No. 18 Tech closes six-game homestand vs. Gardner-Webb

Friday, March 1

Lubbock, TX

6:30 p.m. CT

Texas Tech Athletics

Gardner-Webb

Tickets

No. 18 Tech closes six-game homestand vs. Gardner-Webb

February 29, 2024 | Baseball

Game Notes (Gardner-Webb) Preview Presser Tickets Watch (Fri) Watch (Sat) Watch (Sun)Live Stats

The weekend series with the Bulldogs is the final non-conference series before Big 12 Play

By: Andrew Stern

LUBBOCK, Texas – Fresh off a record-setting 68 run performance (most in a three-game series) that included a school-record 32 runs last Friday, the No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders close out a six-game homestand this Friday through Sunday when they play host to the Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb at Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field.

Friday's series opener against the Bulldogs will be the first Friday night home game of the season as first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

The weekend continues Saturday and Sunday with a pair of 2 p.m. contests.

Tech enters the weekend with a 167-23 (.879) all-time mark under Tim Tadlock against non-conference foes at home and are now 108-9 (.923) since 2017. The Red Raiders have won 23 straight non-conference series overall at home and have gone 37-straight series without an outright series loss (two-out-of-three, three-out-of-four) at home in non-conference play.

INSIDE THE MATCHUPS:

GAME ONE:
MATCHUP: No. 18 Texas Tech (6-2) vs. Gardner-Webb (2-6)
DATE: Friday, Mar.1, 2024
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Rip Griffin Park (Lubbock, Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Kyle Robinson (1-1, 3.12 ERA) vs. RHP Blake Brogdon (0-2, 9.00 ERA)

GAME TWO:
MATCHUP: No. 18 Texas Tech (6-2) vs. Gardner-Webb (2-6)
DATE: Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024
TIME: 2 p.m.
LOCATION: Rip Griffin Park (Lubbock, Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Mac Heuer (0-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. LHP Michael Ciminiello (2-0, 2.70 ERA)

GAME THREE:
MATCHUP: No. 18 Texas Tech (6-2) vs. Gardner-Webb (2-6)
DATE: Sunday, Mar. 3, 2024
TIME: 2 p.m.
LOCATION: Rip Griffin Park (Lubbock, Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Jack Washburn (1-0, 7.56 ERA) vs. RHP Parker Dixon (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP)

1-2-3 HEADLINES:

* Fresh off a record-setting weekend series sweep over Texas Southern, the No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders close a six-game home stand this weekend when they welcome Gardner-Webb for the first time in program history. The Red Raiders scored a three-game series record 58 runs last weekend highlighted by a 32-run outburst on Friday, that was also a school-record.

* After a strong week that saw him hit .458 with a pair of home runs, 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored, Pompey was tabbed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week this week. Pompey helped the Red Raiders to a 4-1 week last week.

* After starting the same opening rotation over the first two weekends of the season, HC Tim Tadlock will make a small change to the weekend rotation. As he has the first two Friday's, RHP Kyle Robinson will take the ball in the series opener, but freshman RHP Mac Heuer will make his first career start on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon, the Red Raiders will once again turn to junior Jack Washburn who earned his first career victory and struck out a career-high eight in the victory over Texas Southern on Sunday. Washburn earned the win in the Sunday game against the Tigers while his brother Owen hit a career-best two home runs and tied his career-high in RBIs (5).

WEEKEND NOTES:

BRAVO. DAMIAN BRAVO.

Damian Bravo closed an extremely strong first eight games of the season, as the sophomore outfielder hit 8-13 (.615) in the wekeend sweep over the Tigers. Bravo is now hitting a team-best .531 in 32 at-bats with eight doubles, a home run and 13 RBIs. His 13 RBIs are good for second on the Red Raiders. Bravo's OPS sits at 1.465 as his slugging percentage is nearly .900 (.875).

FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES

Four different Red Raiders enter the weekend series with Gardner-Webb with at least 10 RBIs. Freshman TJ Pompey and senior Austin Green have a team-best 14 runs batted in this season, followed by Damian Bravo's 13 RBIs. Catcher Kevin Bazzell is the other Red Raider to have driven in 10+ runs. In addition to four players with 10+ RBIs, the Red Raiders also have four players with 10+ runs scored, led by Bravo's 14 total runs. Pompey has scored 13 times, while Green and Gage Harrelson have each scored 10 times.

POMP [E] AND CIRCUMSTANCES

Freshman TJ Pompey continues to impress early in his freshman campaign, as the Coppell native is now hitting .441 this season with six extra-base hits in eight games. Pompey is tied for the team lead in RBIs and has an OPS of 1.265 through the first two weeks of the season. Pompey was named the Big 12s newcomer of the week last week after hitting .458 with 11 runs scored and 11 RBIs in five games.

