No. 24 Tech Welcomes NM State for Mid-Week Series
LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 24-ranked Texas Tech Baseball program will close a five-game homestand this Tuesday and Wednesday, when it welcomes the New Mexico State Aggies for a two-game midweek series.
Tuesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with the series finale on Wednesday set for a 2 p.m. first pitch.
The midweek series with the Aggies will mark the first time since the 2019 season that the Red Raiders and Aggies will meet in baseball. Tech owns a 53-18 all-time mark against NMSU and have won nine straight in the series.
INSIDE THE MATCHUPS:
GAME ONE:
MATCHUP: No. 24 Texas Tech (11-4) vs. New Mexico State (9-6)
DATE: Tuesday, March 11
TIME: 6:30 p.m. (CT)
LOCATION: Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field (Lubbock, Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Zane Petty (1-0, 11.00 ERA) vs. TBD
GAME TWO:
MATCHUP: No. 24 Texas Tech (11-4) vs. New Mexico State (9-6)
DATE: Wednesday, March 12
TIME: 2 p.m. (CT)
LOCATION: Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field (Lubbock, Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: LHP Taber Fast (0-0, 8.44 ERA) vs. TBD
1-2-3 HEADLINES:
* The Texas Tech Red Raiders close out a five-game homestand this Tuesday and Wednesday when they welcome in the Aggies of New Mexico State for the first matchups between the two schools since the 2019 season. The midweek series with NMSU will kick-off a five-game week for the Red Raiders who travel to Waco to face Baylor this weekend.
* The Red Raiders will look to respond on Tuesday and Wednesday after falling in a weekend series to the Texas Longhorns. After dropping Friday’s opener, the Red Raiders rebounded for a 7-2 victory getting six strong innings from freshman Mac Heuer who improved to 2-0 as a weekend starter. Heuer allowed just two runs and struck out a career-high eight in his six innings of work. On Sunday, the Red Raiders raced out to a pair of 3-run leads (3-0, 6-3), before falling 9-7 to the Horns.
* Tuesday’s contest against the Aggies will be Throwback Night as the Red Raiders will wear the ever-popular throwback uniforms for the first time in 2024. Sophomore’s Zane Petty and Taber Fast are scheduled to take the ball for the Red Raiders against the Aggies on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. Fast, who will start on Wednesday last pitched in his first start of the season against the Lobos last Tuesday.
MIDWEEK NOTES:
IT’S BEEN A MINUTE
The Red Raiders and Aggies will meet for the first time since the 2019 season when they played a neutral site game in Midland and a game in Lubbock. The Red Raiders are hosting the Aggies for a two-game series for the first time since the 2016 season (Mar. 1-2).
MIDWEEKS ARE AT HOME IN MARCH
This week’s series with the Aggies will kick off a stretch of four-straight home midweek contests for the Red Raiders. Next weekend Tech will host ACU with Stephen F. Austin set to visit Lubbock in two weeks (Mar. 26).
MARCHING AT THE RIP
The Red Raiders have also been good in March at home under Tim Tadlock, as Tech is 100-22 all-time under the head coach in the month of March. And while that mark is good, it climbs to 67-9 since the 2017 season. The Red Raiders have not lost more than two home games in the month of March since the 2017 season.
NINE STRAIGHT OVER THE AGGIES
The Red Raiders have won nine-in-a-row in the all-time series over New Mexico State and 15 of 16 against the Aggies. New Mexico State has won just once since the 2014 season, a 7-6 win during the 2016 season.
NON-CON + HOME + TAD
As head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, HC Tim Tadlock is 170-23 (.880) all-time against non-conference foes at home (midweeks & weekends in the regular season. Postseason regionals are excluded). Since the 2017 season, that mark stands at 111-9 (.925), as Tadlock has lost three games or fewer at home in non-conference play in all seven of those seasons. The Red Raiders have won 24 straight home non-conference series dating back to the 2019 season when the Red Raiders split with UTRGV in the midweek. The Red Raiders have gone 38 straight series (minus splits) without a true loss, dating back to the 2016 season.
HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE MIDWEEK
This weeks series with the Aggies will mark the first two home mid weeks that the Red Raiders have played so far this season. The Red Raiders are 2-1 this season in midweek contests as they defeated UTA and New Mexico and lost to Oregon State in Arlington.
TEAM NOTES:
BRAVO. DAMIAN BRAVO.
