, highlighted by a season-high 12 runs in its UT Arlington Invitational finale against Prairie View A&M.
? Texas Tech won all four of its games at UT Arlington by a margin of at least four runs as the Red Raiders posted their first two run-rule victories of the year over DePaul and Prairie View A&M.
? Texas Tech enters this weekend as the Big 12 leader in stolen bases as the Red Raiders have recorded 32 through 15 games this year. The Red Raiders have used a balanced approach on the base paths as well as 10 different players have swiped a bag thus far.
INSIDE THE SERIES
DRAKE
Texas Tech and Drake will meet for the third time in school history Friday afternoon in the Cowgirl Classic opener. The two schools are 1-1 all-time against each other as the Red Raiders claimed an 8-2 victory over Drake on Feb. 28, 2004. Drake evened the series in 2009 with a 5-2 victory on Feb. 20. Both previous meetings between the two schools have been played a neutral site, similar to this weekend's contest in Lake Charles.
| Texas Tech, Drake All-Time Series | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Winner | Score | Site |
| Feb. 28, 2004 | Texas Tech | 8-2 | Tulsa, Okla. |
| Feb. 20, 2009 | Drake | 5-2 | Albuquerque, N.M. |
MCNEESE STATE
Texas Tech will face McNeese State in a two-game series for the second time since 2013 this weekend. The Red Raiders, who are making their first ever trip to Lake Charles, control a 3-2 all-time advantage in the series with McNeese after the two teams split a pair of games in 2013 during the Texas Tech Invitational. Both games in the 2013 series were one-run affairs as Tech edged McNeese State, 3-2, in the opening before the Cowgirls came back to hand the Red Raiders a 1-0 shutout a day later. The two schools also met twice during the 2000 series with Tech taking 4-2 and 10-0 victories at the Troy Cox Classic hosted by New Mexico State. The only other meeting between the two schools came on Feb. 24, 1996, when McNeese claimed a 4-2 victory over a Red Raider program that was in its first year back as an intercollegiate sport.
| Texas Tech, McNeese State All-Time Series | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Winner | Score | Site |
| Feb. 24, 1996 | McNeese State | 4-2 | Monroe, La. |
| Feb. 25, 2000 | Texas Tech | 4-2 | Las Cruces, N.M. |
| Feb. 26, 2000 | Texas Tech | 1-0 | Las Cruces, N.M. |
| March 1, 2013 | Texas Tech | 3-2 | Lubbock, Texas |
| March 2, 2013 | McNeese State | 1-0 | Lubbock, Texas |
MEMPHIS
Texas Tech and Memphis will be meeting for the second time all-time Saturday afternoon as the two schools last met on Feb. 15, 2008, in Tempe, Arizona. Memphis won that meeting with a 5-3 victory.
HOLY CROSS
Texas Tech will be facing Holy Cross for the first time in school history Sunday morning. The Crusaders are one of six first-time opponents for the Red Raiders this season, joining the likes of Montana, Grand Canyon, UT Martin, Mississippi Valley State and Seattle.
BETTIOL NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Texas Tech junior Jordan Bettiol was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday after she reached in 13 of 16 plate appearances last weekend at the UT Arlington Invitational. Bettiol hit a team-leading .769 (10-for-13) over the course of the weekend, helping lead the Red Raiders (9-6) to a 4-0 showing with wins over the likes of DePaul, a preseason top-25 team, as well as host UT Arlington. The Nebraska transfer recorded at least two hits in three of Tech's four games with the only exception coming in a 12-0 rout of Prairie View A&M Saturday night. Bettiol finished 1-for-1 overall against the Panthers with a pair of walks and two stolen bases. Bettiol totaled an impressive .813 on-base percentage to go along with an .846 slugging percentage over the four games. She also stole four bases and drove in four runs, two of which that came in a 9-1 run-rule of DePaul in the tournament opener Friday.
