Thursday, February 13
Clearwater, FL
11:30 AM
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
South Carolina
Texas Tech Softball Preps for St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational
February 12, 2020 | Softball
The Red Raiders carry a 5-0 record into Clearwater, Fla.
LUBBOCK, Texas – After a 5-0 start to the season, the Texas Tech softball team is set to face some of the top teams in the nation with five games at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational on Feb. 13-16 in Clearwater, Fla.
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Texas Tech is set to open one of the nation's top tournament against No. 18/17 South Carolina on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. (CT) before facing No. 20/20 James Madison on Friday at 2 p.m. The Red Raiders will return to the field on Saturday to face No. 15/15 Georgia at 9 a.m. and South Florida at 4:30 p.m. before closing out the challenging weekend with a showdown against No. 1/1 Washington at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
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Thursday's contest against South Carolina will air on ESPN's SEC Network and three games – James Madison, Georgia and South Florida – will be shown on ESPN3 and Tech's final game of the weekend will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
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RED RAIDER QUICK HITS
FINAL DETAILS
Live stats, as well as live streams, will be available for all five games this weekend. For all the latest information on the Texas Tech softball team, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechSB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Texas Tech is set to open one of the nation's top tournament against No. 18/17 South Carolina on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. (CT) before facing No. 20/20 James Madison on Friday at 2 p.m. The Red Raiders will return to the field on Saturday to face No. 15/15 Georgia at 9 a.m. and South Florida at 4:30 p.m. before closing out the challenging weekend with a showdown against No. 1/1 Washington at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
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Thursday's contest against South Carolina will air on ESPN's SEC Network and three games – James Madison, Georgia and South Florida – will be shown on ESPN3 and Tech's final game of the weekend will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
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| Texas Tech at St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational | |
| Dates | Thursday - Sunday | February 13-16 |
| Site | Location | Eddie C. Moore Complex | Clearwater, Fla. |
| Game 1 - Thursday | vs. South Carolina | 11:30 a.m. (CT) | Live Stats | SEC Network |
| Game 2 - Friday | vs. James Madison | 2 p.m. (CT) | Live Stats | ESPN3 |
| Game 3 - Saturday | vs. Georgia | 9 a.m. (CT) | Live Stats | ESPN3 |
| Game 4 - Saturday | vs. South Florida | 4:30 p.m. (CT) | Live Stats | ESPN3 |
| Game 5 - Sunday | vs. Washington | 9 a.m. (CT) | Live Stats | ESPNU |
| Texas Tech Softball | Softball Home Page | Game Notes (PDF) | Twitter |
RED RAIDER QUICK HITS
- The Red Raiders kicked off the season with a perfect 5-0 weekend at the Big Easy Classic in New Orleans, La. Last weekend marked the second consecutive season where the Red Raiders started the year on a 5-0 streak.
- The Texas Tech softball team enters the second week of the season ranked No. 15 by Softball America, No. 17 by D1Softball and the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, as well as No. 19 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Rankings. This weekend Tech will face its first ranked opponents of the season in No. 18/17 South Carolina, No. 20/20 James Madison, No. 15/15 Georgia and No. 1/1 Washington.
- Left-handed pitcher Erin Edmoundson barely missed Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors after a strong weekend in Louisiana. She was the only pitcher in the league to collect three wins and she led the league's top-10 leaders with a spotless 0.00 ERA. In 17.1 innings pitched, Edmoundson racked up 22 strikeouts and limited opponents to just five hits. Her strikeout-to-walk ratio for the weekend was 11-to-1 and she tossed one complete-game shutout and one combined shutout.
- Ahead of opening weekend, Tech received its first preseason rankings in program history. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 19 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches, ESPN.com/USA Softball and Softball America preseason polls.
- After starting 33 games in right field last season, sophomore Yvonne Whaley made a transition to the infield where she started three games last weekend. Whaley was solid in the field and collected three putouts and two assists at the Big Easy Classic.
- The Red Raider pitching staff allowed just seven runs on opening weekend. Erin Edmoundson, who led Tech with 17.1 innings, and Morgan Hornback (2.0 innings) did not surrender a run. Senior Missy Zoch (14.1 innings) allowed just three runs and newcomer GiGi Wall (4.0 innings) surrendered four. The staff finished the week with a league-leading 1.11 ERA and they combined for 49 strikeouts.
- Several new faces made starts in the Red Raider infield last weekend. Filling the holes left by Taylor Satchell (shortstop) and All-American Jessica Hartwell (first base), Tech displayed four new infielders over the weekend. Yvonne Whaley made appearances at second base, Brianna Cantu spent time at first and third base and Alanna Barraza and Miranda Padilla both made starts at shortstop.
- After opening weekend, junior Heaven Burton leads the Big 12 with three stolen bases and ties for first with eight hits.
- Tech has belted three home runs this season – Zoe Jones produced the Red Raiders' first long ball of the season against Jackson State and junior Kelcy Leach followed up with two home runs in Tech's come-from-behind victory against Louisiana Tech.
- Senior All-American Karli Hamilton ranks among the league's leaderboard in several categories. Hamilton ties for first in doubles (3), ties for second in walks (4), ranks third in on-base percentage (.579), ties for fourth in hits (7), ranks sixth in slugging percentage (.714), ties for sixth in total bases (10) and ties for seventh with five RBI.
