No. 17 Tech heads to UNM for Tuesday matinee

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Fresh off a strong six-game homestand that included the games of 32 runs and 29 runs, the No. 17 Texas Tech Baseball team hits the road on Tuesday for a midweek contest against New Mexico. First pitch from Albuquerque is set for 3 p.m. (CT).

Powered by the 32 runs in the home opener against Texas Southern and 29 runs in the middle game against Gardner-Webb, the Red Raiders head into Tuesday's contest leading the country in average (.371), doubles (44), on-base percentage (.494) and runs scored (152).

The Red Raiders also rank number one in the country in runs per game (13.8) and fifth in the country in walks (90).

INSIDE THE MATCHUPS:

MATCHUP: No. 17 Texas Tech (9-2) at New Mexico (7-5)
DATE: Monday, March 4, 2024
TIME: 3 p.m. (CT)
LOCATION: Santa Ana Star Field
PITCHING MATCHUP: LHP Taber Fast (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Wyatt Hardy (0-1, 12.71 ERA)

1-2-3 HEADLINES:

* Riding a six-game winning streak and off a pair of weekend sweeps over Texas Southern and Gardner-Webb, the No. 17 ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders head to New Mexico Tuesday for a midweek date with the Lobos.

* The Red Raiders Tuesday contest at New Mexico will mark a key turning point in the season for the the Texas Tech Red Raiders as it will mark the end of the non-conference schedule as Big 12 play arrives this weekend when Texas visits Lubbock.

* Ranked as high as No. 14 in the country in the Baseball America poll, the Texas Tech Baseball team is now ranked as a consensus top-25 team in the country, as the Red Raiders ranked in the D1Baseall, Baseball America, NCBWA, USA Today and Perfect Game polls. The Red Raiders (9-2) are fresh off a perfect 6-0 homestand that included two different three-game sweeps over Texas Southern and Gardner-Webb. Over the six game homestand the Red Raiders hit .430 as a team and outscored the Tigers and Bulldogs, 116-29.

MID WEEK NOTES:

BRAVO. DAMIAN BRAVO.

Damian Bravo has been on fire through the seasons first 11 games. Bravo is hitting .568 so far with 25 hits in 44 at-bats. The third leading hitter in the NCAA, Bravo leads the country in doubles per game and in total doubles. He's also fourth in the country in RBIs (22) and 21st in on-base percentage (.611). Bravo leads the Big 12 Conference in average, on-base percentage and doubles.

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.

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 five hits and one run in his first seven and one-third innings of the season. Opposing batters are hitting just .200 against the lefty this season, as Free has now earned a pair of victories and a save in his first three appearances. Free was nails in Friday's contest against Gardner-Webb striking out three in his 1.1 pitched. Free threw just 19 pitches to earn his first save of the season. The lefty entered with the bases loaded and two outs and used a nasty breaking pitch to strand the tying runs on base in the 10-7 game.

THE BATS HAVE BEEN HOT
Over the six-game winning streak the Red Raiders are hitting .430 with 17 home runs and 31 doubles. As a team the Red Raiders are co-leading the country in average with Wofford. The Red Raiders are hitting .371 as team this season with 44 doubles. Tech's 44 doubles are the most in the country. Tech's damage has just been limited to hits or doubles, as the Red Raiders are fifth in the country in total walks (90) and numbers one in the country in on-base percentage (.494). Tech also leads the country in runs scored (152) and runs per game (13.8).

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

The Red Raiders freshman class was highly acclaimed coming into the season and through the first 11 games of the season they certainly look the part. At the plate three different freshman (Pompey, Rivers and Sanders) have combined to go 28-of-68 (.412) with three home runs, 10 doubles and 28 RBIs. TJ Pompey has done the lion share of the damage as the Coppell product is hitting .413 with two home runs and 17 RBIs. On the mound, the freshman have thrown 22.2 innings, allowing just four runs (1.62 ERA). That group includes Chandler Coe, Mac Heuer, Parker Hutyra Cole Kaase and Brady Trombello and has struck out 18 batters with just two walks.

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.

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 10 of the 11 games this season and is currently hitting .378 with three home runs and nine 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 is hitting .357 with an on-base percentage of .533. Harrelson has also been a threat on the basepaths as the OF has stolen four bases.

THE BACK END IS COMING TOGETHER

The Red Raiders back end of the bullpen is starting to come together rather nicely, as the trio of Free, Hutyra and Sanders have combined for a perfect 3-0 record and two saves. Free has pitched 7.1 innings and allowed just one run, while Hutrya has allowed just one run over his first 4.1 innings pitched. Sanders has allowed just two earned runs in7.1 innings with 11 punchouts. The trio has pitched to an ERA of 1.88.

