Texas Tech Closes Regular Season at Iowa State
April 30, 2015 | Softball
The Red Raiders will look for their fourth-straight Big 12 series win this weekend when Texas Tech closes the regular season at Iowa State. The series begins with a 4 p.m. first pitch Friday afternoon in Ames.
April 30, 2015
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Red Raiders will look to continue their recent success against Iowa State this weekend as Texas Tech enters the series having won nine of the past 11 games against the Cyclones dating back to the 2011 season. Tech has won each of the past four series against the Cyclones, sweeping a two-game set in 2011 and then a three-game series in 2012 before taking two-of-three games the past two seasons.
Tech controls a 26-15 all-time advantage in the series with Iowa State, including an 11-9 mark in games played in Ames. The Red Raiders enter the series having won eight of their past 11 road contests against the Cyclones after winning the final two games of the 2013 series.
Iowa State has not claimed a regular-season series against the Red Raiders since the 2002 season when the Cyclones swept a two-game series in Lubbock. Tech's .634 winning percentage against Iowa State is its highest against any current Big 12 opponent.
LEADING OFF...
? The Red Raiders are coming off their third-straight Big 12 series win last weekend as Texas Tech took two-of-three games from in-state rival Texas. It marked the first time in program history where Tech had won a regular-season series against the Longhorns.
? Texas Tech previously swept Oklahoma State - its third three-game sweep of a Big 12 opponent in school history - and took two-of-three games from then-No. 25 Kansas. The Red Raiders enter the Iowa State series having won seven of their past nine games, all of which that have come in conference play.
? Texas Tech will be looking to make school history this weekend with potentially a fourth-straight Big 12 series win, a feat that has not previously been accomplished by a Red Raider softball team.
? Texas Tech's series win over Texas marked just the second time since 1998 where the Red Raiders have won three-consecutive Big 12 series. This is the second-straight season where Tech has claimed three-straight series against conference opponents as the Red Raiders won consecutive series against Kansas, Oklahoma State and Iowa State a year ago.
? A series sweep of Iowa State would guarantee the Red Raiders their sixth-straight winning season as Texas Tech has posted a .500 or better record each year since 2010. The streak is currently the longest in school history.
? Texas Tech needs one win this weekend to match its best record ever over the final 12 games of the regular season. The Red Raiders, who are currently 7-2 over the past nine games, closed the 2008 regular season with an 8-4 mark over its final 12 games, its best record during that span in school history.
? Texas Tech has possibly made the biggest jump of any team in the country the past month as the Red Raiders have moved up 52 total spots in the NCAA ratings percentage index (RPI) rankings. The Red Raiders were No. 129 in the first set of rankings that debuted on March 16 and are currently 77th in this week's poll.
THOMEY NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Texas Tech sophomore infielder Devon Thomey was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Wednesday after helping lead the Red Raiders to their first ever regular-season series win over Texas last weekend. Thomey hit a team-leading .500 (4-for-8) against the Longhorns with a pair of home runs and five RBI as Tech won its third-consecutive Big 12 series. It is just the second time since 1998 where the Red Raiders have won three-straight conference series. A native of Sugar Land, Texas, Thomey becomes the 10th Red Raider in school history to garner Big 12 Player of the Week honors and the first since Sydni Emanuel received the award on March 18 last year.
