Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech completes baseball, softball facility upgrades
February 19, 2026 | Baseball, Softball
Red Raider Baseball opens a 15-game homestand Friday with a four-game series versus Albany
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will unveil several new facility upgrades at both Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park and Rocky Johnson Field beginning this weekend when Red Raider Baseball opens its home slate with a four-game series against Albany.
"The start of softball and baseball season is always an exciting time on campus," Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt. "We continue to experience tremendous support from our donors, allowing us to invest in our student-athlete experience with facility upgrades such as the ones our fans will see this year at Rip Griffin Park and Rocky Johnson Field. We can't thank the Sellers family enough for their continued support of our softball program as well as the donors who have contributed to the upgrades we've been able to make the past several years for Coach Tadlock and our baseball team."
Fresh off its first Women's College World Series appearance in school history, the Red Raider softball program will boast several new fan amenities this season, most notably a new awning that will provide significant shade over Rocky Johnson Field as well as protective netting down both baselines to protect fans from foul balls. The outfield wall also received updated branding in the offseason, highlighting program accomplishments with new artwork such as NCAA postseason appearances and the National Runner-Up finish last season in Oklahoma City.
Texas Tech has also installed a new Musco LED lighting system similar to the one at Jones AT&T Stadium, which allows for choregraphed patterns designed to music as well as after home runs. The additions will be a welcomed upgrade to the gameday atmosphere at Rocky Johnson Field for the top-ranked Red Raiders, who have already sold out of season tickets for a second-consecutive season.
Additionally, Texas Tech also updated its branding inside the Rocky Johnson Field team facility, adding an All-America wall, an updated trophy case and a LED lighting system inside the team locker room. The clubhouse also features updated photos throughout the facility of Texas Tech's historic 2025 season where the Red Raiders swept both the Big 12 regular season and postseason titles en route to a memorable run to the Women's College World Series finals.
The collection of softball upgrades were made possible due to gifts from longtime supporters John and Tracy Sellers. John Sellers, a native of Canyon and former Red Raider football player, is co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Double Eagle Holdings, one of the most-successful oil and gas exploration and development companies in the country. His wife, the former Tracy Cartier, was a softball letterwinner from 2001-03 where she made 89 starts, totaling 58 hits, 31 runs, four doubles, a pair of triples and 18 stolen bases during that span. The Red Raiders advanced to only their second NCAA Regional at the time during her debut season in 2001.
"We couldn't be more thankful for all John and Tracy Sellers continue to do for our program," head softball coach Gerry Glasco said. "One of my priorities since I've arrived is to build a tremendous gameday atmosphere that matches the team we put on the field. These upgrades will go a long way towards that goal, and we can't wait to see our fans pack Rocky Johnson Field all season."
Rip Griffin Park features a new state-of-the-art playing field from Shaw Sports Turf. The new turf was installed by Paragon Sport Constructors in December of 2025. The project includes more than 138,000 square feet of Shaw Sports Turfs' synthetic turf system featuring sand and a natural infill combination of GeoFill and CoreMax, engineered specifically for baseball.
As part of the project, Paragon Sports Constructors also installed new turf in the home and visitor bullpens with the same turf that is on the field of Rip Griffin Park as well as the new pitching analytics area located underneath the third base bleachers.
"We are fortunate to have what is among the top playing surfaces in all of college baseball," head baseball coach Tim Tadlock said. "This upgrade is a continuation of what we've been able to do at Rip Griffin Park the past several years with our new clubhouse. We are grateful to Kirby Hocutt and our administration for their continued support and investment in our program as well as our donors who continue to support our players at a high level.'
The Albany series kicks off a 15-game homestand for the Red Raider baseball program, which will also host Cal State Bakersfield, Penn State, UTSA and then Kansas in the Big 12 Conference opener during that stretch. First pitch versus Albany is set for 2 p.m. Friday.
The top-ranked softball program, meanwhile, still has a week before hosting their own home opener as the Red Raiders will host the likes of Abilene Christian, North Texas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Detroit Mercy beginning Feb. 26 as part of the four-day Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic.
