Tech readies for home midweeks with No. 24 UTSA

Tuesday, March 10

6:30 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

UTSA

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Catcher Matt Quintanar and INF Tracer Lopez pose following the Red Raiders win over Penn State on Saturday, Mar. 7

Tech readies for home midweeks with No. 24 UTSA

March 09, 2026 | Baseball

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The Red Raiders have won 10 of their last 11 and are 9-1 at home

By: Andrew Stern

LUBBOCK, Texas – Winners of 10 of its last 11 games, Texas Tech Baseball welcomes No. 24 UTSA for a two-game midweek series this Tuesday and Wednesday night from Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

Riding high off a weekend sweep of Big 10 foe Penn State where the Red Raiders outscored PSU 50-17 in a pair of run-rule wins, the Red Raiders will host their first two midweek contests of the season at Rip Griffin Park. Tech will turn to redshirt freshman Jackson Burns on Tuesday while Wednesday's starting pitcher has not be determined.

Burns will be making his fourth start of the season after making starts on Friday afternoon for the first three weekends of the season.

Tech's lone midweek contest this season was Feb. 17 at UTRGV, when the Red Raiders defeated the Vaqueros 21-12 to close the season opening road trip.

INSIDE THE MATCHUPS:

GAME ONE:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (10-4) vs. No. 24 UTSA (13-2)
DATE: Tuesday, Mar. 10
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Jackson Burns (1-0, 5.84 ERA) vs. Gunnar Brown (1-0, 8.10 ERA)

GAME TWO:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (10-4) vs. No. 24 UTSA (13-2)
DATE: Wednesday, Mar. 11
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park)
PITCHING MATCHUP: TBA vs. RHP Jake Qualia (2-0, 5.68 ERA)

HEADLINES IN 1-2-3:
* The red-hot Red Raiders kick-off a five-game week (the final five games of the program record 15-game homestand) this Tuesday and Wednesday when they welcome No. 24 UTSA for the first matchup between in two Texas schools since 2018 and for the first time in Lubbock since 2017. The Red Raiders own a 12-2 overall record in the all-time series against UTSA and are 4-1 all-time in Lubbock against UTSA. The Red Raiders will play 14 times of the final 22 days of the month beginning with the midweek series with the 24th-ranked Roadrunners.

* After going a disappointing 12-13 at Rip Griffin Park a season-ago (tied for most home losses in ballpark history), the Red Raiders are already three-fourths of the way to equaling the 2025 mark in wins, as Tech has gone 9-1 to open play at "The Rip" in 2026. In their 10 total home games, the Red Raiders are hitting .429 with an on-base percentage of .535. The Red Raiders have outscored opponents 138-54 as seven different Red Raiders have hit .415 or better.

* In addition to the success that the Red Raiders have enjoyed on the homestand, the offense has also taken a major step forward this season, as the Red Raiders have now scored eight or more runs in 11-straight contests (new program record) and are ranked first in the country in doubles, second in average (.382), scoring (12.1) and on-base percentage (.493). The Red Raiders are also fourth in the country in slugging percentage (.641).

MIDWEEK NOTES (UTSA SERIES):

HOME COOKIN'

Texas Tech continues to enjoy the fruits of a 15-game, 25 day homestand that is the longest homestand in program history. So far 10 games through the 15-game swing, the Red Raiders are 9-1 and have won six of the nine contests in run-rule fashion. So far on the homestand, the Red Raiders are outscoring opponents 138-54. On the homestand, the Red Raiders are hitting a blistering .429 (147-for-343) and have scored at least eight runs in all 10 games and have reached double figures in eight of those contests. In total, seven Red Raiders are hitting at least .415 on the homestand led by Caden Ferraro who is 13-for-22 (.591) with 14 runs scored and 10 RBIs. Ferraro has walked 12 times and struck out just twice, recording an on-base percentage of .722. The Red Raiders second-leading hitter on the homestand is Logan Hughes who has hit .486 (17-for-35) with four home runs and 23 RBIs. Hughes has also walked double-figure times (13) and has scored 19 times. His on-base percentage is a staggering .625 and his 23 total RBIs are one-more than Linkin Garcia's 22 RBIs for the most on the homestand. As a team, the Red Raiders have hit 45 doubles, four triples and launched 19 home runs. The Red Raiders have also drawn 68 walks, 16 hit-by-pitches and have struck out just 45 times in 10 games. The Red Raiders team slugging percentage is .749 and the team on-base percentage sits at .535. After winning just 12 total games at Rip Griffin Park and losing a program-record 13 times at home a season ago, the Red Raiders are now 9-1 overall at "The Rip" this season.

