Preview: Red Raiders travel to Kansas

No. 7 TEXAS TECH at KANSAS
April 1-3, 2022

Texas Tech Game Notes (PDF) | Kansas Game Notes (PDF)

STARTERS
A five-game road trip is on deck, starting with a trip to Kansas as Big 12 play resumes on Friday following Texas Tech’s six-game homestand that wrapped up this past Wednesday. The road swing continues next Tuesday and Wednesday in Phoenix, Ariz. for a pair of games at Grand Canyon before Tech returns back to Lubbock for its next home game, Friday, April 8 against Kansas State.

This weekend, Josh Klingler and Kevin Wheeler will call the game from inside Hoglund Park as coverage will be provided via Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The broadcast can be accessed from any desktop or laptop computer, any 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 Geoff Haxton will have the call alongside analyst, Jamie Lent.

TEXAS TECH IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

• D1Baseball: No. 7
• Baseball America: 7
• NCBWA: No. 6
• Collegiate Baseball: No. 6
• USA Coaches: No. 6
• Perfect Game: No. 4

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS

• Friday, April 1: RHP Andrew Morris (4.13 ERA, 2-0) vs. LHP Daniel Hegarty (7.23 ERA, 2-2)
• Saturday, April 2: RHP Brandon Birdsell (2.70 ERA, 3-1) vs. RHP Cole Larsen (5.15 ERA, 0-4)
• Sunday, April 3: LHP Mason Molina (3.28 ERA, 1-3) vs. RHP Ryan Vanderhei (4.81 ERA, 3-2)

HE’S A MONSTER
Let’s talk about Jace Jung’s two-game performance last time out in the series against Stephen F. Austin. He went 6-for-9 (.667) from the plate and drew two walks for a .727 on-base percentage. He scored seven times, hit a home run, tallied four doubles and six RBIs. He boosted his season batting average from .356 to .384 in the series. The Tuesday matchup was when the record book was rewritten as he went 5-for-6 from the plate with three doubles and a HR. 

Jung… 

• set a single-game career-high for hits (5) vs. SFA. His previous high was three, on 10 previous occasions.
• had his first five-RBI game since 4-11-21 vs. TCU. He’s done it three times total. 
• was the first Red Raider to have five hits in a game since Cal Conley and Dylan Neuse each had five in a game against Northern Colorado on Feb. 15, 2020.
• was the first Red Raider to score five runs in a game since Michael Davis did vs. K-State on April 14, 2020.
• was the first Red Raider to have three doubles in a game since Brian Kelly vs. UNLV on March 4, 2020.
• was the first Red Raider to have four multi-base hits (3 2B, 1 HR) in a game since Roger Kieschnick (2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR) vs. Army on Feb. 24, 2008.  

IT’S A MOVIE SCRIPT COMEBACK
Fifth-year senior Cody Masters became ill with a non-COVID-related illness prior to the 2022 season starting that sidelined his participation over Tech’s first 23 games. While gaining weight back and getting back into playing shape, he started traveling again with the team during the season’s first extended road trip to Biloxi and Houston for games against Mississippi State and Rice. In the 24th game, in a critical situation with the bases loaded and a 12-12 tie game between Texas Tech and Texas in the 10th inning,he pinch-hit for his first action of the year. He fell short of being the hero, grounding into a fielder choice – the game was won on the next at-bat by Kurt Wilson. He struck out in his second at-bat vs. SFA on March 29 but in the second game vs. SFA, and his third at-bat of the season, his first hit came on his third try, which was a grand slam. It was his second career GS, dating back to May 14, 2021, against Oklahoma.

THE BIG KURT, SUPERMAN, YOU NAME IT
Kurt Wilson has had quite a week. Over the last five games, it started with his steal of home in the 10th inning to walk it off against Texas – the video of the steal on Texas Tech baseball Twitter alone has accumulated over 3.7 million views and counting (as of March 31). The very next night, Wilson won the game again in extras, ripping a grand slam over the right field fence to lift the Red Raiders over Texas to clinch the series – it was the first game-winning home run since Cal Conley hit a solo home run against TCU on April 11, 2021.