KA$H BOMBS AND RECORDS

After a slow start to the 2024 season the saw him hit .185 through the seasons first eight games, All-American Gavin Kash broke out in a big way on Saturday. Moved into the leadoff spot in the absence of Kevin Bazzell, Kash went 5-for-8 with a home run and four doubles. Kash's home run in the home half of the second on Saturday was clocked at over 480 feet. The first baseman also added the four doubles which was a new school record. Kash raised his average just on Saturday alone from .194 to .282 a difference of almost 90 points.

KNOW YOUR FOE - NEW MEXICO

• The Lobos enter Tuesday's midweek contest with an overall record of 7-5 overall. Winners of six-of-eight, UNM is coming off a weekend split with Hofstra. The Lobos had a three-game winning streak snapped in Friday's 10-9 loss to the Pride. The streak was a result of three straight wins over South Dakota State. The first two wins, 12-11 (Feb. 23) and 9-8 (Feb. 24) came by a run before the Lobos took the series two Sunday's ago with a 13-2 run rule victory. The series victory over South Dakota State came after UNM opened the season in Surprise, Ariz. In the series in Arizona, the Lobos fell on opening day to Oregon State 16-5 before rebounding for a 4-3 win over Bakersfield the following day. UNM ultimately closed the opening weekend even after splitting games against Minnesota (11-2 loss) and Bakersfield (6-2 W).

• Tuesday's contest with the Red Raiders is game nine of a 12 game homestand for the Lobos. So far UNM is 5-3 on that home stand with three wins over South Dakota State and the series split with Hofstra. Following the midweek with the Red Raiders, UNM will begin Mountain West play with UNLV.

• On the season UNM has been strong at the plate, as the Lobos are hitting .315 on the young season with 14 home runs and 101 runs scored. Six different Lobos led by Sean Stephens are hitting at least .300 on the season, while a pair of Lobos have each hit a team-best four home runs and hit .300. Will Asby has arguably been UNMs best hitter as the San Francisco transfer is hitting .325 over the first 12 games of the season with four home runs and 14 RBIs. The other Lobo hitting .300 with four bombs is Jake Holland. Holland, who hit a walk off home run against the Red Raiders last season is hitting 9-for-30 (.300) through eight games with four homers and 11 RBIs. A Georgia Tech transfer, Holland hit three home runs and drove in seven in the Lobos back-to-back wins over the Pride. Holland hit .333 with 13 home runs a season ago.

• New Mexico is scheduled to turn to righty Will Hardy to start Tuesday's contest. Hardy is 0-1 on the season with a 12.71 ERA over his 5.2 innings. A transfer from Pima CC, Hardy has struck out eight over those 5.2 innings pitched. The righty began his college career at Washburn University before transferring to Pima for the 2023 season. Hardy arrived at UNM this fall and is listed as junior. The righty last pitched for UNM on Mar. 1 when he allowed six hits and six runs in just two-thirds of an inning against Hofstra. The righty threw just 27 pitches in that appearance. Hardy has pitched in two other games this season, He allowed two runs in three innings pitched against Bakersfield back on Feb. 19 and pitched two scoreless on Feb. 24.

• As a team the Lobos have pitched to an 8.04 ERA so far this season , as the team has allowed 92 runs in 103 innings pitched. Five different Lobos have started multiple times including New Mexico State transfer Wil Bannister. Bannister has tossed 12.2 innings allowing eight runs. The Lobos leader in innings pitched is David Lopez. Lopez has tossed 14.2 inning allowing 12 runs (10 earned) with 12 strikeouts. Bannister and Lopez are two of five Lobos to have recorded 10+ innings pitched this season. The group includes Daxton Purser who leads UNM in ERA amongst pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched. Purser has walked eight in his 10.2 innings but has allowed just four runs. Purser was a JUCO All-American pitching at Salt Lake Community College. The Lobos have for saves on the season, two of which cam by Brian McBroom. McBroom has struck out six batters in his 5.2 innings.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders return home for the start of Big 12 play against No. 24 Texas. The three-game series gets going on Friday night with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch

No. 17 Tech heads to UNM for Tuesday matinee

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kevin Bazzell

Damian Bravo

Chandler Coe

Taber Fast

Ryan Free

Austin Green

Gage Harrelson

Mac Heuer

Parker Hutyra

Cole Kaase

Gavin Kash

TJ Pompey

Brady Trombello

Jack Washburn

Owen Washburn

Texas Tech University Athletics

No. 17 Tech heads to UNM for Tuesday matinee

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kevin Bazzell

Damian Bravo

Chandler Coe

Taber Fast

Ryan Free

Austin Green

Gage Harrelson

Mac Heuer

Parker Hutyra

Cole Kaase

Gavin Kash

TJ Pompey

Brady Trombello

Jack Washburn

Owen Washburn

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