No. 4 Tech To Open Big 12 Play At No. 21 Texas

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 4 Texas Tech baseball team looks to defend its Big 12 championship as conference play begins this weekend in Austin against No. 21 Texas on March 17-19 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

All three games will air live on the Longhorn Network, as Friday's game is set for 6:30 p.m., while Saturday's is slated for 4 p.m., and Sunday's finale aimed at a 1 p.m. first pitch. This weekend's games can also be heard on the Texas Tech Sports Network on 97.3 FM and the TuneIn app, with live stats will be available via TexasTech.Statbroadcast.com.

In 2016, the Red Raiders posted a 19-5 conference record en route to the program's first Big 12 championship under head coach Tim Tadlock. It was the fifth conference title in school history, claiming championships in 1998 (Big 12 Tournament), 1997 (Big 12 Regular Season) and 1995 (Southwest Conference Regular Season & Tournament).

Tech claimed every conference series except for one last year, sweeping four of the eight matchups. It tied with the 2001 squad for the second-most Big 12 wins in school history, trailing the 1997 conference champs with 23 victories. Tadlock is 55-41 overall against conference foes.

The Red Raiders enter league action with a 14-4 record after going 9-1 in February and opening the month of March with a 5-3 record. Tech kicked off the month with three-straight wins over top-10 teams in No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 2 LSU and No. 4 Arizona. Tech also took two of three from UTSA last weekend. February was highlighted by sweeps over California and Western Illinois, as well as midweek wins over New Mexico & New Mexico State, and a weekend split with Mississippi State in Starkville.

Only one conference opponent took two games from the Red Raiders during last year's regular season, as the Longhorns picked up victories in games two and three of the weekend series in 2016. This year, Texas are 13-6 entering Big 12 play, winning their last six games, all coming in Austin, to boast an 11-3 home record with the Red Raiders coming into town.

The two programs have met 156 times heading into this weekend's series, with Texas leading the overall series. The Red Raiders have won three of the last six meetings with the Longhorns, while Tadlock is 6-7 all-time against Texas.

The road team has claimed the regular season series every year since 2012. Neither team has swept the other during that stretch. In Tech's last trip to Austin in 2015, the Red Raiders won the Saturday and Sunday games by scores of 9-1 and 5-1, respectively.

Texas' weekend rotation will consist of three right-handers in: sophomore Nolan Kingham, redshirt junior Morgan Cooper and freshman Blair Henley. The trio has combined for a 6-2 record, with 62 strikeouts and 25 walks, giving up 17 runs. On the other side of the ball, Kacy Clemens leads the Longhorns with a .365 batting average, racking up 23 hits and 21 runs, while driving in 14 RBI.

Tech opened the week with a tough 5-1 loss against UT-Arlington (9-8) at Globe Life Park on Tuesday night. The Red Raiders were held to just two hits for the second time this season, one an RBI single from junior infielder Michael Davis and the other a triple from freshman catcher Michael Berglund, both with two outs in their respective innings.

It was the fourth game Tech had played at a Major League ballpark this season, as the Red Raiders began March with at Minute Maid Park in Houston at the 2017 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. Friday night's conference opener will be the fifth game Tech has played against a ranked opponent this season. The Red Raiders squared off with three top-15 teams in Houston in No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 2 LSU. Tech followed by hosting then-No. 4 Arizona the next Tuesday, trouncing the Wildcats, 13-1, to take a 3-1 record against nationally-ranked foes into this weekend's series.

Friday's contest will mark just the third true road game for the Red Raiders. Tech began the season in Starkville with a pair of two-game swings against Mississippi State and Western Illinois, splitting the series with the Bulldogs and sweeping the Leathernecks.

Tech posted another 3-1 stretch last week, notching a 13-1 victory over No. 4 Arizona a week ago on March 7 in Lubbock, the first top-10 matchup at home since 1997. It was the first night game for the Red Raiders and their third-straight win over a top-10 opponent. The victory over the Wildcats was also the first top-five win at Rip Griffin Park since a 5-1 defeat of No. 2 TCU on April 3, 2015.

The Red Raiders followed it by taking the first and third games of the three-game set with UTSA, sandwiching a tough 3-2 loss on Saturday with a 7-6 victory on Friday and an 8-4 win in the Sunday finale. It was the first time since 2011 the two teams have met.

With Tech's win on Friday over the Roadrunners, the Red Raiders matched their best start to a season since 2005 at 13-2 overall through the first 15 games of the year. That year's squad also sat at 14-3 after 17 games into their year.

With a 14-4 record through 18 games, the Red Raiders sit inside the top-11 of all six polls, moving up in four publication's rankings from last week's spots. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper moved Tech into their top five at No. 4 this week for the first time since the end of last year's season. The Red Raiders also climbed in the USA Today Coaches poll to No. 6, while standing firm in D1 Baseball's rankings in the sixth slot. The National College Baseball Writers Association moved Tech up to No. 8, while Perfect Game kept the Red Raiders in the eighth spot in their newest rankings. Baseball America rounded out the poll by placing Tech at No. 11, which was also an increase from last week's mark.

The Red Raiders have been ranked inside the top six of at least one poll in each of the last two seasons.

The weekend staff has been tremendous for the Red Raiders, filled by three sophomores who all posted quality starts against UTSA last weekend. Righty Davis Martin got back in the win column after a 6.0 inning outing against the Roadrunners to open the series on Friday. He allowed just two runs on six hits after three scoreless frames of facing the minimum batters, finishing the day with five strikeouts. Left-hander Steven Gingery came one out away from a complete-game shutout the next afternoon, tossing 8.2 innings, striking out eight. He was charged with two runs after leaving the game with two on and two out and a 2-0 lead. RHP Ryan Shetter put together his fourth-straight quality start after going 5.2 IP, giving up three runs, but striking out eight without issuing a walk. In doing so, he also earned his second win of the season.

Junior outfielder Tanner Gardner was named Big 12 Player of the Week on March 13 after posting an impressive .600/.867/.667 line at the plate over last week's four-game home swing. The Frisco native tallied nine hits in his 15 at-bats, walking three times, while tallying three RBI and six runs scored. His 4-for-4 night against UTSA on March 10 matched a career-high for hits in a game, as he racked up four singles in the contest against the Roadrunners.

Gardner was the second Red Raider to win the award this year, joining senior infielder Hunter Hargrove after the opening weekend of play. Tech has won all three of the conference weekly honors this season.

Tech will return home after this weekend's series for a two-game swing against UNLV on March 21-22 at Rip Griffin Park, with Tuesday's game set for 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday's slated for noon.

No. 4 Tech To Open Big 12 Play At No. 21 Texas

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Players Mentioned

Michael Berglund

Michael Davis

Tanner Gardner

Steven Gingery

Hunter Hargrove

Davis Martin

Ryan Shetter