Tech Softball Earned Respect In 1999
November 09, 1999 | Softball
Nov. 9, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech softball team entered the 1999 season on a mission and when it was over, you could say that their point was well taken. After being denied an NCAA birth in 1998, the Red Raider softball team played one of the toughest schedules in the nation and on May 16 the team was rewarded with the school's first ever NCAA postseason invitation.
The road was not an easy one for Texas Tech as the team not only faced 19 ranked opponents, but also had to play 57 of its games on the road. Of Tech's 67 games this season, the team found themselves playing 34 games against a ranked opponent.
The softball program got a boost just before the season began when Texas Tech officials broke ground on a new softball stadium that is expected to be completed by 2001. Attending the ceremony were close to 250 fans, administrators and Big 12 conference officials. Despite a temperature that was hanging around the freezing mark and a light snow, the day's festivities were not dampened as a new era in Texas Tech athletics was born.
Though there were high expectations and exciting things happening within the program, the team struggled early on but rallied in true Red Raider fashion. It was a season of ups and downs as the team struggled to find offensive consistency and to find their niche on the road. As the 1999 Big 12 Conference regular season came to a close, the Red Raiders were finally able to answer some of those haunting questions.
In the 1999 Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City, Texas Tech shook off an early round loss to No. 23 Missouri and went on to defeat and eliminate No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 9 Oklahoma. The Red Raiders became the first team in Big 12 Tournament history to eliminate the top-seeded team (Oklahoma). In the semifinals, Tech faced No. 12 Texas in a battle to advance to the tournament finals. Tech held the Longhorns at a 0-0 tie until the bottom of the 11th inning before Texas hit a home run to eliminate Texas Tech.
The disappointment didn't last long for Tech, as 48 hours later the team learned it would head to Fresno, Calif., for the NCAA Regionals.
Playing its best softball of the season, Tech defeated No. 14 South Carolina twice (eliminating them) and No. 25 Pacific for the right to face defending national champion Fresno State in the NCAA regional finals. The Red Raiders' season came to an end in the championship game as Fresno State defeated Texas Tech 5-0 to advance to the 1999 Women's College World Series.
Like true Red Raiders, the 1999 softball team put the adversity behind them and became the only Texas Tech athletic team to reach the regional finals last season. The future looks bright for Texas Tech as they are not only constructing a new softball stadium but will bring an outstanding recruiting class to campus this fall.