Texas Tech University Athletics
Friday, March 20
Tucson, AZ
8 p.m. (CT) / 6 p.m. (PT)
Texas Tech Athletics
at
Arizona
Tech Heads to Arizona for weekend series
March 20, 2026 | Baseball
The Red Raiders and Wildcats will meet in Tucson for the first time since 2013
TUCSON, Ariz. – Texas Tech Baseball continues it four-game road trip this weekend when it heads to Arizona for a weekend series with the Wildcats.
Scheduled for a pair of night games on Friday and Saturday before closing out the weekend set on Sunday at Noon, the Red Raiders and Wildcats will meet for the second-time as conference foes after last year's series in Lubbock that was won by the Red Raiders 2-1.
The Red Raiders and Wildcats last met at Hi Corbett Field in 2013 as the teams split a midweek series.
Following the weekend series with Arizona, the Red Raiders will return home for a 2 p.m. contest against New Mexico before another road series at TCU next weekend.
INSIDE THE SERIES:
GAME ONE:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (13-7, 2-1 Big 12) at Arizona (7-13, 1-2 Big 12)
DATE: Friday, Mar. 20, 2026
TIME: 8 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (PT)
LOCATION: Tucson, Ariz. (Hi Corbett Field)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Lukas Pirko (3-1, 5.19 ERA) vs. RHP Owen Kramkowski (1-2, 5.87 ERA)
GAME TWO:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (13-7, 2-1 Big 12) at Arizona (7-13, 1-2 Big 12)
DATE: Saturday, Mar. 21, 2026
TIME: 8 p.m. (CT)/ 6 p.m. (PT) Â
LOCATION: Tucson, Ariz. (Hi Corbett Field)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Connor Mohan (0-1, 5.74 ERA) vs. Smith Bailey (2-0, 2.76 ERA)
GAME THREE:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (13-7, 2-1 Big 12) at Arizona (7-13, 1-2 Big 12)
DATE: Â Sunday, Mar. 22, 2026
TIME: 2 p.m. (CT)/ Noon (PT) Â
LOCATION: Tucson, Ariz. (Hi Corbett Field)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Jackson Burns (1-2, 8.53 ERA) vs. Luc Fladda (2-0, 3.00 ERA)
HIGHLIGHTS IN 1-2-3:
* Texas Tech continues a four-game road trip this weekend when they head to Tucson for a weekend series with the Wildcats of Arizona. The Red Raiders and Wildcats will meet for the first time in Tucson since the 2013 season when Tech played a midweek series in Tucson.
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* Boasting one of the best offenses in the country, the Red Raiders enter the weekend inside the top-five in the country in batting average (.367), double-per-game (2.95), scoring (11.3), on-base percentage (.475) and slugging percentage (.620). The Red Raiders are second in the country in batting average, first in doubles-per-game, second in scoring and third in both slugging percentage and on-base percentage. The Red Raiders sit just 14 points behind Georgia Tech for the nation's lead in batting average.
* Already through 20 games, the Red Raiders have struck for 226 total runs this season, just 108 fewer runs than the Red Raiders scored all of 2025. Highlighted by freshman Jesse Ruisnek's gaudy .574 (10th in the country), the Red Raiders have four players inside the top-100 in on-base percentage and five players inside the top-200 in the country in batting average. Like he does in on-base percentage, Rusinek currently leads the Red Raiders in batting average at .465 as the freshman has 20 hits through his first 42 official at-bats and has drawn 10 walks compared to just five total punch outs. Like the rest of the major categories, the Red Raiders also well represented on the runs leaderboard, as three Red Raiders sit inside the top-35 in total runs scored. That list is highlighted by Logan Hughes' Big 12 leading 33 runs. Hughes sits fourth nationally in total runs scored. Hughes and freshman Linkin Garcia are one of five sets of teammates to have each scored 30 runs. Â
WEEKEND NOTES (UoFA):
BACK IN ARIZONAÂ Â
Despite the Arizona schools joining the Big 12 Conference less than a year ago, the Red Raiders have become familiar with playing here in the State of Arizona, as Tech has now played in Arizona in three straight seasons. The Red Raiders traveled in 2024 to Tempe to face Arizona State and UNLV as part of a three-game day two game tournament, before the Red Raiders went to Arizona twice a season ago for weekend series at Grand Canyon and at Arizona State. The Red Raiders are making their first trip to Arizona's Hi Corbett Field since the 2013 season when the Red Raiders split a midweek series with the Wildcats here in Tucson. Texas Tech assistant coach/hitting coach Eric Gutierrez played in both games of that midweek series at first base. During both trips to the Phoenix area a season ago the Red Raiders encountered cold and wet conditions in both March and April. In fact, the Red Raiders Apr. 18 contest against ASU was suspended mid game due to rain and mid 50s temps. The weather forecast this weekend calls for a much more typical Southern Arizona climate as the high on Friday and Saturday is expected to climb to 100 degrees before "cooling" off on Sunday all the way down to 97.Â
