Texas Tech Athletics
Oklahoma
Preview: Big 12 play resumes for No. 21 Tech at OU
April 13, 2023 | Baseball
No. 21Â TEXAS TECH at OKLAHOMA
Norman, Okla. | L. Dale Mitchell Park
April 14-16, 2023
- Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats
- Saturday, 4 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats
- Sunday, 2 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats
STARTERS
Since the first meeting in 1976, Texas Tech and Oklahoma are set to square off for the 100th time on Friday to kick off a three-game series at L. Dale Mitchell Park. While the Sooners own the advantage over the first 99 games, 53-45-1, the Red Raiders hold an 18-15 lead in the series under head coach Tim Tadlock. The Red Raiders have won five of their last six games played in Norman having won the 2021 series two games to one and swept the 2019 clash.
Coverage will be provided via ESPN+. Chad McKee will be on the mic for play-by-play duties on Friday while Toby Rowland takes over Saturday and Sunday. Former Oklahoma pitcher and World Series Champion George Frazier will provide 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, live from Norman, Okla.
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PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
- Friday, April 14: LHP Mason Molina (3-2, 4.02 ERA) vs. LHP James Hitt (2-0, 4.25 ERA)
- Tuesday, April 15: RHP Trendan Parish (2-0, 4.60 ERA) vs. TBA
- Sunday, April 16:Â TBA vs LHP Braden Carmichael (1-0, 3.00 ERA)
CLOSE FRIENDS MEET AGAIN
Close friends since childhood, Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock and Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson are set to go head-to-head in a Big 12 regular season weekend series for the fifth time as skippers from Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Both are from Denton, Texas, both went to Denton High School and just a couple of years separated the two as Tadlock's senior year was Johnson's sophomore year. While the two have been going head-to-head since 2018 as Big 12 head coaches, it started much earlier when Tadlock was head coach at Grayson College (Denison, Texas) and Johnson was in charge of Navarro College (Corsicana, Texas) approximately two-and-a-half hours away. Johnson was the head coach for 13 years at Navarro College from 1994-2006, while Tadlock was head coach at Grayson College from 1997-2005 before he became an assistant at Oklahoma from 2005-2011. Johnson was hired as an assistant at Texas in 2007 putting the two back in the same league again.
RIDING THE BIG 12 ROLLER-COASTER FROM THE TOP
Texas Tech returns to Big 12 play this weekend on the road, taking on Oklahoma, April 14-16. Texas Tech, who was picked to finish third in the 2023 Big 12 Preseason Poll, is off to a solid start in conference play having won two of its first two Big 12 series in Lubbock against preseason No. 1 TCU and preseason No. 2 Oklahoma State. Despite that success, the Red Raiders remain 4-5 in league play with its series loss to preseason choice No. 4 Texas. Following a weekend off from conference play last weekend, hosting North Dakota State, Tech returns to Big 12 action, at Oklahoma, which was the No. 5 team in the preseason poll.
ROAD STREAK SNAPPED
Texas Tech enters the Oklahoma series following a midweek bout at No. 8 Stanford. Tech snapped a run of bad luck last time out grabbing its first true road win this season after a 0-5 start, which included three-straight bottom-of-the-ninth walk-off losses – twice to Texas and once to New Mexico. Tech scored the first four runs in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Cardinal but clicked in every phase for an 11-2 win on Tuesday.
TOP 10 REPORT
Entering the weekend, Tech ranks in the NCAA Top 10 in eight different statistical categoriesÂ
(NCAA stat report following games played Wednesday, April 12):
- No. 1 in sacrifice flies (31)
- No. 2 in hits (385)
- No. 2 in double plays (36)
- No. 4 in walks (213)
- No. 6 in double plays per game (1.06)
- No. 6 in runs (317)
- No. 8 in runs per game (9.3)
- No. 10 in batting average (.319)
CAREER WIN No. 400
The countdown to Texas Tech career win No. 400 is over for head coach Tim Tadlock. The Red Raiders' skipper became the second head coach to reach 400 wins in Texas Tech history in Saturday's 8-3 win against North Dakota State (DH-game one). He was already the second-winningest head coach in Texas Tech history behind all-timer Larry Hays (813-479-3) and is now one of two coaches to reach the 400 milestone as the Red Raiders head coach.
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SERIES HISTORY - OKLAHOMA
- Friday's meeting will be the 100th all-time between the two programs.
- Tech trails the all-time series 45-53-1; a disparity produced in its 17-26-1 mark in Norman.
- The series dates back to 1976 as Oklahoma won six of the first nine games before the Big 12.
- Since the formation of the Big 12, Tech is 42-47-1 against the Sooners
- Since Tim Tadlock took over prior to 2013, Tech is 18-15 against the Sooners
- Tech has won 5-of-9 regular-season series against OU since 2013, including a sweep in Norman in 2019.
OKLAHOMA CONNECTIONS
Not only did Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock spend time as an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 2005-2011, but two members of his current coaching staff also played at Oklahoma. Special assistant Ray Hayward pitched for the Sooners and is one of 12 Sooners drafted in the first round in program history – 10th overall pick to the San Diego Padres in 1983. Meanwhile, Texas Tech Director of Operations Joe Hughes was an All-Big 12 honorable selection on the 2007 team. The current roster includes three that call Oklahoma home, each pitchers, in Brendan Girton (Gage, Okla.), Derek Bridges (Duncan, Okla.) and Josh Sanders (Yukon, Okla.). A close connection in the opposite dugout is James Hitt, a member of the Texas Tech roster in 2022.
ACU RESCHEDULED
Texas Tech announced on Wednesday, April 5 that it will host Abilene Christian on Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Rip Griffin Park. It is a rescheduled date for the game postponed on April 4. Due to inclement weather, Texas Tech and Abilene Christian mutually agreed to push the game to a later date. The postponed game versus ACU was also Texas Tech's annual Bark in the Park game, the event will be rescheduled for Tuesday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. when the Red Raiders host Grand Canyon.Â
Game tickets for the April 4 contest will be valid for the rescheduled May 9 matchup, or may be traded in for either of the two midweek contests left on the Red Raiders' schedule, April 18-19 versus Grand Canyon. All ticket exchanges are only valid if originally purchased through the Texas Tech ticket office (excludes third-party and season tickets). Fans can contact the Texas Tech Ticket Office at (806) 742-8324 with additional questions or visit TexasTech.com/Tickets.
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.
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.
