Wreck'Em Red
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Texas Tech Baseball: Scouting The Lubbock Regional

By Matthew Conner

Jun 23, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders infielder Orlando Garcia (2) fields a ball in front of infielder Michael Davis (3) to start a double play in the ninth inning against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Coastal Carolina defeated Texas Tech 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders infielder Orlando Garcia (2) fields a ball in front of infielder Michael Davis (3) to start a double play in the ninth inning against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Coastal Carolina defeated Texas Tech 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 27, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Arizona Wildcats players celebrate after defeating the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in game one of the College World Series championship series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 27, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Arizona Wildcats players celebrate after defeating the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in game one of the College World Series championship series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2 Seed Arizona

The biggest threat to the Red Raiders appears to be the Arizona Wildcats.  Like Texas Tech, Arizona is a power 5 team with a rich baseball history.

The Wildcats have appeared in the College World Series 17 times, including last season when they were the national runner up.  They have four national titles to their credit with the latest coming in 2012.

Arizona complied a 37-19 record this year.  They played the No. 3-ranked non-conference schedule in the nation so they are battle-tested and will arrive in Lubbock full of confidence.

However, head coach Jay Johnson saw his team struggle to keep its head above water in Pac 12 play.  The Cats were just two games over .500 (16-14) in the Pac 12, which was ranked as the weakest power 5 baseball league in terms of RPI (No. 5 overall).

Interestingly, Arizona went just 13-12 in games played away from their home park.  That includes one loss to Texas Tech in March.

Offensively, the Wildcats are statistical equals to the Red Raiders.  They have a team batting average of .308 (No. 19 in the nation) and have belted 34 homers.

Five regulars in the Wildcat lineup boast batting averages over .300.  The team is slugging a collective .442%.

Junior infielder J.J. Matijevic leads the team with a robust .389 average.  He also leads the Cats with 10 homers and 64 RBI.

Where the Cats fall a bit short of the Red Raiders is on the mound.  They rank 90th in the nation with an ERA of 4.29.

Their top four starters have a group ERA of 3.32.  Cameron Ming led the rotation with a 7-2 record in 20 appearances.  Interestingly, he started only seven games this year after joining the rotation in April.  However, the junior has made the most of his starts which include two complete games.

Arizona opens with Sam Houston St.  Last season, they knocked Sam Houston St. out of the regional round by beating the Bearkats twice.

The Wildcats are an extremely dangerous team that fell just short of the national title last year.  They present the Red Raiders with a tough challenge as only one of these two teams with national title aspirations can advance out of this regional.

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