Red Raiders Challenge Cyclones In Weekend Series
April 05, 2001 | Baseball
April 5, 2001
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IOWA STATE: The Iowa State Cylcones will bring a 10-15 overall record and 4-4 mark in the Big 12 to Lubbock this weekend for a three-game series with Texas Tech.
The Cyclones will make the trip to Lubbock for the final time as the Iowa State Athletics Department announced last week that it will be cutting the baseball and men's swimming programs beginning with the 2001-2001 school year.
Iowa State split a doubleheader with Winona State on Wednesday falling in the first game 0-3 and winning the second game 9-0. T. J. Bohn led the Cylcones in the 9-0 win with a 3 for 4 outing at the plate. Alex Donnelly picked up the win and moved his season record to 3-0.
As an offensive unit, the Cyclones rank last in the Big 12 Conference with a .237 overall batting average. The leading hitter for ISU is Spencer Allen who totals a .357 batting average and ranks 18th in the overall individual standings.
The Cyclone pitching staff tallies a 4.48 overall ERA and an impressive 2.88 mark in the Big 12. Overall, the Cyclone staff ERA of 4.48 ranks eighth while their 2.88 Big 12 mark ranks third behind Texas and Baylor.
The Cyclones are coached by Lyle Smith who is 110-177 in his sixth season at Iowa State.
IOWA STATE PROBABLES:
Friday: Charly Bigwood, RHP (4.84 ERA, 1-4, 48.1 IP, 26 K's)
Saturday: Lincoln Mincks, RHP (3.30 ERA, 2-1, 46.1 IP, 30 K's)
Sunday: Alan Bomer, RHP (4.58 ERA, 3-3, 37.1 IP, 35 K's)
SERIES RECORD vs. IOWA STATE: Texas Tech leads the all-time series 10-2.
LAST TIME vs. IOWA STATE: Texas Tech won their fourth straight series over Iowa State after taking the final game of the series 5-3 on Sunday, April 9, 2000 (in Ames, Iowa).
THE RED RAIDERS
Texas Tech brings the show back to Lubbock this weekend for a series against the Iowa State Cyclones. The Red Raiders have an overall record of 22-14 and a 7-8 mark in the Big 12 Conference. Texas Tech and Missouri are tied for seventh place in the league while Iowa State ranks just ahead of Tech in sixth.
Texas Tech has been most effective within the confines of Dan Law Field posting a 12-6 record and needs to win its final 13 homes games of the year to post 25 homes wins for the ninth consecutive season. On the road, Tech is just 7-5 after dropping two games to Missouri this past weekend in Columbia.
Junior Chris Phillips will be looking to remain in the hunt for the NCAA Most Victories title as he will be going for win No. 9 of the season on Saturday against Iowa State.
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.
After committing four costly errors in Friday's game against Missouri, the Red Raider defense responded with a perfect performance and the offense was equally impressive as Texas Tech handed the Tigers a 10-2 loss before 380 fans at Taylor Stadium on Saturday.
Junior Tyler Carson tallied his first three-hit performance of his career and hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth to lead the Red Raider offense. With the win, Texas Tech improved to 22-13 overall and moved to .500 in the Big 12 (7-7) while Missouri fell to 18-11-1 overall and 6-8 in the league.
Texas Tech opened up the scoring in the top of the third inning with four runs off RBI by Gera Alvarez, Nick Blankenship, Kerry Hodges and Stephen Leist. Texas Tech got three hits in the inning and was able to capitalize on two Missouri errors. Missouri got back in the game in its half of the third when Jon Williams hit a two-run homer over the right field fence to pull within two. The two-run bomb by Williams snapped an 18-inning scoreless streak by Tech senior pitcher Brandon Roberson.
The two runs in third would be all that Texas Tech would allow Missouri as the Tech pitching staff held the Tiger offense scoreless over the next six innings and allowed just two hits during that stretch.
Texas Tech added single runs in the fifth and eighth innings off an RBI ground out by Bryon Smith and an RBI double by Tyler Carson respectively. Tyler Carson came through for the Red Raiders in the top of the ninth by hitting a three-run homer over the right field wall to give Tech a 10-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Carson's three-run homer was part of a four-run inning by the Red Raiders.
