No. 11 Tech Ready For Home Opener Against NMSU

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 11 Red Raiders return home after going 3-1 in their opening weekend to take on New Mexico State on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

The game will be streamed live on TexasTech.TV and can be heard on 97.3 FM or the TuneIn app. Live stats will also be available via TexasTech.Statbroadcast.com.

The Red Raiders (3-1) and the Aggies (2-2) are no strangers to each other, as Tech holds a 45-18 advantage in the all-time series against New Mexico State, including a 34-7 standard at home. Tuesday's meeting will mark the sixth-straight year the two programs have squared off, with the Red Raiders going 9-3 over that stretch.

It will be the first game of the season in Lubbock, as Tech began the 2017 campaign with a four-game series in Starkville, Mississippi, against Western Illinois and Mississippi State. The Red Raiders swept the two-game set with the Leathernecks, 15-1 and 13-5, while splitting the series with the Bulldogs, winning game one, 5-2, and dropping the second, 8-5.

The first win of the year had a little extra meaning to it, as it marked the 150^th career win for the head coach Tim Tadlock, who is in his fifth year at the helm of the program. He is the fastest coach in school history to reach the milestone.

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Tech moved up in four of the polls after going 3-1 during the opening weekend. The Red Raiders are once again ranked the highest by D1 Baseball, which slotted Tech at No. 11 in this week's poll. The Red Raiders also cracked the top 20 in College Baseball Newspaper's rankings, while moving up to No. 21 by Baseball America and is receiving votes in the Perfect Game poll.

The offensive firepower was on display in Starkville, as the Red Raiders racked up 44 hits over the four-game set, the most by any Big 12 after the opening weekend of action. Senior infielder Hunter Hargrove led the charge, racking up eight hits, including three doubles and two home runs, along with seven RBI and five runs scored for a .444/.944/.474 line. Hargrove posted a career day in the first game of the year, going four-for-five with four hits, three extra base hits, which put him a triple shy of the cycle, four RBI, one walk and two runs scored.

Freshmen Josh Jung and Grant Little had great showings in their collegiate debut weekend. Jung wrapped the series with a .467 average after seven hits, three walks, three RBI and four runs, getting four starts at third base for the Red Raiders. Little also started all four games in left field, producing six hits, four RBI and five runs scored. Jung and Little lead Tech in multi-hit performances with three games to their names.

The Red Raiders were equally impressive on the mound, picking up three quality starts in each of the first three games by a trio of sophomores. Right-hander Davis Martin tossed 6.0 innings in game one of the Opening Day doubleheader, striking out seven Leatherneck hitters without issuing a walk, and giving up just one run on four hits to earn the game one win. Lefty Steven Gingery countered an hour later with a 7.0 inning performance, ringing up eight while also only allowing one run on four hits in the 5-2 win over Mississippi State. Right-hander Ryan Shetter joined in on the fun the next day with 6.0 IP, striking out six with no walks, allowing only two runs on four hits to complete the sweep over Western Illinois.

Tech will turn to freshman righty John Henry Gonzalez for the start against the Aggies on Tuesday. It will be the second appearance of the season for the Edinburg, Texas, native, who pitched 0.1 of an inning at Mississippi State on Feb. 17.

After their date with the Aggies, the Red Raiders continue their six-game home stand with a four-game weekend, as they welcome in California to Lubbock Feb. 24-26 for the first weekend series of the year at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

No. 11 Tech Ready For Home Opener Against NMSU

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Players Mentioned

Steven Gingery

John Henry Gonzalez

Hunter Hargrove

Josh Jung

Grant Little

Davis Martin

Ryan Shetter