Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Tabbed Unanimous Preseason Top-Five Team
February 05, 2021 | Baseball
Texas Tech is a unanimous top-five team after checking in at No. 4 in the USA Today coaches poll
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech Baseball will open the 2021 campaign as an unanimous preseason top-five team after the Red Raiders checked in at No. 4 Thursday in the USA Today coaches poll.
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The Red Raiders have now appeared at either No. 3 or No. 4 in all six major preseason polls released to date. Tech is third in the D1Baseball, Baseball America and Perfect game rankings and then fourth in the polls compiled by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and now USA Today.
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This is the fourth-consecutive year Tech has started its season among the top-four teams in the USA Today coaches poll and the fifth-straight year the Red Raiders are ranked in its top 25. Tech was previously No. 3 each of the past two seasons as well as No. 4 in 2018 and then No. 19 in 2017.
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The Red Raiders are the highest-ranked Big 12 program in the poll as four other conference foes made the top 25, beginning with No. 10 Texas followed by No. 11 TCU, No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 22 West Virginia. Florida was considered the coaches' preseason favorite atop the poll followed by No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 Vanderbilt ahead of the Red Raiders.
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Tech will open the 2021 season in exactly two weeks when the Red Raiders take part in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington. All three of Tech's opponents that weekend are ranked in the top 10 of the USA poll with Ole Miss at No. 5, Mississippi State at No. 7 and Arkansas at No. 8.
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The Red Raiders are slated to open the three-day event with a 7 p.m. first pitch versus the Razorbacks on Feb. 19.
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The Red Raiders have now appeared at either No. 3 or No. 4 in all six major preseason polls released to date. Tech is third in the D1Baseball, Baseball America and Perfect game rankings and then fourth in the polls compiled by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and now USA Today.
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This is the fourth-consecutive year Tech has started its season among the top-four teams in the USA Today coaches poll and the fifth-straight year the Red Raiders are ranked in its top 25. Tech was previously No. 3 each of the past two seasons as well as No. 4 in 2018 and then No. 19 in 2017.
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The Red Raiders are the highest-ranked Big 12 program in the poll as four other conference foes made the top 25, beginning with No. 10 Texas followed by No. 11 TCU, No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 22 West Virginia. Florida was considered the coaches' preseason favorite atop the poll followed by No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 Vanderbilt ahead of the Red Raiders.
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Tech will open the 2021 season in exactly two weeks when the Red Raiders take part in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington. All three of Tech's opponents that weekend are ranked in the top 10 of the USA poll with Ole Miss at No. 5, Mississippi State at No. 7 and Arkansas at No. 8.
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The Red Raiders are slated to open the three-day event with a 7 p.m. first pitch versus the Razorbacks on Feb. 19.
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