Formidable foes confront Texas Tech baseball team in first week at Globe Life Field
For the third time in four years, the Texas Tech baseball team returns to Arlington to open the season in a multi-team event at Globe Life Field. You don't reserve a Major League stadium to bring in mediocre teams, and these assignments are never easy.
Texas Tech (41-23 last season) takes on Tennessee (44-22) at 7 p.m. Friday, Nebraska (33-23-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday and Oregon (41-22) at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Shriners Children's College Showdown. The Red Raiders stay over and play Texas-Arlington (29-29) at 6 p.m. Feb. 20 and Oregon State (41-20) at noon Feb.21.
In the USA TODAY Sports preseason coaches poll, Oregon State is No. 7, Tennessee No. 8, Texas Tech No. 22 and Oregon receiving votes.
"(We've been) kind of ramping it up a little bit," Tech coach Tim Tadlock said Wednesday regarding his team's preparation. "We tried to be as intentional as we could about that, and I think it's going to put the guys in a good spot."
Texas Tech baseball coach Tim Tadlock announces opening weekend rotation
Texas Tech will start righthanders Kyle Robinson (1-1, 5.36 earned-run average), Zane Petty (3-2, 5.68) and Jack Washburn in the first three games. Robinson, the opening-day starter for the second year in a row, is coming off strong postseason outings against Oklahoma State and Florida.
Washburn, 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA for Mississippi's College World Series champion in 2022, is returning from a back injury that sidelined him last year after he transferred to Tech.
"He's got a lot of confidence," Tadlock said. "His command's been good. His breaking ball's always been good. Changeup's good. There's a lot of skins on the wall there. ... He's a winner."
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Position switches: Change in store for Texas Tech baseball players Kevin Bazzell, Austin Green
Gavin Kash, Kevin Bazzell anchor Texas Tech baseball infield
Three position-player starters are back on the infield with Big 12 home runs and runs batted in leader Gavin Kash (.327-26-84) at first base, Tracer Lopez (.268-4-31) having moved from shortstop to second base and Kevin Bazzell (.348-10-62) having moved from third base to catcher. Bazzell replaces Hudson White, who transferred to Arkansas.
The left side of the infield features two new faces with Gonzaga transfer Cade McGee taking over at third and shortstop being manned by T.J. Pompey, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound freshman from Coppell. Perfect Game ranked Pompey as a top-100 national recruit and a top-10 prospect in the state.
Even with the presence of Lopez and Pompey up the middle, there's a logjam with three other young candidates: shortstops Will Burns and Travis Sanders and second baseman Landon Stripling. Sanders, a 14th-round draft pick in 2022, redshirted last season with a back fracture. Stripling is another top-100 national recruit in the Perfect Game rankings and a top-10 prospect in the state of Georgia.
Tadlock said Burns and Sanders, because of their fielding ability, could be used at other positions. Though Burns' 29 games last year came at shortstop, the Tech staff has given him time recently in the outfield.
"The kind of athlete he is, it's fun," Tadlock said. "Our strength coach, Tory Stephens, has pretty much gone on record saying he's the most dynamic athlete we've had since we've been here. That's saying a lot when you start talking about some of the runners we've had."
Gage Harrelson, Austin Green make position switches in Texas Tech baseball outfield
Nolen Hester, the Red Raiders' leadoff batter and starting left fielder all last season, completed his eligibility, and center fielder Dillon Carter graduated from Tech and transferred to Georgia. That makes for a new-look outfield
Gage Harrelson (.324-1-45), who divided time between right field and center field last season as a true freshman, now is ticketed for center. Flanking him will be sophomore Damian Bravo (.133-3-7) or Drew Woodcox (.271-3-15) in left field and senior Austin Green (.290-12-57) or junior Owen Washburn (.250-3-12) in right.
Green played second last season. Washburn was limited to 18 games last year after he suffered a dislocated elbow trying to make a diving catch. Both are likely to be in the lineup however it shakes out.
"It puts one of them in line to be your DH, puts one of them in line to be your right fielder," Tadlock said, "and probably allows you to rest one of them. The intriguing thing there is they're both good right fielders. We've tried some with Green in center and left to try to get (him) in there if we need to."
Bravo was a two-way player as a true freshman, but he's concentrating on hitting only this year and making an impression.
"Damian Bravo, I think, through the (school year since fall) has been as consistent as anybody," Tadlock said, "showing up and putting together good at-bats, doing things the right way, all that stuff. He has an above-average arm and is probably going to play left field.
"Which puts Drew Woodcox in a situation he's been in before: Be ready. When he gets his opportunity, put good at-bats together."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball gears up for two top-10 opponents in first 5 games
