No. 3 Tech Set For Midweek Showdown At No. 7 Arkansas

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 3 Texas Tech baseball team hits the road for a top-10 midweek battle at No. 7 Arkansas on April 24-25 at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

Tuesday's game is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on SEC Network Plus, while Wednesday's finale is slated for a 6 p.m. start on SEC Network. Both games can be heard on the Texas Tech Sports Network on 97.3 FM, the 97.3 app, the TuneIn app & at TexasTech.com. Live stats will also be available via Arkansas.Statbroadcast.com.

The Red Raiders (32-9) and the Razorbacks (28-13) meet for the 59^th time in the two program's histories and the first since 2016. The two teams first met in 1974 in Fayetteville and will play for the first time in Arkansas since 1990. The last Tech win in Fayetteville came in an 11-8 matchup on April 9, 1988.

It'll be the first two-game midweek series for the Red Raiders since March 13-14 at Louisville, when Tech split with the Cardinals, taking game one of the set, 5-3. So far this season, the Red Raiders are 6-2 in midweek contests.

Last week, the Red Raiders went 3-1, posting wins at New Mexico (20-9) and over No. 14 Oklahoma, 5-4 & 12-6. Tech put together another four-homer day at New Mexico on Tuesday, racking up 20 runs for the third time in four games to claim a 20-9 victory over the Lobos. Sophomore infielder Josh Jung tallied a 5-for-5 day at the plate, completing the program's sixth cycle in school history and the first since Chris Richburg in 2008. It was the first Tech cycle accomplished with five hits & eight RBI, as Jung went single (first), double (third), three-run homer (fourth), walk (sixth), solo homer (eighth) and triple (ninth) in his six trips to the plate.

Combined with five more hits against Oklahoma last weekend, Jung captured Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the second time this season on April 23. Tech used a walk-off balk on Friday afternoon to take game one of the series against OU, followed by a 12-run spurt to capture the set with a 12-6 win. It was the fourth-straight conference series victory by Tech, improving to 10-5 in league play.

Arkansas is coming off a three-game sweep by Mississippi State last weekend, moving to 10-8 in league play. However, the Razorbacks ride a three-game home winning streak into the set with the Red Raiders, taking a doubleheader win over South Carolina (2-0 & 3-0) on April 14, followed by a win over Missouri State (11-7) on April 17. Arkansas is 23-3 at home this year.

Head coach Tim Tadlock will send out freshman right-handed pitcher Ryan Sublette to start on Tuesday against the Razorbacks. Sublette has made eight appearances this season, with five starts, three on the road. He checks into Tuesday's matchup with 13 strikeouts over 15.2 innings pitched. Wednesday's starter is TBA.

He'll face an Arkansas lineup hitting .308 as a unit, with four starters above the team average. Freshman outfielder Heston Kjerstad leads the way with a .368 average, starting in all 41 games, while also leading the team in hits (57) and RBI (37). Junior outfielder Eric Cole paces the squad in runs scored with 39, as the Razborbacks have tagged opponents for a 7.28 ERA.

Arkansas will run out freshman righty Jackson Rutledge to start against the Red Raiders on Tuesday. He's started one game, appearing in 10, posting a 2.08 ERA and a 3-0 record over 13.0 innings of work. Rutledge has rung up 11 batters, walking eight, while allowing seven runs, three earned, on nine hits, with only three going for extra bases. As a whole, the Razborbacks are holding opposing hitters to a .239 average with a 3.41 team ERA. Wednesday's starter for UA is also TBA.

The Red Raiders are hitting .318 as a team heading into the midweek in Fayetteville, which continues to lead the conference & sits at fourth nationally. Six starters sit above the team average with sophomores Josh Jung & Grant Little leading the charge. Jung leads the squad in hits (67), RBI (57) and runs (50), as Tech has racked up 369 runs & 450 hits in 2018. On the flip side, Tech's team ERA sits at 4.01, with opponents hitting .225.

For the 11^th-straight week, Tech is ranked inside the top 10, slotted third by the NCBWA, fourth by D1 Baseball, Baseball America, Perfect Game & the USA Today Coaches Poll.

After the midweek battle, the Red Raiders travel to Fort Worth to take on TCU on April 27-29 at Lupton Stadium to continue Big 12 action.

No. 3 Tech Set For Midweek Showdown At No. 7 Arkansas

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Players Mentioned

Josh Jung

Grant Little

Ryan Sublette

Texas Tech University Athletics