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Preview: No. 14 Red Raiders prep for series at Texas
March 23, 2023 | Baseball
No. 14Â TEXAS TECH at TEXAS
Austin, Texas | UFCU Disch-Falk Field
March 24-26, 2023
- Friday, 7 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
- Saturday, 2:30 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
- Sunday, 2:30 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
STARTERS
Texas Tech and Texas, a pairing of teams who have met every contested season since 1968, are set to renew its rivalry this weekend at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. In recent history (2013-present), success has come to the road team as seven of the last nine weekend battles have gone in favor of the road team. In spite of that trend, it was the Red Raiders who won last year's series in Lubbock, winners of the last two series by topping UT in four of the last six contests.Â
Coverage will be provided via the Longhorn Network. A pair of former Longhorn baseball players will have the call as Keith Moreland and Greg Swindell will be behind the mic for all three games. All broadcasts can be accessed from any desktop or laptop computer, personal cellular device and television streaming services using the ESPN app. Access to LHN (Longhorn Network) requires a TV/video subscription from an affiliated TV/video service provider. Online registration through your TV service provider is required in order to access content.
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. Geoff Haxton will have the call alongside Mike Gustafson for each contest over the weekend.
TEXAS TECHÂ IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Red Raiders are back in all six primary national baseball Top 25 rankings, as of March 13. While the Red Raiders never dropped from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game or the coaches poll ... the Red Raiders fell from the D1Baseball poll after its 3-2 loss to Rice and 16-inning, 4-2, loss to Texas A&M. The 3-1 week defeating New Mexico and then-No. 23 Iowa placed Texas Tech back inside at No. 22 (March 13) in the D1Baseball rankings and then a 4-1 week defeating UTA twice and winning its series versus then-No. 12 Oklahoma State vaulted Tech to No. 14 the following week (March 20).
- D1Baseball: 14
- Baseball America: 16
- NCBWA: No. 14
- Collegiate Baseball: 12
- USA Coaches: No. 14
- Perfect Game: No. 10
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PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
- Friday, March 24:Â RHP Brendan Girton (2-0, 4.50 ERA)Â vs. LHP Lucas Gordon (2-0, 1.37 ERA)
- Saturday, March 25: LHP Mason Molina (2-1, 2.81 ERA)Â vs. RHP Travis Sthele (2-2, 4.07 ERA)
- Sunday, March 26: TBA vs. TBA
WEIRD WEEKEND
This season's Texas Tech vs. Texas series snaps a streak of four consecutive meetings between a pair of Top 25 teams (D1Baseball rankings). The Longhorns enter Friday's game unranked despite its 15-7 record. The last time these teams were not both in the Top 25 when they met was in 2017 when Texas was unranked, March 17-19, 2017, owning a 13-6 record. Tech at the time was ranked No. 6 with a 14-4 record. The Red Raiders swept that series, marking their first sweep of the Longhorns in program history.
GOOD TO BE ON THE ROAD?
In recent history (Tadlock era, 2013-pres.), success has come to the road team as seven of the last nine weekend battles have gone in favor of the road team. The Red Raiders protected their home field in winning last year's series while the Longhorns secured a home series win in 2019 as the two series to buck the trend. The Red Raiders have won four of their last five series in Austin, including its first-ever sweep of the Horns in the 2017 series. In that 2017 meeting, it was the last time these two teams entered a weekend not being a Top 25 vs. Top 25 showdown. The Red Raiders enter the weekend No. 14 while the Horns are unranked; in 2017, Tech was No. 6 and the Horns were unranked.
NCAA STAT MACHINES
After its series, last weekend versus then-No. 12 Oklahoma State, the Red Raiders led the NCAA in both hits and walks, but a rare midweek off dropped them from No. 1. Entering the series versus Texas, the Red Raiders rank in the NCAA Top 10 in 12 different statistical categories: No. 1 in sacrifice files (25), No. 2 in hits (256), No. 2 in double plays (29), No. 2 in double plays/game (1.32), No. 3 in walks (151), No. 5 in runs (223), No. 5 in triples (11), No. 8 in scoring (10.1), No. 8 in doubles (53), No. 8 in on-base percentage (.442), No. 9 in batting average (.325), No. 9 in triples/game (.818).
POWER BALL
Texas Tech powered its way past then-No. 12 Oklahoma State last time out, sparked by an Austin Green grand slam against Big 12 preseason pitcher of the year Juaron Watts-Brown. The Red Raiders slugged five home runs against Oklahoma State in the series and have 19 of their 35 bombs over the entire season over its last eight games – which encompasses the series versus Iowa, UTA and Oklahoma State.Â
WAY TOO EARLY RPI UPDATE
It's early to be talking RPI, but Texas Tech's jump of 142 spots from No. 164 to No. 22 since getting its series underway versus then-No. 23 Iowa just a couple of weeks ago is hard not to notice. After the Iowa series, March 10-12, Tech moved up 96 spots from No. 164 to No. 68. Following two games against UT Arlington, the Red Raiders moved from No. 68 to No. 54. After its most recent series versus Oklahoma State, Tech has climbed all the way to No. 22 entering its series at Texas.
SERIES HISTORY - TEXAS
- Friday's meeting will be the 172nd all-time between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1968.
- The Longhorns have a grip on the all-time series historically, owning a 118-53 lead in the series but since 2013 when Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock arrived in Lubbock the Red Raiders own the edge in the series, 15-14.
- In the Tadlock era, the Red Raiders have won four out of five series played in Austin against Texas. Tech won the series in 2013, 2015, swept in 2017, and 2021.
- The Red Raiders have won four of the last six meetings versus the Longhorns and will seek their third-straight series win this weekend in Austin.Â
- The Red Raiders and Longhorns have met every year since 1968 with exception of the 2020 COVID season.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE LONGHORNS
The Red Raiders will have to find a new hero this weekend in their matchup versus Texas as last year's hero in the series, Kurt Wilson, has since graduated. He sent Red Raider fans into a frenzy two days in a row last year, first in the Friday night game by stealing home with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Texas Tech a 5-4 win in the most unlikely of ways to kick off a three-game series. The next day, he did it again, following up his dramatic steal of home with a walk-off grand slam on Saturday to give Texas Tech a 16-12 win and clinch the weekend series. Both wins for Texas Tech against Texas came in the 10th inning, both in front of sell-out crowds at Rip Griffin Park. The Longhorns took care of business in the Sunday finale, dispatching the Red Raiders 12-1 in a seven-inning run rule.
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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