WELL WE WERE DUE TO HIT THE ROADÂ Â Â Â Â
After a prolonged nearly month-long 15 game homestand, the Red Raiders will spend just one of the next six games at home, and will play the next two weekends away from home beginning this weekend with the three game series in Tucson. The Red Raiders began a stretch of seven of games away from home on Tuesday night against DBU, falling 16-10 in a midweek game. Following the Following the lone home game of the stretch (Tuesday) against New Mexico, the Red Raiders will return for the DFW for the third time in the early season against TCU (Mar. 27-29) in Fort Worth. The Red Raiders have played just one true road game at UTRGV (Feb. 17) and four games away from home (Shriners Children's Classic, Feb. 13-15 and UTRGV; Feb. 17).   Â
ONE OF THE DEEPEST LINEUPS WE'VE HAD
Entering the season, Coach Tim Tadlock felt like the lineup would be a strength for the 2026 Texas Tech Club. Led by Preseason All-American Logan Hughes, the Red Raider lineup has not disappointed in 2026, as entering the weekend Tech is hitting .367 on the season and have scored 226 runs. Every Red Raider in the lineup with at least five starts is hitting at least .340 highlighted by Blinn College transfer Caden Ferraro hitting a team-best .414. In the production department four Red Raiders have scored at least 25 times led by Logan Hughes' team-leading 33 runs scored. Hughes, who leads the team in runs scored, also leads the Red Raiders in walks drawn (24) and is one of four Red Raiders with an on-base percentage of over .500. As a team the Red Raiders sport a team-wide OBP of .475. Freshman Linkin Garcia is the second Red Raider to have scored 30 or more times so far this season and is second on the team in average at .395. In total, seven of the Red Raider bats have scored at least 20 runs while five of the bats have driven in 20+ runs.
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UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders return home for a midweek contest against New Mexico. First pitch from Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park is set for 2 p.m.
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Scheduled for a pair of night games on Friday and Saturday before closing out the weekend set on Sunday at Noon, the Red Raiders and Wildcats will meet for the second-time as conference foes after last year's series in Lubbock that was won by the Red Raiders 2-1.
The Red Raiders and Wildcats last met at Hi Corbett Field in 2013 as the teams split a midweek series.
Following the weekend series with Arizona, the Red Raiders will return home for a 2 p.m. contest against New Mexico before another road series at TCU next weekend.
INSIDE THE SERIES:
GAME ONE:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (13-7, 2-1 Big 12) at Arizona (7-13, 1-2 Big 12)
DATE: Friday, Mar. 20, 2026
TIME: 8 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (PT)
LOCATION: Tucson, Ariz. (Hi Corbett Field)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Lukas Pirko (3-1, 5.19 ERA) vs. RHP Owen Kramkowski (1-2, 5.87 ERA)
GAME TWO:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (13-7, 2-1 Big 12) at Arizona (7-13, 1-2 Big 12)
DATE: Saturday, Mar. 21, 2026
TIME: 8 p.m. (CT)/ 6 p.m. (PT) Â
LOCATION: Tucson, Ariz. (Hi Corbett Field)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Connor Mohan (0-1, 5.74 ERA) vs. Smith Bailey (2-0, 2.76 ERA)
GAME THREE:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (13-7, 2-1 Big 12) at Arizona (7-13, 1-2 Big 12)
DATE: Â Sunday, Mar. 22, 2026
TIME: 2 p.m. (CT)/ Noon (PT) Â
LOCATION: Tucson, Ariz. (Hi Corbett Field)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Jackson Burns (1-2, 8.53 ERA) vs. Luc Fladda (2-0, 3.00 ERA)
HIGHLIGHTS IN 1-2-3:
* Texas Tech continues a four-game road trip this weekend when they head to Tucson for a weekend series with the Wildcats of Arizona. The Red Raiders and Wildcats will meet for the first time in Tucson since the 2013 season when Tech played a midweek series in Tucson.
