Texas Tech Baseball Proves It Is Elite In Houston This Weekend

After winning two of three games against top-15 teams in the Shriners Baseball Classic this past weekend, the Texas Tech baseball team proved it is one of the nation’s elite.

The first big test of the season for the Texas Tech baseball team came over the last three days and the Red Raiders were up to the challenge. With three games against top-tier opponents in three days at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Tim Tadlock’s team was certain to find out quite a bit about itself.

After a 2-1 weekend that saw the Red Raiders recover from a 9-0 loss to Texas A&M on Friday, Tech bounced back to defeat No. 11 Ole Miss and No. 4 LSU in the final two games of the event.

All three games had the feel of NCAA Tournament games. The neutral site contests were full of passion and high drama, especially on Saturday and Sunday.

To defeat Mississippi, Tech benefited from the best outing of the season by a Red Raider starting pitcher. Sophomore southpaw Steven Gingery tossed eight innings allowing only one run and five hits against one of the best offensive teams in the nation.

At the plate, outfielder Tanner Gardner was the hero. On Saturday, he drove in four of the team’s runs in the 5-1 win. But he saved his biggest moment for the series finale.

After battling No. 4 LSU to a 1-1 tie through six innings, Tech faced a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the 7^th. But a three-run outburst put the Red Raiders up.

A passed ball with two out in the 9^th inning allowed LSU to tie the game. Fortunately, the Red Raiders had one last at bat.

After loading the bases, Gardner found himself at the plate with two out. He sent a grounder back to the mound where LSU pitcher Hunter Newman attempted to stop the ball with his foot.

The move backfired. The ball caromed toward the middle of the diamond allowing Gardner to reach and the winning run to score.

Baseball is a sport that cannot be judged one game at a time. So, fans must be careful not to put too much stock in this weekend’s games. By no means does the Red Raiders’ success this weekend guarantee anything.

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What these results do tell the nation is that the Texas Tech baseball team is a legitimate force to be reckoned with. The Red Raiders opened the season believing that they are national title contenders.

But after having to replace a significant amount of firepower from last season, Tech’s new stars had to prove to the nation and to themselves that they are an elite team. That is exactly what they did in Houston.

Gingery and Sunday starter Ryan Shetter (5 innings pitched, 3 hits and 1 run) turned in excellent performances against two lethal offensive squads. Meanwhile, the offense battled elite pitching and came up with hits in critical moments.

Friday’s loss to the Aggies appears to be an anomaly the likes of which a baseball season is known to produce. Tech ace Davis Martin was off his game giving up five runs in 3.2 innings. Meanwhile, the offense that had scored 8.4 runs per game in the season’s first 10 contests was shut out by a hot starter.

Those days will befall any baseball team. The only rub is that the team’s first bad game came against a hated rival.

Still, the Texas Tech baseball team has cemented its status as one of the premier programs in the country. The road does not get easier as the Red Raiders return home to face last season’s College World Series runner-up, Arizona, on Tuesday.

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But as this weekend proved, no matter the challenge that lies ahead, the Red Raiders are more than capable of taking care of business against the best the game has to offer.

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