RARI IS ROARING

Transfer Caden Ferraro continues to shine at the plate in his first season as a Red Raider. The 2024 JUCO National Champion, and 2025 All-American, Ferraro is now 7 for his last 7 and has reached base in 11-straight plate appearances. Ferraro needs to reach base just two more times consecutively to tie Ivan Melendez's Big 12 record for most-consecutive reached base. Ferraro's streak started on Friday night when he homered against Penn State and continued with a 2-for-2 day, reaching base in all four of his trips to the plate against PSU on Saturday. On Sunday, Ferraro one-upped his 2-for-2 day, going 3-for-3 with two walks to close the weekend on the 11-plate appearance reached base streak. For his effort last weekend against the Nittany Lions, Ferraro was named the Big 12's Newcomer of the Week this week, marking the second-time that Tech has earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

PROGRAM RECORD FALLS AS TECH SHOOTS UP THE NATIONS LEADERBOARDS

The Red Raiders led by the blistering weekend against Penn State where they outscored the Big 10 foe by a 50-17 margin, are hitting .382 as a team. In total, 10 different Red Raiders are hitting over .340 this season led by Ferraro's impressive .471 mark. In total, four Red Raiders with at least 25 at-bats are hitting .400. That list includes Ferraro, CF Kyeler Thompson (.429), Tracer Lopez (.400) and freshman Jesse Rusinek who is 13 for his first 27 as a college player. As a team, the Red Raiders are first in the country in total doubles (52) and doubles-per-game (3.71). Tech is second in batting average (.382), second in scoring (12.1), second in on-base percentage (.493) and fourth in slugging percentage (.641). The Red Raiders have also scored the eighth-most runs in the country (170) and the most runs in the Big 12. On the individual side, Logan Hughes ranks 20th in doubles (8), 20th in walks-per-game (1.21) and 19th in total walks (17). Outfielder Caden Ferraro, who leads the Big 12 in total average (.471) is 15th in the country in batting average and ninth in the country in doubles-per-game (.64). Ferraro's .608 on-base percentage ranks sixth, as Ferraro is one of just eight players in the country to have an OBP of .600 or better.

COMPETITION WILL TAKE A STEP UP

After facing a trio of teams under .500 to start the homestand, the Red Raiders will take a jump up in competition for the final five games of the 'stand against No. 24 UTSA and KU. UTSA enters the weekend ranked in three of the five major College Baseball polls (D1, Baseball American and Perfect Game) and receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and NCBWA poll. After the mid week meeting with the Roadrunners, the Red Raiders will open Big 12 Conference play this weekend when the Jayhawks of KU make their first trip to Lubbock since the 2023 season. UTSA sits at No. 13 in the RPI on Monday night while KU enters the week at No. 42 in the RPI. UTSA enters the week at 13-2 while KU sits at 10-5 overall heading into a non-con midweek on Tuesday night at TCU.

SHOUSE, HUGHES AND GARCIA FORM QUITE THE 3-4-5

Batting in succession in the Texas Tech batting order, the trio of Connor Shouse (three hole), Logan Hughes (cleanup) and Linkin Garcia (five slot) have formed quite the trio this season. All three players have scored at least 20 runs and have driven in at least 20 runs. The trio have hit 10 home runs this season and have driven in 76 of the Red Raiders 163 runs this season, and scored 69 of the Red Raiders 170 runs scored. Led by team-leader in RBIs Linkin Garcia (28), the Red Raiders are one of five teams nationally to have three guys with at least 20 RBIs (Wichita State, FGCU, Georgia, Texas Tech and VMI) and are one of just two P4 teams in the country with 20 or more RBIs. The next Red Raider with 20+ RBIs, Hughes, has an even 26 RBIs, while Shouse has 26 RBIs. Garcia ranks eighth overall in the country with his 28 RBIs, while Hughes sits tied for 19th. Shouse is the third Red Raider to sit inside the top-50 nationally in RBIs, as he checked in at T-41. The Red Raider trio of Garcia, Shouse and Hughes is one of three trios in the country (VMI & Georgia) for all three members to rank inside the top-50 nationally in RBIs. Garcia's 28 RBIs are the most in the country by a true freshman, one more than Maryland's Ryan Costello's 27 and his .397 batting average is ninth amongst true freshman in the country and the highest amongst freshman with at least 50 ABs. On the runs side of things, Garcia's 23 total runs scored rank 19th, and are the most by a freshman. Hughes and Garcia are the only duo in the country with 25+ RBIs and 20 runs scored. Shouse needs just three RBIs to join Hughes and Garcia in the 20 runs scored and 25 RBI club.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will close out the 15-game homestand this weekend when Kansas comes to town for the start of Big 12 Conference play. First pitch Friday is set for 6:30 p.m.