GREENS HEATIN' UP

After taking a tough 0-for-4 on Friday night against the Vols, Austin Green caught fire in the final four games of the five-game stay in Arlington. Green enters the weekend riding a four-game hit streak and went 8 for his last 15 in Arlington with eight RBIs. Including the weekend series with TX Southern, Green is now 12 for his last 25 and has at least one run batted in, in the last seven games.

GIMMIE GIMMIE A ZERO

Senior lefty Ryan Free has picked up right where he left off after a strong 2023 campaign. Free has allowed just four hits and one run in his first six innings of the season. Opposing batters are hitting just .200 against the lefty this season, as Free has now earned the victory in both of his apperances.

NEW KIDS IN THE 'PEN

Nine newcomers have seen action for Tech on the mound this season: Chandler Coe (1.0 IP), Mac Heuer (5.1 IP/2ER), Max Huffling (3.0 IP/1ER), Parker Hutyra (2.1 IP, 1ER), Cole Kaase (2.0 IP), Hudson Luce (2.0 IP/4R), Isaiah Rhodes (1.1 IP, 1 ER), Hudson Parker (2.1 IP) and Brady Trombello (4.0 IP) have all pitched thus far. The nine newcomers have pitched 23.2 total innings, allowing just nine runs. Tech has 12 new pitchers in 2024 (Jack Washburn started last Sunday), and 10 of those 12 pitchers saw action in the opening weekend. The lone two who did not see action were Joe Sockwell and Carson Baugh.

BACK WITH THE WASH

Former Team USA standout and 2022 national champion Jack Washburn is back and healthy for the 2024 season, as the right-hander made his much anticipated Red Raider debut. Pitching for the first time since June of 2022 for Ole Miss, Washburn went over 600 days without an appearance. Washburn got off to a roaring start in the start against the Ducks, striking out four batters in the first two innings he pitched. Washburn retired the first seven batters before running out of gas in the fifth. In the end, Washburn went four innings plus allowing six hits, three runs (all earned). On Sunday against Texas Southern, Washburn earned his first career victory as a Red Raider and his first college win since May 20, 2023 against Texas A&M. Washburn struck out a career-best eight batters in the Red Raiders run-rule win over the Tigers.

ROLLIN' IN THE DEEP

Another pitcher who changed his warmup song in 2024 was senior Josh Sanders, who will now warmup to Adelle's Rolling in the Deep. So far it seems the warmup song is working for Sanders, as the righty has pitched 5.1 innings in thus far, allowing just three hits and two runs (one earned). Sanders was extremely strong in Wednesday's contest against No. 7 OSU, as the Yukon, Okla. native threw 1.1 perfect innings. Sanders has now struck out six batters in his 5.1 innings of work. Sanders has also stranded eight of nine inherited runners this season. The righty allowed his first inherited runner to score on Sunday vs. Texas Southern.

THE OTHER WASHBURN IS ALSO BACK

After being limited to just 18 games (52 at-bats) due to various injuries in 2023, Tech outfielder Owen Washburn is back and healthy in 2024. Owen has started seven of the eight games this season and is currently hitting .423 with a pair of home runs and seven RBIs. In the Red Raiders Sunday victory over TX Southern, Washburn hit a pair of home runs and drove in five to help his older brother Jack earn his first career win. Washburns on-base percentage sits at an even .500 through his first 26 at-bats.

NOT HARD TO GAGE

After a freshman All-American season in 2023, CF Gage Harrelson is back in 2024. After a slow start, that saw the Warner Robinson native start 0-for-7 at the plate, Harrelson went 3-for-5 in his final two games of the weekend, including a 2-for-2 performance against No. 7 OSU last Wednesday. In the weekend series with Texas Southern, Gage went 3-for-6 with six runs scored and four RBIs. Harrelson walked four times and now has walked nine times in just 18 official at-bats.

K-ROB GETS BOTH OPENERS AGAIN

After starting both the season/home opener (Tech opened the 2023 season at home) in 2023, junior Kyle Robinson will once again start the home opener after starting opening day last Friday against Tennessee. Robinson pitched 3.2 innings on opening night against the Vols, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) in the start.

KNOW YOUR FOE - GARDNER-WEBB

• Gardner-Webb enters the weekend series with the Red Raiders at 2-6 overall after dropping a mid-week contest to South Carolina. In the game with the Gamecocks, Gardner-Webb had a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth, but No. 19 South Carolina used a seven-run fifth inning to cruise to a 7-1 win. In the loss, GWU got one hit a piece from five different players including catcher Humberto Torres who homered in the second inning. Reid Bertram pitched the first two innings of the contest allowing just a hit and a walk over two scoreless innings. GWU then turned to Creighton Hanson and Connor Maggi who combined to record scoreless frames in the third and fourth. After recording the first out of the fifth via a flyout, pitcher Jack Clemente ran into trouble when he walked the bases loaded with one out. GWU turned to reliever Noah Ingle who promptly hit a batter to tie the score and allowed the go-ahead run on a sac-fly. After an RBI single gave South Carolina a 3-1 lead, Ingle gave up a three-run bomb and a single a walk. The third pitcher of the inning, Bryan Pazos walked in a run to make it 7-1 before finally recording the third and final. Gardner-Webb's best and final chance to score came in the eighth when back-to-back singles placed runners at first and second, but a grounder to short ended the inning.

