Texas Tech University Athletics
No. 5 Texas Tech Closes Regular Season With West Virginia
May 18, 2016 | Baseball
The Red Raiders close out the regular season this weekend with a three-game series against West Virginia. The series opener is slated for a 6:30 p.m. Thursday night.
SERIES INFO: Dates: May 19-21 | Times: 6:30 p.m. / 2 p.m. / 2 p.m. | TV: FSSW (Thurs.-Fri.) / FSSW+ (Sat.)
May 18, 2016
- FIRST PITCH...
- After already claiming the outright Big 12 Conference title, No. 5 Texas Tech will look to close the regular season in style this weekend when the Red Raiders host West Virginia in a three-game series at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. The series begins with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch Thursday evening and continues with 2 p.m. starts on Friday and Saturday.
- All three contests of this weekend's series will air live on a FOX Sports Network as FOX Sports Southwest will carry the first two games of the series (Thurs.-Fri.) while Saturday's finale will be shown on FOX Sports Southwest Plus.
- Texas Tech will be presented the 2016 Big 12 trophy in a pregame ceremony prior to Thursday's series opener. The ceremony is tentatively scheduled for 6:20 p.m. outside the Tech dugout.
- The Red Raiders clinched the outright Big 12 regular season title this past Sunday after Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State, 3-1, to win that series. Texas Tech entered its off weekend with a two-game lead over the Cowboys in the Big 12 standings.
- This is Texas Tech's fifth conference title in school history and first since the Red Raiders won the 1998 Big 12 Tournament. Tech also claimed the Southwest Conference regular season and tournament titles in 1995 as well as the inaugural Big 12 regular season crown in 1997.
- Texas Tech will end a nine-day break with the West Virginia series as the Red Raiders' last game came May 10 in a 7-2 victory at Abilene Christian.
- Both Texas Tech and West Virginia enter the series riding winning streaks. The Red Raiders have won five straight entering this weekend while the Mountaineers currently boast the nation's longest winning streak at 10 games.
- A series win over the Mountaineers would push the Red Raiders to 40 wins for the 13th time in school history and the second time already under head coach Tim Tadlock.
- Texas Tech needs two more victories to reach the 40-win plateau for the second time already in Tim Tadlock's four seasons. Tadlock would potentially be the first head coach in program history to lead the Red Raiders to multiple 40-win seasons over his first four years.
- INSIDE THE WEST VIRGINIA SERIES
- Texas Tech and West Virginia will be meeting for the 10th time on a baseball diamond Thursday night.
- The Red Raiders are 5-4 all-time against the Mountaineers with all nine games coming since West Virginia joined the Big 12 Conference prior to the 2013 season.
- Despite leading the overall series, Texas Tech is just 1-2 in Big 12 series against the Mountaineers. West Virginia has won each of its two series at home in 2013 and 2015 while the Red Raiders swept the 2014 series in Lubbock.
- This is the third-straight year where Texas Tech and West Virginia have closed the regular season against each other.
- The Red Raiders used a pair of one-run victories, including an 11-inning thriller in the opener, to sweep the 2014 series versus the Mountaineers. Texas Tech concluded the series with a 4-0 win after previously recording 4-3 and 3-2 victories.
- West Virginia rebounded in 2015 with 6-4 and 8-2 victories before Texas Tech salvaged the series with an 8-2 win of its own in the finale. Tech's eight runs marked its most all-time in the series.
- Pitching has historically dominated the series as the team two have combined to average just 6.8 runs per game.
- RED RAIDERS CLINCH OUTRIGHT BIG 12 REGULAR SEASON TITLE
- Texas Tech enters this weekend having already clinched the outright Big 12 regular season title as the Red Raiders are 17-4 overall in Big 12 play, marking their best start to league action since the conference's inaugural season in 1997.
- This is Texas Tech's fifth conference title in school history and first since the Red Raiders won the 1998 Big 12 Tournament. Tech also claimed the Southwest Conference regular season and tournament titles in 1995 as well as the inaugural Big 12 regular season crown in 1997.
- Of the nine current baseball members in the Big 12, Texas Tech is one of just three schools to win multiple regular-season titles, joining Texas (8) and Baylor (3).
- Picked to finish fifth in the coaches preseason poll, Texas Tech is just the third team in league history to win the regular-season title after being picked fifth or lower, joining both Texas A&M (picked fifth in 1999) and Kansas State (picked 7th in 2013).
- The Red Raiders have swept four of its seven Big 12 series so far this year which matches the single-season school record from the 1997 season. Texas Tech played 10 conference series that season, two more than its current slate of eight weekend series.
- Texas Tech's 17 wins so far in Big 12 play mark its most against conference foes since the Red Raiders finished 17-9 in 2004.
- Texas Tech needs a series win over West Virginia to snap the single-season record for highest winning percentage in Big 12 play, breaking the current mark of .767 from the 1997 season.
- The sweep of Kansas improved the Red Raiders to 10-2 in league games away from home, marking the first time a Big 12 school has won 10 or more road games since the conference moved to a nine-team format in 2012.
- Texas Tech's successful start to league play was boosted by a school record 11-game conference winning streak. The streak, the fifth-longest winning streak in league history, was snapped April 23 with a 7-4 loss to Texas.
- Texas Tech had not previously swept three-consecutive Big 12 series in program history (Oklahoma, K-State, Oklahoma State).
- Texas Tech's series sweep of Oklahoma State marked its first over a ranked opponent since the Red Raiders took all three games from No. 17 Baylor in 2002. It also marked the first road sweep for Tech over a ranked Big 12 opponent in program history.
- Texas Tech had not previously swept a Big 12 opponent on the road since traveling to Kansas on May 1-3, 2004. In addition, Texas Tech had not previously swept Oklahoma State at home or on the road in school history.
Highlights: ACU
Wednesday, April 22
Win Cam: Tarleton
Wednesday, April 22
Press Conference: Tarleton State
Tuesday, April 21
Highlights: Tarleton
Tuesday, April 21