Owen Washburn's back, and wielding a hot bat for Texas Tech baseball
Owen Washburn's swinging the bat like a man who never missed a day in his college career.
The Texas Tech baseball right fielder opened the season with four consecutive two-hit games at Globe Life Field in Arlington. On Sunday, in a home series finale, Washburn went 3 for 3 with two walks, two home runs and five runs batted in, helping No. 22 Texas Tech run-rule Texas Southern 16-5.
He not only helped Tech. He backed his brother, starting pitcher Jack Washburn, who rang up eight strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Jack Washburn spent last season on the shelf with a stress fracture in his scapula, and Owen sat for the last two months of the Red Raiders' 41-23 campaign with a dislocated elbow.
Better days have arrived.
"Obviously, we both missed a lot of time last year, (did) a lot of rehab and stuff like that," Owen said, "but it's good to finally be back out on the field, especially back on the field together first time since high school. It's fun to be out there and both doing well."
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Owen Washburn hurt his elbow trying to make a tumbling catch in an April 8 game against North Dakota State. After assistant athletic trainer Bryan Simpson worked on it, Washburn assumed his down time would be minimal.
"I was like, 'All right, so I'll be able to play next week,' " he remembered. "He's like, 'No, it's not that kind of injury.' Really, it never hurt. It was kind of just strengthening everything and all the muscles back up so it wouldn't happen again."
Best-case scenario, Washburn learned, he had a chance to return for the postseason. As it turned out, he never got back into a game. He went home after the season to rehab and returned to Lubbock on Aug. 2, working out and hitting daily. His brother was working back on his own rehab schedule.
"It was really tough seeing him go down," Jack Washburn said, "especially after I was already out the whole year. But it was good for both of us, I think, to kind of have each other and help each other through it. Obviously, it's really tough mentally to be out of a sport, but he was there for me and I was there for him, so it worked out good."
Owen Washburn, Jack Washburn set career highs in same Texas Tech baseball game
Now the ordeals are behind them. On Sunday, Owen Washburn had his first two-homer game since high school and raised his average to .423. Jack's eight strikeouts Sunday were a career high, though he yielded back-to-back homers in the third inning, one helped by the wind at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park.
When Owen began the season with a string of multi-hit games at Globe Life Field, it added to his career résumé at the Texas Rangers' stadium. He had a walk-off hit to beat Michigan there in his first college game two years ago, capping a 3-for-4 night with three runs scored.
Globe Life Field? Nice place to visit, but he wouldn't want to live there.
"I'm not a fan, really," Washburn said. "Honestly, it's a fun place to play. The atmosphere's great. Not only myself, but we had guys hit the ball really hard, and it just seems like it dies there. I don't know if it's because the roof's closed or what.
"But I like playing here (at home). We get a little wind, get a little lazy fly ball that goes out sometimes.
"He dealt with that today," Owen Washburn said, gesturing to his brother.
"I like playing there," Jack Washburn said of the park that plays fair in Arlington.
"My two home runs today," Owen said, "... the wind helped a little bit, so it's nice being back home and getting to play here in front of our fans."
Competition for time in Texas Tech baseball outfield
The Red Raiders have at least five options for corner outfield spots. Besides Washburn, there's Austin Green, Damian Bravo, Gage Harrelson and Drew Woodcox. No one can afford to slump for long.
Washburn's yet to slump at all this season.
On Saturday, Washburn wasn't in the lineup. Then again, what's one day off when you know what it's like to miss two months? Tech coach Tim Tadlock took note that Washburn was cheering his teammates just the same.
The competition for playing time? The day-to-day uncertainty of not being guaranteed a spot in the lineup?
"He's always put together good at-bats," Tadlock said, "so I would say he's handled it really good. Yesterday's a shining example of it. He knew he wasn't in the lineup yesterday. He's the same guy yesterday he was today. He got in there today, got some pitches to hit and took care of them."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech's Owen Washburn is back, looking as if his bat never slept