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* Boasting one of the best offenses in the country, the Red Raiders enter the weekend inside the top-five in the country in batting average (.367), double-per-game (2.95), scoring (11.3), on-base percentage (.475) and slugging percentage (.620). The Red Raiders are second in the country in batting average, first in doubles-per-game, second in scoring and third in both slugging percentage and on-base percentage. The Red Raiders sit just 14 points behind Georgia Tech for the nation's lead in batting average.
* Already through 20 games, the Red Raiders have struck for 226 total runs this season, just 108 fewer runs than the Red Raiders scored all of 2025. Highlighted by freshman Jesse Ruisnek's gaudy .574 (10th in the country), the Red Raiders have four players inside the top-100 in on-base percentage and five players inside the top-200 in the country in batting average. Like he does in on-base percentage, Rusinek currently leads the Red Raiders in batting average at .465 as the freshman has 20 hits through his first 42 official at-bats and has drawn 10 walks compared to just five total punch outs. Like the rest of the major categories, the Red Raiders also well represented on the runs leaderboard, as three Red Raiders sit inside the top-35 in total runs scored. That list is highlighted by Logan Hughes' Big 12 leading 33 runs. Hughes sits fourth nationally in total runs scored. Hughes and freshman Linkin Garcia are one of five sets of teammates to have each scored 30 runs. Â
WEEKEND NOTES (UoFA):
BACK IN ARIZONAÂ Â
WELL WE WERE DUE TO HIT THE ROADÂ Â Â Â Â
ONE OF THE DEEPEST LINEUPS WE'VE HAD
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PIRKOLATING
After starting the season as the Red Raiders Saturday starter, junior Lukas Pirko has moved to the Friday night starters role the last three weekends. Last Friday, Pirko earned his third win to move to the team lead in total wins with graduate student Ryan Free. Pirko has tossed a team-best 26 innings and has struck out 23 batters and held opponents to just 15 earned runs. Last Friday, Pirko pitched 5.2 innings against Kansas and allowed just three earned runs and struck out seven. Pirko walked just one batter. Since opening weekend against Vanderbilt, Pirko has tossed 22.1 innings and has allowed just 10 earned runs. Pirko who has whiffed seven batters twice this season, also leads the Red Raiders in total strikeouts 23.Â
WEEKEND BURNS
Serving as the Red Raiders Friday starter for the first three weeks, redshirt freshman Jackson Burns returned to the weekend rotation last weekend, pitching Sunday afternoon against KU. Burns who also started last Tuesday against UTSA pitched both games last week in severe winds, as last Tuesday the winds gusted to over 40 MPH. On Sunday afternoon, the winds were sustained at nearly 30 MPH and gusted to over 60 MPH. Burns struck out a career-high seven batters against the Jayhawks including a pair of batters in a 1-2-3 first inning. So far this season Burns has struck out 22 batters in just 19 innings pitched.Â
Q AND RARI PROVIDE A WALK-OFF
After spending the 2025 season as teammates and batting second and third in the potent Blinn College lineup, Catcher Matt Quintanar and DH/OF Caden Ferraro batted second and third for the Bucs for the majority of the season a year ago. So far this season, Ferraro (sixth) and Quintanar (seventh) have yet again batted back-to-back in the order this season. Serving as the sixth and seventh place hitters for the Red Raiders last Saturday, Ferraro and Quintanar both homered on Saturday afternoon against Kansas before combining on both ends of the walk-off. Batting with one out in the ninth, Ferraro ripped a double off the wall to place the winning run in scoring position with one out for his former Blinn teammate Quintanar. Looking to seal the series for the Red Raiders, Quintanar ripped a single through the six-hole that scored Ferraro from second for the Red Raiders second true walk-off win (non-run-rule) of the season. Â
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders return home for a midweek contest against New Mexico. First pitch from Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park is set for 2 p.m.
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