No. 3 Tech Continues Road Trip At TCU

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 3 Texas Tech baseball team wraps its four-game road swing with a weekend set at TCU on April 27-29 at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth.

Friday's game is set for an 8 p.m. start on FS1, with the final two games of the series airing on ESPNU at 7 p.m. (Saturday) and 1 p.m. (Sunday). As always, all three games can be heard on the Texas Tech Sports Network on 97.3 FM, the 97.3 app, the TuneIn app and at TexasTech.com. Live stats will also be available via Gametracker.

The Red Raiders (32-10, 10-5) and Horned Frogs (20-17, 6-8) play their sixth conference series of the year this weekend, with Tech trailing the all-time series. TCU all leads when playing in Fort Worth, but the Red Raiders captured the season series last time the two met at Lupton Stadium. In that series, Tech took game one of the series, 7-3, then claimed the set after a tight 3-1 battle in the finale.

Coming into the weekend, the Red Raiders sit in a tie for third in the Big 12 standings, while the Horned Frogs are fifth. Tech has claimed each of the last four conference series it has played, with victories over West Virginia, Kansas, K-State and Oklahoma. TCU swept K-State to begin Big 12 play, but has lost three of the last four series to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma & Baylor, picking up a two-game sweep of Kansas in between.

Tech is coming off a tough midweek battle at No. 7 Arkansas, dropping a 5-1 decision on Tuesday at Baum Stadium. Despite six shutout frames from the bullpen, the Red Raiders couldn't overcome five runs in the first two frames, totaling four hits in the contest.

It comes on the heels of a series win over No. 14 Oklahoma last weekend, as Tech put together 5-4 & 12-6 wins in the first two games of the set to claim the matchup. 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.

Combined with the weekend and hitting for the cycle at New Mexico, sophomore infielder Josh Jung claimed his second Big 12 Player of the Week honor and NCBWA Co-Hitter of the Week. It marked back-to-back years a Red Raider had been named to the national award, as Hunter Hargrove captured the accolade on May 1, 2017.

Head coach Tim Tadlock will send out his same right-handed trio in junior Davis Martin and sophomores Caleb Kilian & John McMillon. The three have combined for a 16-5 record and 154 strikeouts, with Martin & McMillon tied with 58 each. Martin & Kilian both have six wins this season, with the duo posting 2.52 & 2.01 ERA's, respectively. McMillon enters the weekend with a 3.54 clip and a 4-2 mark. This season, Tech's team ERA totals 4.02, with opponents hitting .227 from the plate.

They'll face a TCU lineup batting .265 this year, with five starters above the team average. Senior infielder Michael Landestoy paces the Horned Frogs with a .321 average, racking up 42 hits over 36 games this year. Junior outfielder Josh Watson paces the squad with 44 hits and 37 runs scored, while senior outfielder A.J. Balta leads in RBI with 32. TCU has tagged opponents for a 5.22 ERA.

The Horned Frogs will run out sophomore lefty Nick Lodolo and right-hander Charles King to start the first two games against the Red Raiders. Lodolo enters the weekend with a 5.19 ERA and a 5-3 record over 10 starts, striking out 63 and walking 13, while allowing 33 runs, 29 earned, on 52 hits. King is 1-1 over 10 appearances and three starts, putting together a 3.13 ERA over 23.0 innings of work, striking out 18 and walking 10, with 12 runs, eight earned, allowed in 2018. TCU's team earned run average sits at 3.68 going into the set.

The Red Raiders are hitting .315 as a team heading into the weekend in Fort Worth, which continues to lead the conference & sits at fifth nationally. Six starters sit above the team average with sophomore Josh Jung leading the charge. Jung leads the squad in hits (68), RBI (57) and runs (50), as Tech has racked up 370 runs & 454 hits in 2018. On the flip side, Tech's team ERA sits at 4.02, with opponents hitting .227, while tagging opposing pitchers for an 8.40 ERA.

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 weekend, the Red Raiders return home for a five-game home stand, kicking off with a game against San Diego on May 1 at 2 p.m. at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hunter Hargrove

Josh Jung

Caleb Kilian

Davis Martin

John McMillon