Texas Tech Athletics
Air Force
Preview: No. 24 Tech closes homestand with Air Force
February 27, 2023 | Baseball
AIR FORCE at No. 24 TEXAS TECH
Lubbock, Texas | Rip Griffin Park
Feb. 28-March 1, 2023
- Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
- Wednesday, 2 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
STARTERS
Texas Tech readies to close its 10-game homestand to open the 2023 season with its first game under the lights on Tuesday when Air Force visits Lubbock for the first time since 2004. The two will pair together once more for a Wednesday matinee before the Red Raiders prepare to travel to Houston for the Shriners Children's College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
Coverage will be provided via Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Chris Sylvester will be on the mic for play-by-play duties while former Red Raider baseball player Mike Gustafson will provide the analysis on Tuesday. The audio stream on Wednesday will be a radio simulcast, similar to game one of Saturday's doubleheader versus Western Illinois. All broadcasts can be accessed from any desktop or laptop computer, personal cellular device and television streaming services using the ESPN app. Registration for the subscription service can be found at ESPNPlus.com.
Texas Tech Sports Network will also broadcast the game over 46 affiliates throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico as well as on the web via the Varsity App. Jamie Lent will have the call alongside Chois Woodman on Tuesday. Lent and Geoff Haxton will pair together for Wednesday's game.
TEXAS TECHÂ IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Once the 2022 season came to a close after its exit in the regional round, Texas Tech finished inside the Top 25 of all six national polls in the end-of-season rankings, extending a streak that started in 2016. Expectations remain the same in 2023 as the Red Raiders landed inside the Top 25 for the third-straight time on Monday, Feb. 27.
- D1Baseball: No. 24
- Baseball America: 18
- NCBWA: No. 16
- Collegiate Baseball: 13
- USA Coaches: No. 16
- Perfect Game: No. 12
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
- Tuesday, Feb. 28: RHP Bo Blessie (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Moats (0-0, 10.80 ERA)
- Wednesday, March 1: TBA vs. TBA
HOT START
Head coach Tim Tadlock's 11th season at the helm of the Red Raiders baseball program is off to an 8-0 start. It is the second 8-0 start in his tenure but the 2023 squad has a long way to go to match his 2018 CWS team's 14-0 start to the season. According to WarrenNolan.com (as of Monday, Feb. 27), Texas Tech is one of 12 Division-I programs remaining with a 100.0% winning percentage. During his tenure, Tadlock has built his alma mater into a national powerhouse, leading the Red Raiders to four College World Series since 2014, being one of six schools in the nation to advance to the CWS in the past nine years.
NO. 1 IN THE NATION
The Red Raiders own the nation's top mark in three statistical categories entering its series versus Air Force - double plays (13), doubles (26) and sacrifice flies (16). Tech by far and away leads the country with 16 sac flies - next closest is nine - led by Austin Green's NCAA-best five sac flies that were each logged during the WIU series. Tech is in solo first with its 26 doubles (24 next-best), produced in a team effort as eight different Red Raiders own at least two. The Red Raiders sit in a tie for the DI-lead in double plays alongside Southern Illinois at 13. Tech turned an astounding nine double plays over its four-game series last time out which sky-rocketed their season total.
A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER
Dillon Carter had a weekend to remember last time out. He finished the weekend series hitting .643 (9-for-14) with two home runs, one triple and one double. Carter led the Red Raiders in Saturday's doubleheader going 6-for-7 (.857) and connected for a career-high four hits in the first game. His glove helped seal Sunday's win with a highlight reel catch to close the top of the eighth and turned a double play to end the game in the ninth.
SNAPSHOT OF THE OPPONENT - AIR FORCE
- The Red Raiders welcome the Air Force Falcons to Lubbock for their first midweek series of the 2023 season. Air Force is a member of the Mountain West conference.
- Of the seven Mountain West league members, Air Force was picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches poll.
- While picked fifth in the 2023 preseason poll, the Falcons enter the season as the defending champions of the Mountain West. Last spring, Air Force made its first NCAA Regional appearance since 1969, coming two wins away from the program's first Super Regional appearance before losing to host Texas in the program's record 61st game.
- Air Force is led by 13th-year head coach Mike Kazlausky. Kazlausky was named head baseball coach on June 2, 2011. The former player and Academy graduate retired from active duty, effective June 1, 2011, and his interim tag was lifted to official head coach status.Â
- INF/1B Sam Kulasingam was named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, which annually identifies the nation's top amateur baseball player.
- Kulasingam, as well as RHP Doyle Gehring and INF/3B Jay Thomason, was named to the Mountain West Conference preseason All-Conference team.
- Kulasingam is the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year. He was the first Air Force player to receive the honor in program history. His .411 batting average in 2022 led the Mountain West Conference, and was second in Division I only to Georgia Tech's Chandler Simpson.
SERIES HISTORY - AIR FORCE
- Texas Tech and Air Force have played each other six times in their respective histories with the most recent pairing in 2004 in Lubbock.
- Tech is 118-68-1 all-time against members of the Mountain West League. Of the 187 all-time meetings, 127 have come against regional rival New Mexico (78-48-1).Â
LAST TIME VS. AIR FORCE
The last time the two met was back in 2004 when Texas Tech hosted a round robin, March 5-7, versus Air Force and Harvard. Tech won both its matchups against the Falcons, extending its win streak to five games versus the program. In game one, junior right-hander John Milton struck out four and gave up just four hits in seven innings of work to lead Texas Tech to an 8-4 win over the Falcons. With a 4-1 lead, the game entered into a 45-minute rain delay in the bottom of the seventh and both teams were forced to change pitchers when the game resumed. Tech scored three more runs after the delay, highlighted by a two-run home run by first baseman Josh Brady. The following day, Tech scored its second-most runs in program history versus Harvard in a 30-8 win, and continued the offensive movement in its second game versus Air Force on March 7 with an 11-0 run-rule win after seven innings. Junior right-handers Michael McGowan and Tanner McElroy combined for nine strikeouts and a seven-inning shutout as the Red Raiders cruised to the shutout win.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPÂ
The 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, will be hosted at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 24-28. For info on attending and tickets, visit Big12Sports.com.
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