Softball Opens 2017 at CenturyLink Classic

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will open its 26^th season of softball Friday evening with a doubleheader at the CenturyLink Classic in San Marcos, Texas, as the Red Raiders face Texas State at 5 p.m. CT and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi at 7 p.m.

Tech will continue play at the event Saturday when it takes on Iowa at 3 p.m. and Abilene Christian at 7 p.m., before wrapping up with TAMUCC Sunday at 12 p.m.

Live stats are available through txstatebobcats.com. Fans can also find links for a live stream ($) of each contest, as well as live audio of Tech's game against Texas State through the Tournament Central page.

LEADING OFF
• Texas Tech will open the 2017 season Friday afternoon against an NCAA Regional team from last season in Texas State of the Sun Belt Conference. The Bobcats finished 2015-16 with a 40-22 mark, including a 15-9 record in league play.

• The Red Raiders enter the five game weekend under the direction of third year head coach Adrian Gregory. Through two years at the helm, Gregory has guided the Red Raiders to a 48-58 overall record, including a 15-21 mark in conference play. An ambitious scheduler, Gregory's 2016 club took many of the nation's top programs down to the wire, and the Red Raiders will face another daunting slate in 2017.

• Senior Kierra Miles headlines a group of nine senior returners in 2017 after breaking the school record with 17 home runs in 2016. A pair of All-Big 12 Second Team selections will provide support in senior Susan Welborn and sophomore Kiani Ramsey, while sophomore Jessica Hartwell could be poised to have a break out season after hitting .297 in her freshman season. Senior right-handers Mattison Maisel and Dominique Alcocer will provide a veteran presence on the mound as both enter their second season as the primary options in the circle.

• In Adrian Gregory's mind, "to be the best, you have to play the best." The third-year head coach is putting that motto to the test this season as Texas Tech again boasts one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. During the 2017 season, the Red Raiders will face two top 10 teams and 10 teams overall who are either ranked or receiving votes in the NFCA Coaches' Preseason Top 25. Texas Tech will see their first ranked opponent on Feb. 19 when the team will face off against Fresno State.

• The Red Raiders closed the 2016 season 23-32 overall and 6-12 in Big 12 play. Tech, which put together another strong offensive season, returns 17 letterwinners, including six position starters and three veteran pitchers to the rotation in 2017. Nine seniors, mixed with a core of talented underclassmen, look to return the Red Raiders to an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2012.

RED RAIDERS ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS
Texas Tech has won both season openers under third-year head coach Adrian Gregory, and will look to continue that trend when the Red Raiders face Texas State at the CenturyLink Classic. The Red Raiders topped UNLV, 7-3, to kick off the 2016 season which moved Tech to 12-9 all-time in season openers in the process. Tech had won seven of its last eight season openers, with its last loss coming in 2014 to Akron, 4-3. Within its current run of seven-out-of-eight is a five-game winning streak in season openers that marks the longest such streak in program history. This will be the first time Texas Tech has ever opened a season against Texas State.

Texas Tech in Season Openers (Since 2009)
Date	Opponent	Result	Site
Feb. 6, 2009	vs. Central Florida	W, 12-4	Tempe, Ariz.
Feb. 11, 2010	vs. Wisconsin	W, 5-2	Tempe, Ariz.
Feb. 10, 2011	vs. No. 16 BYU	W, 7-6 (9 inn.)	Tempe, Ariz.
Feb. 9, 2012	vs. San Diego State	W, 5-4	Tempe, Ariz.
Feb. 8, 2013	vs. Central Florida	W, 12-4 (5 inn.)	Las Vegas, Nev.
Feb. 7, 2014	vs. Akron	L, 3-4	Hammond, La.
Feb. 5, 2015	at New Mexico State	W, 5-3	Las Cruces, N.M.
Feb. 11, 2016	at UNLV	W, 7-3	Las Vegas, Nevada

SERIES SNAPSHOTS
Texas State
Texas Tech leads the series 18-13, despite dropping the two most recent contests to the Bobcats in 2015. Aside from last season, the two squads have squared off every season dating back to 2012, with the Red Raiders owning a 6-3 record during that span.
TAMUCC
The Red Raiders and Islanders will meet for just the second time since 2005 and the 13th time overall. The Red Raiders won the most recent matchup in 2014, which broke a five-game Islander winning streak in the series and evened the all-times series record at 6-6.
Iowa
The Red Raiders and Hawkeyes will meet for the first time since 2001 and just the third time overall on Saturday, with the Red Raiders leading the all-time series 2-1.
Abilene Christian
The Red Raiders and Wildcats will meet for the 12th time in the history of the two programs, with Tech holding a commanding 10-1 series lead over its sister school. The Wildcats edged the Red Raiders in the second of two meetings last season for its first win in the series.

TEXAS TECH STARTS ITS SEASON ON THE ROAD
The Red Raiders will become accustomed to life on the road throughout the month of February as Texas Tech will play its first 15 games of the season away from home. Following its trip this weekend to San Marcos, Texas, the Red Raiders also travel to tournaments in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and in Tuscaloosa, Ala., before their first game at home. The Red Raiders open their home slate on March 3 with a doubleheader against UTEP and Wichita State to begin the Texas Tech Invitational. The 15-game road trip comes on the heels of a 16-game road trip to launch 2016 and a 21-game voyage to start 2015.

Softball Opens 2017 at CenturyLink Classic

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Players Mentioned

Jessica Hartwell

Texas Tech University Athletics