Texas Tech baseball

No. 12 OKLAHOMA STATE at No. 22 TEXAS TECH

Lubbock, Texas | Rip Griffin Park

March 17-19, 2023

Texas Tech Game Notes (PDF) | Oklahoma State Game Notes (PDF)

PROMO HIGHLIGHTS

  • Friday
    • St. Patrick's Day: All promos will be St. Patrick's Day themed while the TTU baseball team will join in on the festivities sporting green hats, belts and socks. 
  • Sunday
    • Mini-baseball helmet giveaway: The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a miniature Texas Tech branded baseball helmet.

STARTERS

Big 12 play has arrived, and just as it did last year, it features a Top 25 matchup at Rip Griffin Park. It is a pairing of two teams that own a combined 31 wins and six losses as No. 12 Oklahoma State (15-3) rides a 12-game win streak into town to square off with No. 22 Texas Tech (16-3).

Coverage will be provided via Big 12 Now on ESPN+. John Harris will be on the mic for play-by-play duties while former Red Raider baseball player Mike Gustafson will provide the analysis for all three games. All broadcasts can be accessed from any desktop or laptop computer, personal cellular device and television streaming services using the ESPN app. Registration for the subscription service can be found at ESPNPlus.com.

Texas Tech Sports Network will also broadcast the game over 46 affiliates throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico as well as on the web via the Varsity App. Geoff Haxton will have the call alongside Jamie Lent for each contest over the weekend.

TEXAS TECH IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

The Red Raiders are back in all six primary national baseball Top 25 rankings, as of Monday, March 13. While the Red Raiders never dropped from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game or the coaches poll ... the Red Raiders fell from the D1Baseball poll after its 3-2 loss to Rice and 16-inning, 4-2, loss to Texas A&M. The 3-1 weekend defeating New Mexico and then-No. 23 Iowa, has vaulted Texas Tech back inside at No. 22 in the latest D1Baseball rankings.

  • D1Baseball: 22
  • Baseball America: 20
  • NCBWA: No. 18
  • Collegiate Baseball: 16
  • USA Coaches: No. 19
  • Perfect Game: No. 12

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS

  • Friday, March 17: RHP Brendan Girton (2-0, 2.95 ERA) vs. RHP Brian Hendry (1-0, 4.09 ERA)
  • Saturday, March 18: LHP Mason Molina (2-0, 2.21 ERA) vs. RHP Juaron Watts-Brown (2-0, 1.99 ERA)
  • Sunday, March 19: TBA vs. TBA

ALWAYS HIGH STAKES

This season's matchup will be the sixth consecutive time Texas Tech and Oklahoma State have met for a ranked versus ranked matchup. The last time these two programs met when both teams did not have a number next to their respective name was in 2017 when the Red Raiders were No. 4 and the Cowboys were unranked.

NCAA TOP 10

Through the first 19 games, the Red Raiders rank in the NCAA Top 10 in 10 different statistical categories, including three that Texas Tech leads the nation in as they are No. 1 in double plays (29), double plays per game (1.53) and sacrifice flies (23). Tech ranks No. 2 in walks (133), No. 2 in hits (222), No. 2 in runs (199), t-No. 3 in triples (3), t-No. 4 in doubles (48), No. 9 in scoring (10.5) and t-No. 9 in triples per game (0.58).

POWER BALL

Texas Tech was powered by the home run, as it has been lately, with four its last time out on Wednesday. The Red Raiders have slugged 14 of their 30 home runs for the season over the last five games – which encompasses the series versus Iowa and UTA. Pacing the Red Raiders in the last five games is three each from Gavin Kash and Dillon Carter, two from Austin Green and six others joining the party with one a piece. 

A LOOK BACK AT THE BIG 12 PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS

Taking a look back at the Big 12 preseason poll before the conference season starts on Friday, Texas Tech owns a 16-3 record four weeks into the season. Tech was voted third in the 2023 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll behind No. 1 TCU and No. 2 Oklahoma State. The three programs remain the only three in the league that are inside the Top 25; the Red Raiders and Cowboys each own winning percentages greater than .800 while the Horned Frogs sit at 9-7. TCU opens Big 12 play this weekend at Oklahoma and will later see Texas Tech this season at Rip Griffin Park, March 31-April 2. 

SERIES HISTORY - OKLAHOMA STATE

  • Friday's meeting will be the 91st all-time between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1983.
  • Since the formation of the Big 12, Tech leads the overall series 43-37.
  • Since 2018, Tech has won 14 of the last 16 meetings (which includes the 2019 Super Regional).
  • Tech swept Oklahoma State in its last two trips to Stillwater in 2018 and 2022.
  • Tech's last loss in Stillwater was on April 6, 2014.
  • Tech has won four consecutive series against Oklahoma State and five of its last six against OSU.
  • Josh Holliday, Oklahoma State's head coach, and Red Raiders' head coach Tim Tadlock both became head coaches of their respective institutions prior to the 2013 season.
  • The Red Raiders have won 21-of-32 matchups since Tadlock took over in 2013.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE COWBOYS

The Red Raiders traveled to Stillwater for a highly-anticipated Top 10 matchup deep into the 2022 season as Tech carried a No. 9 ranking while the home team owned a No. 3 ranking. Texas Tech swept Oklahoma State at O'Brate Stadium, securing its third in a row in Stillwater as the Cowboys have not won a home game against the Red Raiders since April 6, 2014. The Red Raiders used a pair of single-inning scoring surges in its first two wins, Friday and Saturday, consisting of seven and five, respectively. In the finale, Texas Tech chipped away scoring once in three different innings while the largest scoring output was three runs in the fifth to earn a close 6-4 win.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP 

The 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, will be hosted at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 24-28. For info on attending and tickets, visit Big12Sports.com.