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Texas Tech Baseball Has Nothing To Gain At Big 12 Tournament

By Matthew Conner

Jun 21, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders infielder Hunter Hargrove (25) throws over to first base to end the eighth inning against the Florida Gators in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated Florida Gators 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 21, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders infielder Hunter Hargrove (25) throws over to first base to end the eighth inning against the Florida Gators in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated Florida Gators 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Texas Tech baseball team faces elimination from the Big 12 Tournament today but an early exit could be just what the Red Raiders need.

Losing goes against everything that Texas Tech baseball head coach Tim Tadlock stands for.  However, don’t expect him to be despondent should his team bow out of the Big 12 Tournament early this week.

After all, there is almost nothing more the No. 3 ranked Red Raiders need to do to position themselves for a deep run through the NCAA Tournament.  It could be argued that rest would be far better for Texas Tech than winning the conference tournament.

The Red Raiders have already won the regular season league title for the second-consecutive season and have put together arguably the best resume of any team in the nation.  This team has done enough to earn a top national seed in the NCAA Tournament so now the key should be to get to that tournament as healthy as possible.

There are several important players on the roster that are not far removed from injuries which caused them to miss significant time.  Cramming a weeks’ worth of games into a few days is not an ideal situation for them.

Two of the most prominent members of the team, starting pitcher Davis Martin and outfielder Tanner Gardner need to be as fresh as possible entering the NCAA Tournament.  Gardner missed a handful of games with a sprained ankle while Davis was shelved for almost half of the season with a sore right shoulder.

Gardner has been back in the lineup for a few games and appears to be rounding into form.  However, the more games he plays in Oklahoma City this week, the more opportunities there will be for him to tweak his ankle again.

Anyone that has had a sprained ankle knows that aggravating that injury requires just the slightest of awkward movements.  Every game Gardner plays this week could be a potential injury that might severely dampen Tech’s postseason hopes.

As for Martin, he made his first start since early April in yesterday’s 3-0 loss to Oklahoma State.  The final line for Texas Tech’s usual Friday night starter (3.1 innings pitched, five hits and two earned runs on 50 pitches) was not important.

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Rather, it was essential for the Red Raiders to let Martin see live action again before the regional round of the NCAA Tournament.  Martin looked decent on the mound Wednesday so now the biggest test for him will be in how his arm recovers from this outing.

With Texas Tech’s loss on Wednesday, the path to a Big 12 Tournament title would require a long run through the losers’ bracker.

That would tax the pitching staff and if Tadlock were to put all his cards on the table this week he could be tempted to use Martin again.  However, we know by now that Tadlock is far more concerned with the real tournament that begins next week.

Thus, there is no conceivable way that he could justify using Martin twice this week.  Therefore, it would be best for Texas Tech to rest Martin and all of his fellow hurlers than burn them up chasing a title that is meaningless.

There are plenty of young arms in the Texas Tech rotation and in the bullpen.  This late in the season, days of rest are more valuable to them than anything else.  Next weekend will require everything the Red Raiders have and the pitching staff needs to be as fresh as possible.

In addition to Gardner and Martin, outfielder Ryan Long, second baseman Michael Davis and infielder Grant Little have all battled injuries this season.  All of the Red Raiders that may be knicked up would be best served taking a few days off at home instead of playing multiple games to win a tournament that will have no bearing on the team’s goal of winning a national title.

The Red Raiders take on Baylor this morning in an elimination game.  It would be hard to imagine this team losing two games in a row (something that it has done only once this year).  But if that should happen, fans must not be worried.

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The conference tournament means nothing to the Red Raiders.  The real games begin in a week and it will be critical for Texas Tech to be rested and ready at that time.  Some extra days off this week would be far more valuable than another Big 12 trophy.

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