Red Raiders Host Cyclones to Close Big 12 Home Slate

Friday, April 20

Lubbock, TX

3 PM

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Iowa State

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Red Raiders Host Cyclones to Close Big 12 Home Slate

April 19, 2018 | Softball

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Tech softball will celebrate the careers of three seniors on Sunday.

By: Ty Parker, Texas Tech Athletics Communications

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech softball team concludes its Big 12 home slate this weekend when it welcomes Iowa State (19-24, 1-8) to Rocky Johnson Field for a three-game series.

The Red Raiders (21-22, 1-11) and Cyclones announced on Thursday that Friday's series opener would be moved up to a 3 p.m. start due to forecasted inclement weather in the area. The series is slated to resume on Saturday at 4 p.m., before a 12 p.m. first pitch in the finale on Sunday. The program will be celebrating the careers of three Red Raider seniors on Sunday prior to first pitch.

Fans attending Friday's game will receive a complimentary pair of Texas Tech sunglasses. On Saturday, Tech will host Girl Scouts Night as well as a post-game clinic on the field for kids ages 5-12. Tickets are available online, at the gate or by calling the Texas Tech ticket office at 806-742-TECH.

The Red Raiders won all four meetings against the Cyclones last season, sweeping the three-game set in Ames before taking a win in the fifth-place game of the Big 12 Championships. Overall, Tech has won six straight against ISU on its way to a 34-17 all-time lead in the series.

Last season in Ames, Tech jumped all over the Cyclones with a 13-run outburst in the first inning of the opener on its way to an 18-4 win. The Red Raiders outhit Iowa State 25-15 over the weekend while then-freshman Kassidy Scott picked up a pair of wins.

The Cyclones enter the series having played just one game last weekend. ISU defeated Northern Iowa 10-7, but had a doubleheader against Western Illinois canceled due to weather. In Big 12 play, ISU has been swept by Texas and Oklahoma, while earning its one win at Oklahoma State.

Three seniors will be honored prior to first pitch on Sunday, including pitcher Cheyene Powell of Blanchard, Okla., outfielder Kaylee Strickland of Pearland, Texas, and catcher Allison Knopp of Saint Louis, Mo. The trio have combined for 91 starts for the Red Raiders entering the weekend.

Following Sunday's senior day, Tech will have just three opponents left on the docket before shifting its focus toward the postseason. The Red Raiders will head to Kansas (25-18, 0-9) next weekend for its final Big 12 series, host Abilene Christian on Tuesday, May 1, for its home finale, and then wrap up the regular season with a doubleheader at UTEP on May 3.

A stream of each game will be available at TexasTech.TV. Gene Canal will be on the call on Friday, while Jody Roginson will provide play-by-play on Saturday and Sunday. For live updates and additional content, follow @TexasTechSB on Twitter.

QUICK HITS
Junior Jessica Hartwell has earned the first two National Player of the Week awards in the history of Texas Tech softball this season.

Hartwell ranks seventh nationally with a .897 slugging percentage and is 12^th in home runs with 14. In Big 12 play, she is hitting .444, leads the conference in total bases and is second in slugging. At home, she is hitting .500 with nine home runs, 24 RBI and a 1.341 slugging percentage.

Hartwell's 14 dingers on the year are tied for sixth in the Tech record books, one back of a tie for third and three back from a tie for first. Her 33 career homers are three away from a tie for third. Additionally, her .393 batting average is on pace for the third best in school history.

Freshman Erin Edmoundson (13-9) is tied for the Big 12 lead in innings pitched, is third in strikeouts and is tied for third in wins.