KANSAS at TEXAS TECH
Lubbock, Texas | Rip Griffin Park
18-20 May 2023
Texas Tech Game Notes (PDF) | Kansas Game Notes (PDF)
STARTERS
The final series of the regular season has arrived for the 2023 Red Raiders, which will conclude on Saturday by honoring six seniors prior to the finale. Tech will host Kansas with a lot still on the line, as the Red Raiders could finish anywhere from second to eighth in the league over the final three games in a season that has little to no separation in the Big 12 standings seen
Coverage will be provided via Big 12 Now on ESPN+. John Harris will be on the mic for play-by-play duties, while former Red Raider baseball player Mike Gustafson will provide the analysis for all three 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 across 46 affiliates throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico, as well as on the web through the Varsity App. Geoff Haxton will have the call alongside Jamie Lent.
TEXAS TECH IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Despite Texas Tech continuing to climb in the RPI, the Red Raiders have dipped out of every poll outside of the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association Top 30 this week. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 14 in the D1Baseball poll and had an RPI of No. 66 on Thursday, April 27 in its matchup against K-State. After dropping two of three to the Wildcats, Tech dropped out of the D1Baseball poll but remained in the Baseball America, Coaches poll and NCBWA poll. While unranked in all but one on May 17, the Red Raiders RPI has improved to No. 41 in that stretch.
The Big 12 recognizes D1Baseball for its primary rankings, so if one ranking is needed, Texas Tech follows suit with the conference in those scenarios.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
- Thursday, May 18: LHP Mason Molina (4-2, 4.20 ERA) vs. RHP Collin Baumgartner (5-1, 3.95 ERA)
- Friday, May 19: RHP Trendan Parish (3-2, 5.74 ERA) vs. TBA
- Saturday, May 20: TBA vs. TBA
SENIOR SALUTE
A Senior Day ceremony will be held prior to Saturday’s May 20 regular-season finale against Kansas at 2 p.m. Tech will honor the six-member senior class, which includes Bo Blessie (2nd year at Tech/Midland College/Midland, TX), Ty Coleman (2nd year at Tech/Texas A&M/Midland, TX), Ethan Coombes (1st year at Tech/Lubbock Christian/Roswell, NM), Garrett Crowley (2nd year at Tech/Fordham/Queens, NY), Nolen Hester (1st year at Tech/Wofford/Mount Pleasant, TX) and Zac Vooletich (2nd year at Tech/ Navarro College/San Antonio, TX).
KANSAS SENIOR SENDOFF
Just as they were on their last visit in 2021, Kansas will be in town for the Red Raiders’ senior weekend. In the 2021 edition of the TTU-KU series, the Jayhawks won the first game, 7-4, before the Red Raiders won 13-4 the next day and clinched the series win on Senior Day with a 5-0 shutout . Tech had just one senior in 2021 to celebrate right-handed pitcher Connor Queen who arrived from Odessa College for the 2018 season.
THIS IS IT; BIG 12 REGULAR SEASON FINALE
Suddenly it’s time for the postseason. The Red Raiders enter their final Big 12 regular season series 10-11 in league play and will need a sweep against Kansas to avoid their worst conference mark since 2013 (9-15). Tech went 13-11 in Big 12 play in 2015.
Tech was a winner of four of its first five Big 12 series and was 8-7 in league play returning to the Big 12 series at K-State (April 28-30) and at No. 6 West Virginia (May) 12 -14) and fell victim to back-to-back series losses going 2-4 combined in those games. There’s still a lot on the line, as the Red Raiders could finish anywhere from second to eighth in the league over the final three games in a season that has seen little to no separation in the Big 12 standings . If Tech can rebound, it would extend its claim as the only school in the conference to finish in the Top 3 every season since 2016.
- The Red Raiders haven’t lost a home Big 12 series, or any series for that matter, going 3-for-3 in Big 12 series and are 8-for-8 overall in weekend series this season at Rip Griffin Park.
