Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Abilene Christian
Preview: Long-awaited Tech-ACU matchup on deck
May 08, 2023 | Baseball
ABILENE CHRISTIANÂ at TEXAS TECH
Lubbock, Texas | Rip Griffin Park
May 9, 2023
- Game one, 4 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
- Game two, 6:30 p.m.: Watch | Listen | Stats | Tickets
Promotional Notes
- Ceremonial First Pitch - TTUÂ men's basketball head coach Grant McCasland
Texas Tech and Abilene Christian will try to play baseball on Tuesday, again. The teams were scheduled to play a home-and-home in 2023, one game in Lubbock on April 4 and one game in Abilene on April 25; the two will try to complete a game for the first time on May 9 as Mother Nature intervened with both original game dates.
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 for both 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.
TEXAS TECHÂ IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Texas Tech holds steady this week in the same three polls it resided in last week after falling out of the D1Baseball poll a week prior after the 1-2 week at Kansas State.Â
- Baseball America: No. 15Â (-)
- NCBWA: No. 24Â (-)
- USA Coaches: No. 25Â (-1)
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PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
- Tue., 5/9 (B-4th, resumed from 4/25):Â TBA vs. LHP Max Huffling (3-1, 5.57 ERA)
- Tue., 5/9 (6:30 p.m./or 30-45 after gm 1):Â Â RHP Zane Petty (2-0, 5.71 ERA) vs. TBA
WILL THE THIRD TIME BE THE CHARM?Â
Texas Tech and Abilene Christian will try to play baseball on Tuesday, again. The teams were scheduled to play a home-and-home in 2023, one game in Lubbock on April 4 and one game in Abilene on April 25; the two will try to complete a game for the first time on May 9. Mother Nature intervened with both original game dates. On April 4, the two teams mutually agreed to postpone the Lubbock game to May 9 due to extreme winds in excess of 60mph in the region for the sake of gameplay but more importantly safe travel. In Abilene on April 25, severe storms entered the area in the fourth inning, most predominantly the issue was excessive lighting versus precipitation. The game was halted at approximately 7:20 p.m. and after an hour delay, the game was suspended for the remainder of the night. With the forethought of potential weather, it was agreed upon between both head coaches at the home plate meeting that if the game could not be completed, it would be finished in Lubbock on May 9. The suspended game will resume at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and upon its completion, the next game will either start on time, or 30-45 minutes after the first game's conclusion, similar to a doubleheader. Game two will not begin before 6:30 p.m. if game one moves quickly.
BACKS AGAINST THE WALL
Tuesday's 4 p.m. game will begin in the bottom of the fourth inning, with ACU batting as the home team at Rip Griffin Park with one out and a runner on second base. The Wildcats own a 6-0 lead, having scored all six of those runs in the bottom of the fourth in Abilene after the first three-and-a-half innings served as a 0-0 pitcher's duel.
- Texas Tech players that have already competed in the suspended April 25 contest and are not eligible to re-enter, include: RHP Zane Petty, RHP Dax Dathe, OF Drew Woodcox and OF Jeric Curtis.Â
PERFECT AT HOME
Since defeating Sam Houston on Sunday and claiming the weekend series, the Red Raiders remain perfect in weekend series won this season at Rip Griffin Park moving to 8-for-8. All that remains in that department is a three-game series versus Kansas, May 18-20, to go perfect for the season.
- Tech is to 27-6 at home and 32-16 overall; Tech's 27 home wins match the win total in 2021 (27-7); the next best win total was the 30-7 season in 2019.
RED RAIDERS VS. THE WAC
The Red Raiders will have completed five straight games against WAC opponents after Tuesday's games against Abilene Christian. Tech is fresh off a weekend series against Sam Houston, winning two of three games. Overall, Tech is 6-1 against WAC opponents this season having also won a pair of games against both UT Arlington and Grand Canyon. Abilene Christian is one of four programs from the WAC on the 2023 schedule. GCU and Sam Houston were picked to finish first and second in the league, respectively, while ACU was slotted fourth and UTA was ninth.Â
HIGH FLYING OFFENSE
Entering Tuesday's game, Tech ranks in the NCAA Top 10 in four different statistical categories.
(NCAA stat report following games played Sunday, May 7):
- No. 5Â in sacrifice flies (33)
- No. 8Â in runs (426)
- No. 9Â in hits (537)
- No. 10 in walks (280)
It's May, which means the regular season finale is quickly approaching. Senior Day will be held on Saturday, May 20 in the Red Raiders regular-season finale versus Kansas at 2 p.m. Tech will honor the six-member senior class prior to the game, which includes Bo Blessie (2nd yr. at Tech/Midland College/Midland, TX), Ty Coleman (2nd yr. at Tech/Texas A&M/Midland, TX), Ethan Coombes (1st yr. at Tech/Lubbock Christian/Roswell, NM), Garrett Crowley (2nd yr. at Tech/Fordham/Queens, NY), Nolen Hester (1st yr. at Tech/Wofford/Mount Pleasant, TX) and Zac Vooletich (2nd yr. at Tech/Navarro College/San Antonio, TX).
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SERIES HISTORY - ABILENE CHRISTIAN
- Texas Tech and Abilene Christian will play its 53rd and 54th games on a baseball diamond Tuesday night.
- Texas Tech will see ACU for the second-straight season. Until last season, the two had last seen each other in 2016. Tech won a pair of games, claiming a 5-4 walk-off victory in Midland and a 7-2 win in Abilene.Â
- Texas Tech lost to ACU for the first time since 1976 last time in Lubbock, snapping a 12-game streak of wins; Tech rebounded with a 16-12 win in Abilene in the rematch.
- Until last season, the Red Raiders' previous loss to ACU in Lubbock was on April 29. 1967 - a 1-0 no-hitter.
TEXAS TECH-ABILENE CHRISTIAN CONNECTIONS
- Texas Tech's Ty Coleman and ACU's Logan Britt were on the same Texas A&M roster in 2020 and 2021.Â
- Texas Tech's Zac Vooletich played on the game Navarro CC squad in 2021 as ACU's Riley Bauman.
- Texas Tech's senior Bo Blessie and ACU's infielder Garrett Williams both played for Midland College in 2021.Â
- Texas Tech's Kevin Bazzell and ACU's Riley Bauman both call Rockwall, Texas their hometown.Â
- ACU right-handed pitcher freshman Holt Gibson played at Lubbock Cooper HS.Â
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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