Texas Tech Athletics
TCU
Preview: No. 22 Tech returns home, welcomes TCU
March 30, 2023 | Baseball
TCU at No. 22 TEXAS TECH
Lubbock, Texas | Rip Griffin Park
March 31-April 2, 2023
- Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
- Saturday, 2 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
- Sunday, 2 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
STARTERS
A big weekend for the Red Raiders is on deck as TCU travels to Lubbock for a three-game set that is sure to shake up the conference standings. Both teams are set for their respective third league series of the 2023 season but both are entering from opposite directions as the Tech (2-4) is coming off being swept in Austin while the Frogs (4-2) are fresh off sweeping Kansas at home. The Red Raiders started league play at home, winning two of three over Oklahoma State while TCU started league play in Norman, Okla. The Horned Frogs won the Friday night contest but dropped the series to Oklahoma losing the next two games.
Coverage will be provided via Big 12 Now on ESPN+. John Harris will be on the mic for play-by-play duties while former Red Raider baseball player Mike Gustafson will provide the analysis 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. 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. Geoff Haxton will have the call alongside Jamie Lent for each contest over the weekend.
TEXAS TECHÂ IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
After the 0-3 weekend in Austin, the Red Raiders remained ranked in all six primary national baseball Top 25 rankings, released on March 27. Of the six polls - D1Baseball, Baseball America, NCBWA, Collegiate Baseball, USA Today Coaches and Perfect Game - Texas Tech has been ranked inside the top 25 of all six polls with the exception of a one-week absence from the D1Baseball poll in the March 6/Week 3 poll.Â
- D1Baseball: No. 22Â (-8)
- Baseball America: No. 20Â (-4)
- NCBWA: No. 19Â (-5)
- Collegiate Baseball:Â 22Â (-10)
- USA Coaches: No. 21 (-7)
- Perfect Game: No. 15Â (-5)
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PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
- Friday, March 31: RHP Brendan Girton (2-0, 4.28 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Vanderhei (2-2, 5.28 ERA)
- Saturday, April 1: LHP Mason Molina (2-1, 2.93 ERA) vs. RHP Kole Klecker (4-2, 2.30 ERA)
- Sunday, April 2: RHP Trendan Parish (1-0, 4.64 ERA) vs. RHP Cam Brown (2-0, 2.08 ERA)
NCAA STAT MACHINES
Entering the weekend series versus TCU, the Red Raiders rank in the NCAA Top 10 in eight different statistical categories:Â
- No. 1 in sacrifice flies (26)
- No. 2 in double plays (32)
- No. 2 in double plays per game (1.23)
- No. 3 in walks (171)
- No. 3 in hits (296)
- No. 7 in doubles (61)Â
- No. 7 in triples (12)
- No. 8 in runs scored (248)
A ROAD UNKIND
No way around it, Texas Tech is returning home from a rough four-game road trip having gone 0-4 in a three-game sweep to Texas and last time out a loss to New Mexico. But the last three were especially painful ending as walk-offs in the bottom of the ninth for the home team. The last time Texas Tech lost three consecutive games by one run was in 2007 albeit just one was a walk-off loss. Tech will strive to answer with a big win, just like the 2007 team, as they answered the bell winning 15-5 following those three games.
DYNAMIC FRESHMEN
The Red Raiders' starting nine has had at least three freshmen in the starting lineup in every game this season and topped out with five freshmen in the starting lineup in four different games (March 4 vs. Michigan, March 11 vs. Iowa, March 14 vs. UTA, March 18 vs. Oklahoma State). Of that group, Kevin Bazzell is the only individual who is not a true freshman as he was with Texas Tech in the spring of 2022 but could not participate due to NCAA transfer rules. In total, seven freshmen (six true freshmen) have seen position starts this season for the Red Raiders.
THREE ON 2023 OPENING DAY ROSTERS
Former Texas Tech pitchers Parker Mushinski (Houston Astros) and Danny Coulombe (Baltimore), and 2019 first-round draft choice Josh Jung (Texas Rangers) were named to respective 2023 MLB Opening Day rosters.
Pitchers Mushinski (Houston Astros), Caleb Kilian (Chicago Cubs), Davis Martin (Chicago White Sox), plus infielder Jung (Texas Rangers) made their respective MLB debuts last season, therefore, Kilian and Martin could be back in the show at any time. Mushinski made his debut in a reliever role on April 17 against Seattle, Martin started at Kansas City on May 17 while Kilian on June 4 in a start versus St. Louis. Jung saw his first action on Sept. 9 and connected for a home run on his first career MLB at-bat versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
SERIES HISTORY - TCU
- Friday's meeting will be the 182nd all-time between the two programs.
- The 181-game series is the most the Red Raiders have played against any one opponent in program history.
- The two teams met for the first time in 1957 and have met annually dating back to 2009 (2020 omitted).
- Since the formation of the Big 12 prior to the 1997 season, Tech is 36-40 against TCU.
- Since TCU joined the Big 12 prior to the 2013 season, Tech is 14-19 against TCU.
- Tadlock is 14-19 against TCU but has won more series than he has lost against TCU. Texas Tech has won 5-of-9 season series against TCU since he was hired.
- Last season, TCU swept Texas Tech for the first time since 2011.Â
- The last time Texas Tech was swept in a three-game series at home, by any opponent, was to TCU in 2011.
- The last time Texas Tech swept TCU in a three-game series was in 1989 in Lubbock.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE HORNED FROGS
In 2022, the Red Raiders suffered its first series sweep in more than six seasons when TCU dropped Texas Tech in three-straight games in Fort Worth, April 14-16. That tough stretch continued the following Tuesday, April 19, at New Mexico as Texas Tech dropped its fifth-straight game, 11-10, to a walk-off home run. Fast forward to 2023, it's been deja vu. The Red Raiders were swept in Austin for the first time since 2007 and went to Albuquerque and fell 11-10 to walk-off home run. Despite the tough stretch last year, Tech bounced back and won three of its final four Big 12 series in 2022 and claimed the No. 2 seed in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.
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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— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) March 30, 2023
Wear Black tomorrow, pack Rip Griffin Park all weekend vs TCU!#WreckEm | @lubbocknational pic.twitter.com/frXGwDemHm
--TECH--
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