RED RAIDERS GO YARD
The Texas Tech long ball bats came alive in the Missouri series as the Red Raiders belted eight home runs over the course of three days. The weekend series was highlighted by a four home run showing by Tech in Sunday's game that tied a season-high for bombs in a game. The last time that Tech hit four home runs in a game this season was against Valley City State on March 14th.
Jason Rainey led the team with two home runs (both in Sunday's game) while Austin Cranford (his first of the season), Tyler Carson, Nick Blankenship, Gera Alvarez, Bryon Smith and Chad Landry each knotted one.
CONFERENCE STREAK SNAPPED
Prior to this past weekend's series loss to Missouri, the Red Raiders had won three straight conference series. Tech opened the Big 12 season with a sweep at the hands of Nebraska and then went on to beat Texas 2-1, Kansas State 2-1 and Oklahoma State 2-1.
BIDDING THE CYCLONES FAREWELL
This weekend's series with Iowa State will mark the final time that these two schools will meet on the baseball diamond. Iowa State announced this week that the university will drop its baseball and men's swimming programs due to budget cutbacks. Since the inaugural season of Big 12 baseball in 1997, the Cyclones have gone just 25-90 through conference play and have never qualified for the Big 12 Tournament.
HAYS WINS 1,250TH CAREER GAME
Texas Tech Head Coach Larry Hays earned his 1, 250th career victory on Tuesday, March 13th 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.
RED RAIDERS AND CYLCONES MEET AGAIN
Texas Tech and Iowa State met for the first time in 1997 when the Big 12 Conference was formed. Since that time, Texas Tech has dominated the Cylcones going 10-2 against the northern foe. Iowa State earned its first win over Tech in 1998 and got the second win last season. Both Tech losses to Iowa State have come when the two teams played in Ames.
2000 Season (Ames) Texas Tech won the series 2-1
1999 Season (Lubbock) Texas Tech won the series 3-0
1998 Season (Ames) Texas Tech won the series 2-1
1997 Season (Lubbock) Texas Tech won the series 3-0
ALL EYES ON CHRIS PHILLIPS
Texas Tech junior right-handed pitcher Chris Phillips proved last Saturday that indeed he is human after all. After rattling off six straight wins, Phillips finally fell into the loss column as Missouri rattled off three earned runs and 10 hits through 7.2 innings. Prior to the Missouri series, Phillips led the nation in total wins but is now tied for second place with Noah Lowry (Pepperdine), Jason Bernard (Troy State), Dan Divian (New Mexico State) and Andy Torres (Arizona State). Nate Farnley of Brigham Young leads the nation with a 9-1 record. Phillips needs just one more victory to tie Kevin Tracey's (Tech's most winningest pitcher last season) win total for all of the 2000 season.
LEADS COME AND LEADS GO
There is an old saying in Texas that if you don't like the weather, hang around and it will change in the next 30 minutes. The Texas Tech baseball team has come to notice that the saying doesn't only apply to weather conditions but it also applies on the diamond as well. Four times this season, Texas Tech has held a lead through the seventh inning and then allowed an opponent to come back and win the game. Here is a look at those four losses:
- TTU vs. New Mexico (2/13): Tech led 11-7 going into the bottom of the eighth. The Lobos scored five runs in the eighth and ninth to win.
- TTU vs. Nebraska (4/4): Tech led 7-4 going into the eighth before allowing the Huskers to scored six runs to win the game.
- TTU vs. Missouri (3/30): Tech led 4-3 going in the bottom of the eighth before allowing the Tigers to score two runs in the ninth to win.
- TTU vs. Missouri (4/1): Tech led 9-5 going into the bottom of the eighth before allowing Mizzou to score nine runs on 11 hits to take the win.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON BLUES
The Texas Tech pitching staff has been suffering the Sunday afternoon blues for a long time now and are hoping to end their bad luck against the Cyclones this weekend. Over the course of the last six weekend series, Texas Tech is 1-5 on Sunday afternoon when using the third starter. Texas Tech got a win against Oklahoma State on Sunday (March 25) with Chris Phillips but lost the second game of that doubleheader while utilizing the third man in the rotation. The only true Sunday afternoon win that Tech got was against Texas when starter Chad Ertel went 5.0 innings to earn his first win of the year. Dating back to the weekend series with New Mexico, Texas Tech's team ERA on Sunday (using the third starter) is 7.27 and teams are batting .347 against the Tech staff.