Damian Bravo has been on fire through the seasons first 15 games. Bravo is hitting .492 so far with 30 hits in 61 at-bats. Bravo leads the country in doubles per game and in total doubles. He’s also eighth in the country in average and 20th in the country in RBIs (25). Bravo leads the Big 12 Conference in average, on-base percentage and doubles.
GIMMIE GIMMIE A ZERO
Senior lefty Ryan Free has picked up right where he left off after a strong 2023 campaign. Free has allowed just six hits and one run in his first 10.1 innings of the season. Opposing batters are hitting just .171 against the lefty this season, as Free has now earned a pair of victories and a save in his first five appearances. Free was nails in Friday’s contest against Gardner-Webb striking out three in his 1.1 pitched. Free threw just 19 pitches to earn his first save of the season. The lefty entered with the bases loaded and two outs and used a nasty breaking pitch to strand the tying runs on base in the 10-7 game. Free’s WHIP sits at 0.87.
DYLAN TO THE MAX
Catcher Dylan Maxcey has seized his opportunity for extended playing time with Kevin Bazzell sidelined. Maxcey led the Red Raiders in batting average over the week, as the catcher hit 5-for-12 with four runs scored a homer run and seven RBIs. Maxcey drove in three runs in the win over New Mexico last Tuesday when he pinch-hit. In Saturday’s win over Texas, Maxcey drove in four runs and hit his second home run of the season.
ROLLIN’ IN THE DEEP
Another pitcher who changed his warmup song in 2024 was senior Josh Sanders, who will now warmup to Adelle’s Rolling in the Deep. So far it seems the warmup song is working for Sanders, as the righty has pitched 9.1 innings thus far, allowing just seven hits and four runs (two earned). Sanders was extremely strong in the Wednesday contest against No. 7 OSU, as the Yukon, Okla. native threw 1.1 perfect innings. Sanders has now struck out 13 batters in his 9.1 innings of work.
THE OTHER WASHBURN IS ALSO BACK
After being limited to just 18 games (52 at-bats) due to various injuries in 2023, Tech outfielder Owen Washburn is back and healthy in 2024. Owen has started 13 of the 15 games this season and is currently hitting .327 with three home runs and nine RBIs. In the Red Raiders Sunday victory over TX Southern, Washburn hit a pair of home runs and drove in five to help his older brother Jack earn his first career win. Washburn’s on-base percentage sits at .431 through his first 49 at-bats.
MCGEES BEEN ON BASE A LOT
Former Freshman All-American and Gonzaga transfer Cade McGee continues to provide a different and unique approach to the lineup this season. McGee has played and started in every game yet only has recorded 42 official at-bats because he has walked 17 times and been hit by 11 pitches. When you add it up, McGee has come to the plate 70 times through the first 15 games of the season and he has reached base safely in 41 of those at-bats. His on-base percentage sits at an eye-popping .569.
THE BACK END IS COMING TOGETHER
The Red Raiders back end of the bullpen is starting to come together rather nicely, as the trio of Free, Hutyra, and Sanders have combined for a perfect 3-0 record and three saves. Free has pitched 10.1 innings and allowed just one run, while Hutrya has allowed just one run over his first five innings pitched. Sanders has allowed just two earned runs in 9.1 innings with 13 punchouts.
RETURN OF THE MAC
Freshman Mac Heuer will once again take the ball for the Red Raiders for a weekend start, after throwing five one-run innings in last Saturday’s 29-3 victory over Gardner-Webb. Heuer earned his first career victory in the game against the Bulldogs and has pitched to a 2.76 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched. Last weekend, Heuer took the ball for his first Big 12 start of his career, pitching a career-high six innings with eight strikeouts. Heuer was a 16th-round selection by the Cleveland Guardians in the 2023 MLB Draft.
MLB BREAKOUT
In conjunction with the MLB, MiLB has created the Spring Breakout which features 25 of the best prospects from each of the 30 teams in baseball. When the rosters were announced, the Red Raiders were well represented as seven different former Red Raiders will represent their organization in the event. The list includes: Dru Baker (Rays), Brand Birdsell (Cubs), Hunter Dobbins (Red Sox), Braxton Fulford (Rockies), Chase Hampton (Yankees), Jace Jung (Tigers) and Patrick Monteverde (Marlins).
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders hit the road for the first time in conference play when they head to Baylor for a three-game series this weekend. First pitch from Waco is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. for Sunday’s series finale.
–TECH–
Release Provided By Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics
