No. 7 Red Raiders Open Big 12 Play at No. 10 Texas

Friday, March 15

Austin, TX / UFCU Disch-Falk Field

6:30 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

Texas

No. 7 Red Raiders Open Big 12 Play at No. 10 Texas

March 14, 2019 | Baseball

Game Notes Media Availability LHN (Friday)LHN (Saturday)LHN (Sunday)Live Stats

Tech will look for its sixth straight win in Austin when it opens the three-game series Friday at 6:30 p.m.

By: Texas Tech Athletics Communications

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 7 Texas Tech baseball team heads back on the road to begin Big 12 play in Austin, squaring off with No. 10 Texas on March 15-17 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

The Red Raiders (11-3) and Longhorns (13-6) are slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Friday and a 2:30 p.m. start on Saturday before wrapping up the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Coverage of all three games will be provided by the Longhorn Network. Each game can also be heard on the Texas Tech Sports Network through www.TexasTech.com, 97.3 or 100.7 FM, the 97.3 or 100.7 apps and the TuneIn app.

The two clubs last opened conference action against each other in 2017, when the Red Raiders swept the series in Austin on their way to their second-straight Big 12 title. It marked the third-straight series win for the Red Raiders in Austin under head coach Tim Tadlock, and the sweep of the Longhorns in program history.

Tech trails the all-time series in overall games and in contests played in Austin. However, for the last seven years, the road team has come away with the series win as the Longhorns started the trend in 2012 taking 2-of-3 while the Red Raiders have answered each season after. Dating back to 2012, the series is nearly even at 12-11, Texas. Tech enters Friday with a five-game winning streak in Austin, the longest road winning streak for the Red Raiders in the series history.

Under Tadlock, the Red Raiders are 86-58 in conference play. Tech is 4-2 in Big 12 opening games under Tadlock and has won 4-of-6 conference-opening series. In the six conference-opening series, Tech holds a 10-8 record.

The Red Raiders enter this year's series with an 11-3 overall record with its only losses coming at the hands of Oregon on Opening Day and Nebraska and No. 9 Mississippi State at the Frisco College Classic. Tech went 5-0 last week, sweeping a two-game series at San Diego State before returning home to put up its highest-scoring weekend of the season en route to a sweep of Wichita State.

Two Red Raiders were honored with Big 12 weekly awards this week in senior first baseman Cameron Warren and sophomore outfielder Dylan Neuse. Warren garnered Big 12 Player of the Week, as well as NCBWA National Hitter of the Week, for his 13 RBI, three homer performance last week. Neuse, meanwhile, hit .450 with six of his nine hits going for extra bases, including two home runs.

The Texas comes into the weekend at 13-6 overall after topping Texas Southern, 17-3 on Tuesday. The Longhorns have already played seven games against top-10 teams, sweeping No. 2 LSU before dropping 3-of-4 at No. 6 Stanford last weekend.

The Longhorns lead the Big 12 and rank 10^th nationally with 102 base on balls drawn this year. They also lead the league in hits allowed per nine innings. Junior infielder Ryan Reynolds leads the club with a .333 clip while junior outfielder Austin Todd paces the club with 21 RBI. Junior outfielder Duke Ellis leads the nation with 26 base on balls this year, is 7-for-7 in stolen bases, and leads the league in runs scored.

Tadlock will stay with the rotation of junior left-hander Erikson Lanning on Friday, junior right-hander Caleb Kilian on Saturday and freshman left-hander Mason Montgomery on Sunday. Lanning has had a bounce back year after suffering an injury two-games into the 2018 season, sporting a 1.69 ERA with 16 strikeouts to two walks. Kilian recorded a win over UT last season, allowing two earned runs on six hits in 6.1 frames.

The Longhorns will trot out right-handers Bryce Elder and Blair Henry to face the Red Raiders on Friday and Saturday, while Sunday's starter is to be decided. Elder enters with a 1.54 ERA this season and briefly appeared as a reliever in the middle game against Tech last season. Henley has a 4.79 ERA and started the rubber match against Tech last season, giving up four runs on eight hits with three walks in five innings.

The Red Raiders moved up in the rankings following a perfect 5-0 week, now sitting as high as No. 7 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. It's the fifth consecutive week Tech has been ranked in the top 10 and the 23rd straight going back to the start of 2018.

After the weekend, Tech returns home to host No. 23 Michigan and 2018 Super Regional qualifier Stetson for five games in five days at Rip Griffin Park. Tech will take on the Wolverines March 21-23 before squaring off with Stetson March 24-25.