LOOKING AHEAD
Texas Tech has learned this season not to overlook anyone but the team has to feel somewhat relieved in that probably the most difficult portion of the Big 12 schedule has passed. However, there are still plenty of tough games ahead for the Red Raiders including a three-game series with arch rival Texas A&M. Texas Tech has Big 12 series remaining with Iowa State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Kansas and Baylor and those teams have a combined record of 81-77. Last season, Texas Tech went 10-5 against those four teams and is 39-20 against them in the regular season since 1997.
HITTING NOTES
- Junior shortstop Gera Alvarez has hit safely in 31 of 36 games this season while junior third baseman Nick Blankenship has hit safely in 29 of 35 games.
- Austin Cranford hit his first home run of the season against Missouri on Friday (3/30) and currently leads the team with a .372 batting average.
- Texas Tech is currently hitting better against left-handed pitchers (.321) than against right-handers (.291)
- Kerry Hodges has found the bat again as the junior right fielder currently has a team-high five-game hitting streak.
- Texas Tech has had seven 10+ hit games over the last 11 games and currently has two straight.
- Tech's .301 batting average is third best in the Big 12.
Throughout his coaching career and life, Texas Tech head baseball coach Larry Hays has maintained that his priorities are his religious beliefs, family and at a distant third baseball. That focus on life and his leadership ability have been cornerstones for the Texas Tech baseball program through the years.
Last season, Hays took a team riddled with injuries to the school's sixth straight NCAA Tournament and sixth tournament in school history. Hays' 2000 Red Raiders put together a strong finish to wrap up the Big 12 with an 18-12 record and went on to win two games in the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City. The two wins in the Big 12 Tournament solidified Texas Tech as an at-large team.
In 1998 he guided Texas Tech to the 1998 Big 12 Conference Tournament title in Oklahoma City, Okla. The championship was especially impressive considering the Red Raiders accomplished that feat with only seven pitchers. The former professional softball pitcher also led Texas Tech to its first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship with a 23-7 conference and 46-14 overall record in 1997. Texas Tech also claimed the No. 1 ranking in collegiate baseball for several weeks, the first time a Red Raider sport was ranked No. 1 in school history. The Hays'-led squad also hosted its second consecutive NCAA regional and appeared in regional competition for the third time in three seasons.
Hays also guided the Red Raiders to their first-ever Southwest Conference championship in 1995 as they posted a school-record 51 wins (51-14) and advanced to the Midwest I Region championship game. In 1996, Tech posted a 49-15 ledger as the Raiders hosted both the Southwest Conference Post-Season Tournament (finished third), then hosted the NCAA Central II Regional.
Successful seasons have been the norm for Larry Hays, who won his 1,000th game on April 12, 1995. In his 28 years as a college head coach, he has produced16 teams that have surpassed at least 40 wins. And he has led teams to 12 league titles and guided his 1983 Lubbock Christian University team to the national NAIA championship.
Hays is also highly regarded by his coaching peers. He has been honored as "Coach of the Year" following nine different seasons including the 1997 season when he was selected Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year by both the Big 12 coaches, the Dallas Morning News and the Austin American-Statesman. Plus, he has been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame.
Hays' players have also seen unbelieveable individual success. He has coached 29 NAIA All-Americans, one NAIA Player of the Year, 36 All-Southwest Conference performers, nine First Team All-Big 12 recipients, 13 consensus NCAA Division I All-Americans, five NAIA Academic All-Americans and three NCAA Academic All-Americans. To date, 48 of his former Red Raider players have been drafted by Major League Baseball while four of the six Texas Tech former players to appear in a big league uniform played for Hays.
Tech has played in the last six (two SWC/four Big 12) conference tournaments, winning the 1997 Big 12 Conference title, the 1998 Big 12 Conference Tournament title, the 1995 Southwest Conference crown and placing runner-up in the inaugural 1997 Big 12 Conference tournament. Hays is currently ranked among the nation's top-10 all-time and active NCAA Division I head coaches in victories (1,235).
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.