- Ahead of her final season with the Texas Tech softball team, redshirt senior All-American Karli Hamilton was named a member of the Softball America 2020 NCAA Preseason All-America Third Team on Jan. 27 Softball America also selected Hamilton as the No. 30 college softball player in the country.
- Resulting in one of the most exciting seasons in program history, the 2019 Texas Tech softball team defied all expectations and put together its most successful campaign of the Adrian Gregory era. Strong offense, combined with an improved defense, powered Tech to its first NCAA Regional Tournament appearance since 2012 and helped Tech to a record 14 straight weeks ranked in the top 25. The Red Raiders received their first top-10 ranking in program history and also spent six weeks among the nation's top-15 teams.
- Tech's 42-16 record tied for the second-highest win total in program history and six student-athletes garnered All-Big 12 recognition. Gregory's crew finished fourth in the Big 12 and earned its first three-game sweep over Baylor to date. The Red Raiders stunned the nation with a 13-game win streak to start the year, which included statement wins over No. 13 Arizona State, No. 17 Oregon, No. 21 Auburn, Wisconsin and a pair of wins over Drake. Tech posted 12 shutouts in 2019 as well as 13 run-rules.
- The Red Raiders thrived in 2019 and made major strides both offensively and defensively. The squad was one home run shy of tying the school record of 66 in a season and their 307 RBI mark ranked as the second-most in program history. The team held a .319 batting average at the plate, scored 352 runs, collected 483 hits and 203 walks while the Red Raider pitching staff tallied a combined 341 strikeouts – all coming in at No. 2 in the school record book. Defensively, Tech posted the fewest errors in program history and tied the school record of 27.0 consecutive shutout innings.
- The Red Raiders welcome back 15 letterwinners from a strong 2019 season. The Tech roster contains four seniors, six juniors, seven sophomores and seven freshman - highlighted by seniors Karli Hamilton and Missy Zoch, juniors Erin Edmoundson, Breanna Russell and Heaven Burton, as well as sophomores Zoe Jones and Peyton Blythe.
- The Red Raiders welcome a crop of seven talented freshmen to the field in 2020. Kamryn Caldwell (RHP), Brianna Cantu (UTL), Chloe Cobb (INF), Alanna Barraza (INF), Payton Jackson (OF), Amanda DeSario (OF) and Tori Whillock (OF) will all be in the fight during head coach Adrian Gregory's sixth season at the helm.
- Texas Tech brought in two key transfers - GiGi Wall (Oklahoma City) and Maddie Westmoreland (Indiana). Westmoreland is expected to add depth behind the plate and in the lineup following an impressive season at Indiana. The Glendale, Ariz., native held a .315 average at the plate with eight home runs and 41 hits en route to a First Team All-Big Ten nod. Another powerful tool in Tech's arsenal, Wall is set to enter the circle as a three-time NAIA All-American. She led Oklahoma City College to a pair of NAIA National Championship titles and was named the NAIA World Series MVP after both victories.
- Making her return from a devastating ACL tear prior to the start of last season, redshirt sophomore Michaela Cochran is ready for action after being named to the 2018 All-Big 12 Freshman Team. As a rookie, she started all 59 games in center field and ranked second on the team with an impressive 73 hits. She compiled a 14game hitting streak and tied for the team lead with 22 multi-hit games.
- This season, the Red Raiders will go head-to-head against 16 opponents who reached the 2019 NCAA Tournament, including half of the field at the Women's College World Series. Highlighting the 2020 schedule is the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational and Judi Garman Classic, where Texas Tech be tested against a number of the nation's premier softball programs.
- The Red Raiders retained the entirety of its strong outfield. Heaven Burton and Karli Hamilton, who started every game in left and center field, respectively, are back and ready to roll. Tech also returns two crafty sophomores in Peyton Blythe and Yvonne Whaley, who split time in right field last season.
- Two familiar faces will grace the Texas Tech pitching circle in 2020 as Erin Edmoundson and Missy Zoch return as Tech's dominant duo. Edmoundson, who heads into her junior season, was named to the NFCA All-Region Second Team after she posted the highest winning percentage in single-season history with an .800 mark after going 20-5. The southpaw finished the season with six shutouts – the most by any Red Raider since 2001 – and her 20 wins marked the fifth-highest win total in single-season history. The Deer Park, Texas, native became the seventh Red Raider in program history to toss a no-hitter, doing so in a 10-strikeout, complete-game shutout against Drake. In just one season with the Red Raiders, Zoch made a major impact on the pitching staff. She started the season on a 10-game win streak – the longest of any pitcher in program history – and finished her junior year with an 18-10 record. She limited a strong pool of opponents to a .225 average at the plate while collecting a team-leading 163 strikeouts – the most by a Tech pitcher since 2001. Her .643 winning percentage ranked fourth overall in Tech's single-season history and she paced her squad with a 2.71 ERA.
FINAL DETAILS
Live stats, as well as live streams, will be available for all five games this weekend. For all the latest information on the Texas Tech softball team, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechSB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
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LHP/OF
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C
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UTL
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