THE RPI DISCUSSION
While Texas Tech has fallen out of the D1Baseball poll, it has been trending in the RPI, which is used heavily in the NCAA postseason selection process. The Red Raiders enter the weekend series No.
- Why the RPI focus? The RPI, (rating percentage index) is heavily factored into the selection of the 64 participants and the 16 regional hosts at the end of the seasons. selection process of the NCAA tournament.
30 PROFIT; NOT TO BE TAKEN FOR NOTHING
Texas Tech reached 30 wins this season at Kansas State on April 29. It marks the ninth consecutive completed season that a Tim Tadlock ball club has reached at least 30 wins. The skipper is responsible for nine of the all-time 31 30-win seasons and five of the 16 all-time 40-win seasons. The current streak of nine-straight 30-win seasons is just short of the program-best 14-season streak of 30+ wins earned from 1994-2006. The Red Raiders only had one 30-win season (2011) between 2007-2013.
- Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and TCU are the only three Big 12 schools to claim nine-straight 30-win seasons dating back to 2014.
TEXAS TECH-KANSAS SERIES HISTORY
- Thursday’s meeting will be the 79th all-time between the two programs.
- The series dates back to 1981 when the teams first met in Edinburg, Texas with Tech winning 2-of-3.
- The 1981 three-game series was the only prior matchup until the formation of the Big 12.
- Since the Big 12 was formed, Tech is 48-27 all-time against Kansas.
- The Red Raiders have won seven straight series against the Jayhawks since 2015.
- Since 2015, Tech is 17-5 against Kansas.
- The two clubs have only met once in the Big 12 Tournament on May 24, 2019 (W, 7-5).
2022 TEXAS TECH-KANSAS FLASHBACK
The Red Raiders outscored the Jayhawks 36-4 over the first two games in Lawrence last season to win the series before falling in Sunday’s game, 8-5. While there was a ton of offense in the first two games, it was a late start in Friday night’s opener as Kansas led 2-1 after the first six innings. The Red Raiders exploded for four runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth to comfortably win the first game of the series, 8-2. In the seventh inning, three of the first four Red Raiders reached base to load them up for Cole Stilwell. Stilwell tied the game with a sac fly before Jace Jung ripped a three-run home run about 15 feet over the fence on the batter’s eye to tie a four-spot in the seventh. On Saturday, Tech erupted for 28 runs, marking the eighth time the program has ever scored 28 or better in a game. Twelve different Red Raiders recorded a hit, led by Hudson White’s career-high five hits (5-for-6). Not to be outdone, Brandon Birdsell threw an av. He left his second game of the 2022 season without allowing a hit. Birdsell’s final line was 5.0 innings pitched, zero hits, zero runs, eight strikeouts and two walks. The right-hander also pitched a no-hit game at Rice over 6.0 innings on March 12. On Sunday, Tech fell behind 7-2 until the deficit in the top of the seventh with three runs, but the rally ended, and the Jayhawks tacked on an insurance run in the eighth to avoid the sweep.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 24-28.
Wed May 24
Game 1: No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed – 9 am
Game 2: No. 1 Seed against No. 8 Seed – 12:30 p.m
Game 3: No. 2 Seed vs. No. 7 Seed – 4 pm
Game 4: No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed – 19:30
Thursday, May 25
Game 5: Game 1 Loser vs Game 2 Loser – 9 am
Game 6: Game 3 Loser vs Game 4 Loser – 12:30 pm
Game 7: Game 1 Winner vs Game 2 Winner – 4 pm
Game 8: Game 3 Winner vs Game 4 Winner – 19:30
Fri 26 May
Game 9: Game 7 Loser vs Game 5 Winner – 3 pm
Game 10: Game 8 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner – 6:30 p.m
Sat., May 27
Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs Game 9 Winner – 9 am
Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs Game 10 Winner – 12:30 pm
* Match 13: If necessary – 4 pm
* Match 14: If necessary – 19:30
Sunday, May 28
Game 15: Championship Game – 5 pm
–TECH–
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