RED RAIDERS FINDING WAYS TO COME FROM BEHIND
Texas Tech recorded its third come-from-behind victory of the season last Friday evening when the Red Raiders rallied from an early five-run deficit to top UT Arlington, 10-6. It was the third comeback already this year for the Red Raiders, who trailed heading to the seventh inning in the season opener against New Mexico State and then fell behind again later that evening against Montana. The five-run comeback against UT Arlington marked the largest deficit Tech has overcome in a victory since the Red Raiders rallied from a similar five-run deficit to defeat No. 19 Texas A&M on April 18, 2012.
BETTIOL HITTING AT RECORD PACE TO START THE SEASON
Jordan Bettiol's debut as a Red Raiders has been quite impressive over the first three weekends of the season. Bettiol, a junior transfer from Nebraska, is hitting a team-leading .500 (24-for-48) through 15 games this season which ranks second currently in the Big 12. Dating back to the 2007 season, her average is the highest for a Red Raider who has played in each of the first 15 games of a season. Bettiol leads all Red Raiders with seven multiple-hit games already this year, three of which that came last weekend at the UT Arlington Invitational. The College Station, Texas native enters this weekend leading the Big 12 Conference with 24 base hits. She also ranks among the conference leaders in runs scored, stolen bases and on-base percentage.
| Top Batting Averages Through 15 Games | |
|---|---|
| Name (Year) | Batting Average |
| Jordan Bettiol (2015) | .500 (24-for-48) |
| Cydney Allen (2011)* | .500 (18-for-36) |
| Logan Hall (2011) | .478 (22-for-46) |
| Stephanie Drewry (2009) | .475 (19-for-40) |
| Cassie McClure (2014) | .457 (16-for-35) |
| Elizabeth Eimen (2009) | .429 (18-for-42) |
| Emily Bledsoe (2010) | .457 (21-for-50) |
| * played in only the first 14 games of season | |
RED RAIDERS STAYING AGGRESSIVE ON THE BASE PATHS
Since taking over the Texas Tech softball program last summer, Adrian Gregory has insisted she wants the Red Raiders to be aggressive in every aspect of the game - pitching, hitting and on the base paths. Through three weekends, that philosophy can best be seen on the base paths where the Red Raiders have stolen 32 bases, the most currently in the Big 12. Tech has had 10 different players swipe a bag this season, led by Brooke Scott who already has a career-high eight stolen bases.
WARNECKE PROVIDES POWER IN MIDDLE OF THE LINEUP
Brittany Warnecke has pretty much solidified herself in the middle of the Texas Tech lineup through the first three weeks of the season as the sophomore leads the Red Raiders with three home runs and 13 RBI through the first 15 games of the season. Warnecke connected on two home runs and seven RBI alone during the CenturyLink Classic as she went deep in both games against UTSA. In addition to her power numbers, Warnecke, who recorded just one home run and three RBI as a freshman in 2014, is hitting .326 for the season which currently ranks third on the team.
THOMEY FINDING THE GAPS EARLY IN THE YEAR
Through the first three weeks of the season, there are not many gaps in the outfield that Devon Thomey has not found thus far. Thomey, a sophomore transfer from New Mexico State, leads the Red Raiders with a .750 slugging percentage after recording seven extra-base hits through the first 15 games. Thomey has powered three home runs already this season to go along with a pair of doubles and two triples while also stealing seven bases as Tech's normal designated player. Her .750 slugging percentage currently ranks third in the Big 12 Conference as she is also among the league leaders in triples, RBI, stolen bases, and total bases.
MAISEL RECORDS FIRST CAREER WIN OVER UMKC
Texas Tech sophomore Mattison Maisel recorded her first career victory last Saturday in a 9-6 victory over UMKC. Maisel, who is in her first year as part of the main pitching rotation, tossed a career-high 3.1 innings of relief against UMKC where she allowed just one run off four hits. Her 3.57 earned-run average (ERA) is currently the lowest for a Tech pitcher this season.
