Red Raiders Baseball Takes On Wildcats In Weekend Series
March 14, 2001 | Baseball
March 14, 2001
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THE RED RAIDERS
Texas Tech will take a four-game winning streak on the road this week as the Red Raiders will face Kansas State this weekend which will mark the third Big 12 series of the season for Texas Tech. Texas Tech is 2-4 in the Big 12 after taking the series from Texas last weekend while Kansas State is 1-5 after losing to Nebraska in a single-game last weekend. The remainder of that KSU-Nebraska series was cancelled due to weather.
Texas Tech had to erase an 0-4 deficit to Valley State on Wednesday before pulling out a 9-5 win over the Vikings. Texas Tech beat Eastern New Mexico 7-2 on Tuesday night.
Texas Tech hit four home runs against Valley State on Wednesday morning marking a season-high for home runs in a game.
Right-handed pitcher Chris Phillips was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week for his performance this past weekend against the Texas Longhorns. Phillips went 10.0 innings and did not walk a batter earning his sixth win of the season.
Junior Centerfielder Tyler Carson tied a Texas Tech and Big 12 record for number of steals in a game when he stole four bags against Texas on Friday night (3/9).
LOOKING AHEAD
Texas Tech hits the road for a weekend series with the Kansas State Wildcats. Following Tech's weekend series with Kansas State, the Red Raides will travel straight to Albuquerque, N.M. to face-off against the Lobos on Tuesday afternoon. The game with New Mexico will mark the fourth and final game of the season between the two teams. Texas Tech and New Mexico are currently even at 2-2. After the midweek matchup with New Mexico, the Red Raiders come back to Dan Law Field for a three-game series with the Oklahoma State Cowboys- March 23-25.
RED 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.
LAST TIME OUT IN CONFERENCE
Texas Tech held off a ninth inning rally by the Texas Longhorns to win 4-3 in front of 4,210 fans at Disch-Falk Field. With Sunday's win, Texas Tech earned the series win 2-1 and has now won the regular season series with Texas each of the last five years.
Texas Tech improved to 14-10 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12 Conference while Texas Fell to 13-11 and 4-2 in league play.
Tech was able to hold off Texas in the bottom of the ninth as the Longhorns tallied back-to-back home runs off the bats of Kasey Baker and Jeff Ontiveros. The home runs were first of the season for both Baker and Ontiveros and brought the score to 4-3 in Tech's favor. Senior Blake McGinley was able to get Omar Quintanilla to fly out to center field that ended the game.
Texas Tech scored the first run of the game when Tyler Carson hit an RBI single to right field that plated Kerry Hodges giving Tech the early 1-0 lead. Texas tied the game in the fifth inning on Texas' third infield bloop hit of the series.
The Red Raiders took the lead for good in the top of the sixth inning as the Tech offense scored three runs on four hits. The inning was highlighted by Chad Landry's two-run home run over the left field fence that gave Tech a 3-1 lead. Austin Cranford tripled in the next at-bat and Jason Rainey singled to right field giving Tech the 4-1 lead.
Junior Chad Ertel earned his first win of the season after pitching five innings giving up four hits, one run and three strikeouts. Blake McGinley picked up his fourth save of the season after pitching 2 2/3 innings giving up two hits and two runs.
RAINEY COLLECTS HIT NO. 100
Senior Jason Rainey earned the 100th hit of his career at Texas Tech on Tuesday night against Eastern New Mexico. Rainey, a senior from Klondike, Texas, collected 76 hits during his first season as a Red Raider and has picked up 24 so far in the 2001 season giving him a total of 100 in his career.
RAIDERS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT AGAINST TEXAS
The Texas Tech baseball team pulled of its fifth straight regular season win over arch rival Texas this past weekend in Austin. Since 1997, the Red Raiders have won all five regular season series with the Horns. Texas Tech has won eight of the past nine regular season series with the only loss coming during the 1996 season when Texas swept Tech in three games in Austin. No other Big 12 Conference team has had as much success against Texas as Texas Tech has enjoyed over the last nine years.
PHILLIPS NAMED BIG 12 CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Texas Tech's Chris Phillips was named the Big 12 Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week for his superb performance this past weekend against the Texas Longhorns. Phillips helped snap Tech's five game losing streak by tossing all 10 innings in the Red Raiders 6-5 win. Most likely, Phillips is the first pitcher in the country to reach the six win plateau. The 10 inning affair was the longest of his entire career and wasa the longest outing by a Texas Tech pitcher this season. Brandon Roberson is the only other pitcher to throw a complete game. Roberson threw 9.0 innings against San Diego State in the Aztec Baseball Classic in San Diego, Calif.
HAYS WINS 1,250TH CAREER GAME
Texas Tech Head Coach Larry Hays earned his 1, 250th career victory on Tuesday night against the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds. Coach Hays is currently the fourth winningest active baseball coach in the nation behind Augie Garido (Texas), Chuck Hartman (Virginia Tech) and Gene Stephenson (Wichita State). Hays is the eighth winningest coach in the history of the NCAA.
CARSON TIES SCHOOL, CONFERENCE RECORD FOR SB'S
Texas Tech junior outfielder Tyler Carson put on his running shoes this past weekend in Austin and tied a Texas Tech and Big 12 Conference record for most stolen bases in a single game. On Friday (3/10), Carson robbed four bags to tie five other players for the Tech record. The last player in the Big 12 to steal four bases in a single game was Anthony Hensley of Baylor against Texas in 2000. Prior to Friday, Gera Alvarez led the team with three stolen bags against UNM (2/13)
TECH SNAPS FIVE-GAME LOSING SKID
Texas Tech snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over Texas on Saturday in Austin. Texas Tech started the streak against New Mexico on Feb. 25 which continued on with a three-game sweep at the hands of Nebraska and the first game of the series with Texas. The five-game losing skid tied the same mark set last season when the Red Raiders lost five straight to Texas A&M and Texas-Pan American.
HODGES GETS A HIT
It was hard to tell who let out the biggest sigh of relief when Kerry Hodges snapped an 0 for 18 slump with an RBI single against Texas on Saturday. Kerry Hodges or Coach Hays? Hodges led the team with a 14-game hitting streak to start off the season and soon fell apart during the New Mexico series and didn't garner another hit until Saturday. Hodges is now on a two-game hitting streak.
HITTING NOTES
Kerry Hodges ended an 0 for 18 streak at the plate on Saturday when he hit and RBI single to left field which keyed a four-run Texas Tech inning to tie the game. Hodges is currently on a one game hitting streak
Nick Blankenship snapped an eight-game hitting streak on Sunday when he went 0 for 4 at the plate against Texas. Blankenship has hit safely in 21 of the 24 games in which he has played.
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.
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.