• As a team Gardner-Webb enters the weekend hitting just .236 over the seasons first eight games, as only two Bulldogs are hitting over .260. Infielder Tommy Tavarez who transfered to GWU from Pitt leads the Bulldogs in average (.355), hits (11), home runs (3) and RBIs (7). The ACC transfer has started and played in all eight games this season. The other GWU regular hitting above .260 is catcher Humberto Torres. Torres is hitting .348 on the young season with an OPS of 1.299. Torres also has a team-high six walks and an OPB of .516.

• The Bulldogs opened the season with seven straigth home games as they hosted App State for a three-game series on opening weekend. After dropping opening day 9-5, GWU rebounded for a 5-1 win against the Mountaineers on Saturday. Playing for the series two Sunday's ago, GWU dropped a high-scoring 15-11 affair. GWU had an 11-10 lead going to the top of the ninth, but a two-out single to center tied the ballgame at 11, allowing the Mountaineers to score four times in the 10th inning to secure the series.

• Last weekend, Gardner-Webb hosted St. Joe's, Quinnipiac and Canisius at Bill Masters Field at John Henry Moss Stadium. In Friday's clash with the Hawks, GWU allowed three runs in the first and three in the ninth inning to fall 6-2. Friday's projected start Blake Brogdon took the ball for the Bulldogs, pitching five innings of three run ball. The Rice transfer and Cypress Woods native suffered the loss. On the season Brogdon has allowed eight runs in eight innings pitched, after allowing five runs in three innings against App State on opening weekend. In five seasons at Rice, Brogdon made 36 apperances and 16 starts, going 4-11. Brogdon threw 116.1 innings allowing 71 runs. A bulk of Brogdon's work came in the 2021 season when the righty pitched to a 5.07 ERA in 71 innings. Brogdon made 13 apperances and 10 starts, striking out 59 that season. Brogdon has actually faced the Red Raiders once in his career while at Rice. The righty pitched 3.2 innings on Mar. 7, 2020 when he allowed two runs (one earned) and walked six. The Red Raiders defeated Rice 19-12 at Rip Griffin Park on that day.

• Last Saturday against the Bobcats of Quinnipiac, GWU earned a late 4-3 victory when pinch-hitter Ethan Rossow walked with the bases loaded int he seventh to break a 3-3 tie. GWU got off to an early 3-0 lead using an RBI single in the first by Peter Capobianco and a two-RBI single from first baseman Alec Burns in the second. Burns went 3-for-5 in the game with the two RBIs and a run scored. Burns scored the game-winning run on the aforementioned Rossow free pass. Saturday's starter, lefty Michael Ciminiello took the ball for GWU and pitched five innings of three-run ball (two earned) to get the no-decision. Ciminiello struck out seven and allowed just three hits, two walks and hit a batter. Four GWU pitchers: Ciminiello, Connor Maggie, CJ Czerwinksi and Devin Pressley combined to allow just five hits. The four pitchers struck out 15. Czerwinski got the win for the Bulldogs after tossing two scoreless innings with five punchouts, while Pressley earned the save in a perfect 1-2-3 ninth.

• Pressley has earned the save in both GWU victories this season, and has allowed just three runs (a three-run homer in the seventh against App State). The reliever has seven punchouts in 3.2 innings of work. Czerwinski has also allowed three runs this season (all to App State) in 4.2 innings pitched. He has struck out nine total batters. A transfer from James Madison and College of Charleston, Czerwinski pitched to a 5.35 ERA over 37 innings in 2023.

• Last Sunday against Canisius, GWU fell 8-5, after the Griffins struck for five first inning runs off starter Gavin Schmitt. Schmitt who lasted just one inning, allowed five hits and five runs. Relievers Parker Dixon (3.1) and JT Inskeep (.2) combined to allow just one hit over the next four innings. Dixon, Sunday's projected starter, allowed just one hit but did walk four in his 3.1 innings pitched. A true freshman, Dixon is a native of Shelby N.C., and has pitched 6.1 innings on the year, allowing three unearned runs. He has walked seven and struck out five. He also threw 3.0 innings against App State on Feb. 18, allowing three unearned runs in the 15-11 loss.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders go on the road on Tuesday afternoon to Albuquerque for the annual road contest with New Mexico. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. (CT)