Texas Tech University Athletics
Baseball Will Play In Astros College Classic This Weekend
January 31, 2001 | Baseball
Jan. 31, 2001
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THE RED RAIDERS
The Texas Tech Red Raiders opened the 2001 baseball season on Friday, Jan. 26 with two wins (21-0, 25-0) over the Howard University Bison. Texas Tech got heads up on the rest of the Big 12 as the Red Raiders will take two games of experience into the Astros College Classic over the weekend.
Texas Tech got stellar performances from junior transfers Stephen Leist and Anthony Arnerich. Stephen Leist led the Red Raiders going 9-11 at the plate with 10 RBI and eight runs. Leist tossed two strikeouts in one inning of relief on the mound to close out the second game. Anthony Arnerich hit a team best .857 going 6-7 at the plate with six RBI. Arnerich started both games behind the plate.
The Red and Black was able to use numerous substitutions in the game to help solidify Texas Tech's new defensive and offensive attack. Sophomore football standout Shaud Williams made his debut in a baseball uniform in the bottom of the sixth inning as a pinch hitter replacing Austin Cranford. Williams played the rest of the game in centerfield and started game-two in center.
Tech was scheduled to play Howard two more times over the weekend but a winter storm cancelled the remainder of the series.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following Texas Tech's three-game tournament appearance in Houston, the Red Raiders will return home for a four-game homestretch. Texas Tech will face West Texas A&M on Tuesday, Feb. 6 and then host Cal-State Northridge in a three-game weekend series. Texas Tech will play West Texas A&M at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and will play the Matadors at 4 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively over the weekend. West Texas A&M finished the 2000 campaign with a 22-34 record while Cal-State Northridge finished the year with a 23-33 mark.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: Chris Phillips, RHP
Saturday: Cory Metzler, RHP or
Blake McGinley, LHP
Sunday: Brandon Roberson, RHP
RAIDERS ON THE AIR
For the eighth consecutive season, the entire Texas Tech baseball game schedule will be broadcast live on the Red Raider Radio Network and made available to its statewide affiliates. Play-By-Play voice of the Red
Raiders Mark Finkner will make the call in this his sixth season. He will be joined by popular color commentator Ryan Hyatt who will be in the broadcast booth for his fourth season. Finkner and Hyatt will host a 20-minute pregame show and will have postgame interviews with players and coaches. Tech baseball games can be heard locally on KKAM 1340 AM.
RAIDERS POUND HOWARD 21-0, 25-0
Junior Stephen Leist went 9-11 with 10 RBI to lead the Texas Tech Red Raiders to a doubleheader sweep of Howard University 21-0, 25-0 at Dan Law Field on Friday.
With the two wins, Tech opens the 2001 season with a perfect 2-0 record while Howard dropped to 0-2 on the year. Lubbock Christian University junior transfer Stephen Leist had a very successful debut as a Red Raider as he pounded out nine hits and 10 RBI. In the second game of the doubleheader, Leist went 5-5 with four RBI and got two strikeouts as a relief pitcher in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Tech stormed out to a 7-0 lead in the first inning of game-one and never looked back as the Red Raiders posted 18 hits en route to a 21-0 shutout. Stephen Leist and junior second baseman Bryon Smith each collected four hits on six at-bats to lead the Texas Tech offense. Senior RHP Cory Metzler picked up his first win of the season after pitching five innings with five strikeouts.
It was more of the same for Texas Tech in game-two as the Red Raiders jumped out to an early 11-0 lead in the bottom of the second and put the game on cruise control from there. The Red Raider offense accumulated 20 hits while the pitching staff struckout 12 batters to guide Tech to an easy 25-0 win in the nightcap. Junior RHP Chris Phillips (1-0) got the win in the second game after tossing seven strikeouts and giving up just four hits.
RAINEY LOOKING FOR 100
Senior Jason Rainey made his debut last season at Texas Tech after transferring from Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas. Rainey finished the 2000 season with a team-second best .328 average. He picked up 76 hits which means he needs just 24 hits to reach the 100 mark. Rainey did not get a hit in the doubleheader vs. Howard to start the season.
TO SAY THE LEIST
Texas Tech junior transfer Stephen Leist had a big day for the Red Raiders on opening day against the Howard Bison Jan. 26. Leist, a transfer from Lubbock Christian University, went 9-11 at the plate with 10 RBI and scored eight runs. He was a home run away from hitting for the cycle in the first game of the doubleheader as he recorded two singles, a double and a triple.