SCOUTING – KANSAS

• Kansas last hosted Texas Tech in 2018, a series Tech won two games to one.
• Kansas will host just its third game of the 2022 season on Friday. Its 2022 home opener was March 2 (L, 13-2 to Missouri State) while the second game was this past Wednesday versus Wichita State (W, 14-2).
• Kansas is 9-14 in 2022 and 0-3 in Big 12 play as they opened conference action last weekend at Oklahoma State (L, 4-2/L, 4-3/L, 7-2).
• In the Big 12 preseason poll, Kansas was picked to finish ninth, and did not have a player named to the preseason all-conference team.
• Its skipper, Ritch Price started his 20th season as the head coach of Kansas baseball in 2022. 
• Price has led the program to three NCAA Tournament appearances (’06, ’09, ’14)

SERIES HISTORY

• Tech has won six consecutive series against the Jayhawks since 2015.
• Tech leads the all-time series 48-27, including an 18-15 mark all-time in Lawrence.
• The series dates back to 1981 when the teams first met in Edinburg, Texas. The 1981 series was the only prior matchup until the formation of the Big 12.
• Friday’s meeting will be the 76th all-time between the two programs.
• Since the Big 12 was formed, Tech is 46-26 all-time against Kansas.
• Tech is 13-2 in its last 15 games against Kansas.

MOVING UP
The Red Raiders’ series win against Texas last weekend made a splash with voters in the national polls. Already ranked a consensus Top 25 team entering the series against UT, Tech jumped into the Top 10 of all six major ranking systems. Tech’s highest ranking is No. 4 (Perfect Game) and its’ lowest is No. 7 (D1Baseball & Baseball America). Tech’s biggest jump came in the Baseball America poll, skyrocketing from No. 23 to No. 7.

BIG 12 NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Texas Tech junior-transfer Andrew Morris was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the league announced on Monday. It was Morris’ first career weekly award from the Big 12. The right-handed pitcher threw six innings in Texas Tech’s Friday night, extra-inning victory over Texas. He allowed one run in the start, surrendering a leadoff home run to the game’s first batter. The Colorado Mesa transfer settled down to strike out seven and keep the Longhorns off the board for the remainder of his outing to put the team in a position to win the first of two games in the series. 

THIS-N-THAT

• Texas Tech is 22-5, and has won 21 of its last 24 games.
• The Red Raiders are 15-1 in home games this season. The loss to Texas last time out was the first regular season home loss since May 20, 2021 (7-4, KU).
• Tech has won 42 consecutive nonconference home games, last home non-con loss was UTRGV, 6-3, on April 30, 2019.
• Tech is 15-2 this season when scoring first. 
• Tech is 19-2 this season against unranked opponents. Its two losses are to Auburn (L, 2-1) in game No. 2 of the season during the State Farm Collegiate Showdown in Arlington, Texas, and at Iowa (L, 6-3).
• Tech has scored more than six runs in 19 of 27 games this season. TTU is 19-0 in those games.
• Tech has scored in double-digits 12 times out of 27 games.
• Tech has hit five grand slams, out of its total 30 home runs.
• Texas Tech is 18-2 this season when having at least one home run.
• Tech has scored in the first inning 13 times this season. TTU is 13-0 in those games.
• Texas Tech owns three wins this season when trailing after the seventh inning. 
• Texas Tech scored five or more runs in the first inning for the first time since Feb. 15, 2020, vs. Northern Colorado when it scored seven in the first inning against No. 2 Texas on March 26.
• Parker Kelly is the first Red Raider to own three grand slams in the same season since Cameron Blair achieved the feat in both 2004 and 2005. Kelly’s grand slams were achieved in a five-day span – two in the same game vs. Merrimack on March 5 at home, and again vs. No. 23 Mississippi State on March 9 in a neutral site game in Biloxi.
• Brandon Birdsell’s 15 strikeouts against Rice on March 12 were the most by a Red Raider since Bobby Doran’s 16 versus Missouri on May 1, 2010.
• Against SFA on March 29, Texas Tech had double-digit doubles (10) in a game for the first time since registering 12 against Kansas on April 25, 2010.

–TECH–