Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Close Non-Conference Play in Seattle
March 17, 2015 | Softball
Cara Custer, along with teammate Lea Hopson, will return to her home state of Washington this week as the Red Raiders face Seattle University at 8 p.m. CT Wednesday evening and then No. 18 Washington in a 7 p.m. CT doubleheader Thursday.
March 17, 2015
Texas Tech's trip to Seattle is a homecoming of sorts for Red Raider seniors Cara Custer and Lea Hopson, who both hail from the state of Washington. The trip was scheduled by first-year head coach Adrian Gregory as a way for both seniors to play in front of friends and family during their final year.
LEADING OFF...
? This will be Texas Tech's first trip to the state of Washington since the Red Raiders took part in the 2012 NCAA Seattle Regional. Tech went 1-2 that year with an opening game victory over Maryland before falling to No. 16 overall seed Washington and Harvard the next day.
? Cara Custer is the only active Red Raider to previously play at Washington's Husky Softball Stadium as she appeared in two games during Tech's trip to the NCAA Seattle Regional in 2012. Custer finished the weekend with an 0-1 showing in the circle that included 2.62 earned-run average over eight innings.
? Texas Tech's doubleheader at Washington wraps a busy eight-day stretch for the Red Raiders, who will have played at total of nine games during that span.
? Texas Tech's doubleheader at No. 18 Washington marks the first time the Red Raiders have gone on the road to face a ranked non-conference foe at its home field since falling to No. 2 Florida, 7-3, on Feb. 28, 2009. All of Tech's previous meetings with ranked non-conference opponents came at neutral sites.
? The Washington doubleheader starts an 11-game stretch for the Red Raiders against ranked opponents. Tech is slated to begin Big 12 play on March 27-29 against No. 6 Oklahoma and will follow with three-game series at No. 16 Baylor (April 2-4) and at home against No. 22 Kansas (April 10-12).
INSIDE THE SEATTLE UNIVERSITY SERIES
Texas Tech will be facing Seattle for the first time in school history on Wednesday night. The Redhawks are one of five first-time opponents for the Red Raiders this season, joining the likes of Montana, Grand Canyon, UT Martin and Mississippi Valley State. The Red Raiders are 4-2 in such games already this season.
INSIDE THE WASHINGTON SERIES
Texas Tech and Washington will meet for the first time since 2012 on Thursday evening as the two schools have previously faced each other eight times. Washington commands a 7-1 all-time advantage in the series that has been played mainly at neutral sites. This will be only Tech's second trip to face the Huskies as the Red Raiders previously took part in the 2012 NCAA Seattle Regional where Washington handed the Red Raiders a 2-0 shutout in the winner's side of the bracket. Tech has only topped Washington once in its history which came in a 3-2 victory on March 10, 2007, during the Pac-10/Big 12 Challenge hosted by Arizona State.
| Texas Tech & Washington All-Time Series | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Winner | Score | Site |
| Feb. 10, 2001 | Washington | 4-1 | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| March 15, 2002 | Washington | 10-3 | Fullerton, Calif. |
| Feb. 14, 2004 | Washington | 6-0 | Tempe, Ariz. |
| March 9, 2007 | Washington | 1-0 | Tempe, Ariz. |
| March 10, 2007 | Texas Tech | 3-2 | Tempe, Ariz. |
| Feb. 8, 2008 | Washington | 8-1 | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Feb. 22, 2008 | Washington | 6-1 | Albuquerque, N.M. |
| May 19, 2012 | Washington | 2-0 | Seattle, Wash. |
ON DECK
Texas Tech opens Big 12 Conference play on March 27-29 as the Red Raiders host No. 6 Oklahoma in a three-game series at Rocky Johnson Field. The Red Raiders open league action with three-straight weekend series against current ranked opponents as Tech will also face Baylor on April 2-4 in Waco before returning home to host Kansas on April 10-12.
CUSTER, HOPSON RETURN HOME TO WASHINGTON
Texas Tech's trip to Seattle will be a homecoming of sorts for a pair of Texas Tech seniors Cara Custer and Lea Hopson, both Washington natives. Custer hails from Tacoma, roughly 30 minutes from Seattle, while Hopson hails from Sequim, which is 70 miles northwest of Seattle. The trip was scheduled by first-year head coach Adrian Gregory as a way for both seniors to play in front of their friends and family during their final year. This will be only the fifth time Hopson has played in front of her family as a collegiate athlete as she previously spent two years at the College of Southern Idaho before signing with Tech prior to the 2014 season. Custer, meanwhile, has played in her home state before as she was part of the Tech team that advanced to the NCAA Seattle Regional in 2012.
HUSKIES BEGIN A CHALLENGING STRETCH OF THE SEASON FOR THE RED RAIDERS
The Washington doubleheader opens possibly the most challenging part of the schedule for Texas Tech this season as the 18th-ranked Huskies are the first of four-straight top-25 opponents to face the Red Raiders. Following its Thursday night doubleheader with Washington, Tech will open Big 12 play against No. 6 Oklahoma and then continue league action with back-to-back weekend series against No. 16 Baylor and No. 22 Kansas. The 11-game stretch against ranked opponents is the longest since the Red Raiders played 13-consecutive games against top-25 goes in 2012.