After a solid offensive outing, Leist even got some time on the mound as a relief pitcher in the bottom of the ninth inning in game-two. He tossed two strikeouts while giving up just one hit.
SCOUTING THE FIELD IN HOUSTON
The Inaugural Astros College Classic promises to be one of the best non-conference tournaments in all of college baseball. The classic features six former Southwest Conference teams of which five advanced to the 2000 NCAA Tournament. TCU: The Horned Frogs finished the 2000 season with a record of 22-34 including two wins over Texas Tech. TCU is the only other team in the tournament besides Texas Tech to have already played this year. The Frogs are 2-0 on the year. RICE: The Rice Owls finished the 2000 season with a record of 43-23. The Owls eliminated Texas Tech from last year's NCAA Regionals and currently have a five-game winning streak against Tech dating back to May 16, 1996. HOUSTON: The Cougars are fresh off a NCAA Super-Regional appearance in 2000. The Cougars finished the 2000 season with a loss to San Jose State which gave them a record of 48-18.
HURLERS TOSS SHUTOUTS
The Texas Tech pitching staff tossed two consecutive shutouts on Friday against Howard marking the first time a Tech pitching staff has done that since the 1997 season. The staff tossed 21 strikeouts and gave up 10 hits.
2001 CLASS EARNS HONOR
Collegiate Baseball Magazine has ranked Texas Tech's 2001 newcomer class 13th in the nation. The Red Raiders will welcome 20 newcomers to the roster this year which include 13 junior college transfers.
Cal. State Fullerton was tabbed No. 1 in the rankings while defending national champion LSU was second.
TECH LANDS STRONG 2002 CLASS
Texas Tech Head Coach Larry Hays had no reason but to smile as Tech landed 12 recruits during the early signing period. Local pitching standout Bobby Livingston tops the list for the Red Raiders. Livingston, a left-handed pitcher from Trinity Christian School in Lubbock, has been clocked with pitches over 89 mph. Tech also got another solid lefty pitcher in Brandon Shaw from 2000 Junior College National Champion Grayson County College.
The Red Raiders signed three high school student-athletes and nine junior college players.
2002 RECRUITS
Nathan Fouts, RHP (Henderson, Nev./Southern Nevada Community College) John DiBetta, INF (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Nevada Community College)
John Slack, OF (Las Vegas, Nev./Southern Nevada Community College)
Joe Wagner, INF (Henderson, Nev./Southern Nevada Community College)
Ryan Meaux, LHP (Denver, Colo./Lamar Community College)
Bobby Livingston, LHP (Lubbock, Texas/Trinity Christian High School)
Casey Andrews, INF (Farmington, N.M./Farmington High School)
Kevin Jordan, OF (Rowlett, Texas/Navarro College)
Matt Lair, RHP (Vernon Regional Junior College)
Julio Guerrero, OF (San Angelo, Texas/El Paso Community College)
Madison Edwards, C/OF (Midland, Texas/Midland High School)
Brandon Shaw, LHP (Cooper, Texas/Grayson County Community College)
75th ANNIVERSARY--51st SEASON
The Texas Tech baseball team will celebrate its 75th Anniversary during the 2001 season. The first Red Raider baseball team suited up in 1926 and finished the season with a 11-2-1 season record. Texas Tech did not field a team after the 1929 season due the Great Depression and the United States' involvement in World War II. Tech began playing baseball again in 1954 and has played every year since. Texas Tech has an overall record of 1,092-860-7 through 51 seasons of play and an impressive 455-210 record in the last 10 years.
PRESEASON BIG 12 PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Texas Tech Red Raiders placed five players on Collegiate Baseball Magazine's Pre-Season Big 12 Players to Watch list. Getting the nod for Texas Tech was oufielder Jason Rainey, right-handed pitcher Brandon Roberson, right-handed pitcher Steve Rowe, catcher Anthony Arnerich and third baseman Nick Blankenship.
Nebraska's Shane Komine (RHP) was projected to be the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year while Missouri's Ryan Stegall (SS/RHP) got the early nod to take home Player of the Year honors.
LARKIN TRANSFERS
Texas Tech senior second baseman Shaun Larkin has decided to transfer prior to the start of the 2001 season, Texas Tech Head Baseball Coach Larry Hays announced on Friday Jan. 19.
Larkin made the decision after spending time with Coach Hays discussing his role on the team and came to the conclusion that a transfer was in order to gain more playing time his final season. He was the fourth leading hitter on the team last season with a .309 average and started all 62 games at second base.
