Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
2026 Texas Tech Alumni Game
Hughes powers 2026 Team past Alumni, 10-4
January 31, 2026 | Baseball
The 2025 First Team All-Big 12 selection homered twice, while freshmen Adam Hayes and Jesse Rusinek tossed three shutout innings
LUBBOCK, Texas – Outfielder Logan Hughes homered in his first two at-bats and catcher Matt Quintanar added a pair of doubles to push the 2026 Texas Tech program past Team Alumni, 10-4 Saturday afternoon at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
Other standouts for the 2026 team included freshmen Linkin Garcia, Adam Hayes and Jesse Rusinek. A true two-way standout, Rusinek went 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and on the mound threw a 1-2-3 sixth inning, while Hayes did not allow a hit in two scoreless innings.
Garcia, a top-100 prospect from A3 Academy, went 2-for-2 with a run scored at the plate and a pair of strong double play turns at shortstop.
On the mound, starter Jackson Burns shook off a first inning three-run home run from Nationals prospect Kevin Bazzell to fire a pair of strong innings in the second and third.
After a 400-foot three-run blast from Hughes tied the game at three-all, Burns needed just 11 pitches in the second to strike out the side in order.
The first blast for Hughes, an opposite field bomb, came off St. Louis Cardinals righty Hunter Dobbins.
After the 2026 squad added a run in the bottom of the second to grab a 4-3 lead, Burns fired a zero against the top of the alumni order, getting Grant Little to ground into a 6-4-3 twin killing to send the game to the home half of the third.
In the frame, Phillies prospect Brandon Beckel got a strong defensive play from former teammate Cole Stilwell to fire one of two zeros for the alumni team on the day.
Making its first pitching change of the day, the 2026 Red Raiders turned to Hayes, who got Bazzell to ground out before striking out Giants farm hand Damian Bravo.
With two out and nobody on, Hayes, the former top-rated pitcher in the State of Colorado, won a 2-2 battle against Stephen Smith ending the frame on a strong diving play from Georgia Tech transfer Connor Shouse.
Shouse, who also pitched the top of the seventh, projects to be a true two-way guy for Tech in 2026.
After a 451-foot leadoff bomb from Hughes put the current Red Raiders up by a pair, Blinn College transfer Caden Ferraro tripled home Garcia from first. Garcia got on a base on a 106 MPH single through the left side.
Team 2026 blew the game open for good in the fourth, using the RBI single from Rusinek and an inning ending (pitch count) two-run walk from Luke Orfi to take a 9-3 lead into the fifth.
Back for his second inning of work, Hayes got Dru Baker to ground into a sharply hit 4-6-3 two-ball to fire his second scoreless inning of work.
After a scoreless inning from former Tech righty Zane Petty sent the game to the sixth, Tech got a 10-pitch 1-2-3 inning from Rusinek in the top of the sixth.
In the home half of the inning, another double off the bat of Quintanar scored pinch-hitter Davis Rivers who walked to lead-off the inning.
The RBI double from Quintanar was all Team 2026 needed to close out the 10-4 seven-inning win in the Alumni Game.
On the day, the four Tech pitchers (Burns, Hayes, Rusinek and Shouse) allowed just five hits.
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