Softball Opens Big 12 Championship Pool Play Friday

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech softball heads to Oklahoma City, Okla., this weekend as it gears up for the return of the Big 12 Softball Championships Friday-Saturday, held at prestigious ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Complex.

The Red Raiders enter pool play Friday as No. 6 seed and take on No. 4 Texas at 11 a.m. at Integris Field and No. 1 Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. inside OEG Energy Field, the site of the 2017 Women's College World Series. The top team from each pool will square off for the title on Saturday following a third-place game and a fifth-place game.

All games at OEG Energy Field, including Texas Tech's battle against top-seeded Oklahoma Friday, will be televised on FOX College Sports. Saturday's title game will air on FS2. Brenda Van Lengen, Chad McKee, Megan Willis, and Lauren Chamberlain will have the calls. Live stats for each contest will be available at www.Big12Sports.com.

After a six-year hiatus, the Big 12 Championship returns with a new format. The league's top six teams in the league standings earn qualification and are split into two pools. The No. 6 Red Raiders are in Pool A alongside No. 4 Texas and No. 1 Oklahoma, while No. 2 Baylor, No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 5 Iowa State form Pool B. The first place team from each pool plays for the title, while the second place teams and third place teams also square off against one another Saturday.

The Red Raiders went 0-3 against both Texas and Oklahoma this season, however, the opening game of each series nearly tilted in favor of the Scarlet and Black. Tech pushed the Longhorns to 14 innings in game one before falling 4-1 in what was tied for the nation's second-longest game of the season. Two weeks later, the Red Raiders fought Oklahoma to a 4-2 battle on the opening game of senior weekend.

TEXAS TECH AT THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

Texas Tech is 12-20 all-time at the Big 12 Championship, which is back for its first year after being held each season from 1996-2010 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Texas Tech won at least one game in eight of the previous 15 Big 12 Championships, including in three of the last four.
Tech last matched up with OU in the 2010 quarterfinals as the No. 7 seed, falling 2-0 to the second seeded Sooners.
Tech last matched up with UT in the 2003 first round as the No. 8 seed, falling 7-1 to the top seeded Longhorns.
At the last event in 2010, Texas Tech went 1-1 as the No. 7 seed, defeating No. 10 KU, 5-3, before falling to No. 2 OU, 2-0.
Tech is 5-16 all-time at the Big 12 Championship as the lower seeded team.
The Red Raiders are 2-1 all-time vs. No. 1 seeds at the Big 12 Championship
Tech has advanced to the championship game only once, in 2007 as the No. 8 seed, but fell to No. 2 Oklahoma.

RED RAIDERS TO WATCH

Senior Kierra Miles is one hit away from becoming the first Red Raider with four 50+ hit seasons. The outfielder was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team this week for the second straight year.
Sophomore Jessica Hartwell is the only Big 12 player with 10+ home runs and 12+ doubles. She hit four home runs last week on her way to being named Big 12 Player of the Week.
Freshman Raina O'Neal shares the top of the conference's home run leaderboard with 12 on the year. She was named to the Big 12's All-Freshman team this week.
Freshman RHP Kassidy Scott was also named to the league's All-Freshman team this week. She leads the Big 12 in conference starts with 15 in 18 chances and leads the staff with a 4.23 ERA.
Sophomore Kiani Ramsey is one triple away from breaking the school's single-season triples record (4) and the career record (8). She also excels in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA, earning CoSIDA Academic All-Central Region honors last week.

TECH NOTABLES

Three Red Raiders were named to the 2017 All-Big 12 teams in senior Kierra Miles (Second Team) and freshmen Kassidy Scott and Raina O'Neal (All-Freshman Team).
Sophomore Infielder Jessica Hartwell was named Big 12 Player of the Week after hitting three home runs at the Ram Classic last weekend in Fort Collins, Colo. Hartwell is the only Big 12 player with 10+ home runs and 12+ doubles.
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 with 50 home runs in 2017 and boasts two of the top four home run hitters in the league in freshman Raina O'Neal (12) and sophomore Jessica Hartwell (11). O'Neal's 12 is tied for the league lead.
Senior Kierra Miles is one hit away from becoming the first Red Raider in school history with four 50+ hit seasons.
Freshman pitcher Kassidy Scott appeared in all 18 conference games, making a league-best 15 starts and tossing 68% of Tech's innings in conference play.
During its recent 13 game skid, Tech lost five games either in extra innings or by one run.
Tech's magic number is six: Tech is 12-4 when scoring six or more runs, and just 2-20 when allowing six or more.
Tech has improved its fielding percentage in conference play (.964) compared to a .946 mark in non-conference play.

Softball Opens Big 12 Championship Pool Play Friday

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Players Mentioned

Jessica Hartwell

Kassidy Scott

Texas Tech University Athletics

Softball Opens Big 12 Championship Pool Play Friday

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