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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 23, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of the stadium during the fifth inning of the contest between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of the stadium during the fifth inning of the contest between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4 Seed Delaware

The Delaware Blue Hens are the true underdogs in the Lubbock regional.  They are making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2001 making one wonder how they will handle the pressure of the weekend.

The Hens won the Colonial Athletic title to earn the right to play in Lubbock this weekend.  The CAA was ranked No. 21 in conference RPI in 2017.  Overall, they have a 34-21 record but they are just 12-17 in road/neutral site games.

Delaware, like the other three teams in this regional, is a strong offensive team.  They hit .313 this year, good for No. 14 in the NCAA.  They hit 57 home runs and slugged at a .487 clip on their way to the postseason.

Jeremy Ake, a senior infielder, leads the team in batting average (.359) while sophomore infielder Nick Patten leads them in homers (14).  The Blue Hens have three players with at least 10 long balls this year.

But while the Blue Hens may be able to slug with the other teams in the regional, they could struggle to keep runs off the board.  Their team ERA of 4.35 is the highest in the bracket and ranks just 99th in the nation.

The top of their rotation is strong thanks in large part to ace Ron Marinaccio.  He has a 4-2 record with a 1.85 ERA in 58.1 innings.  The other three top starters for Delaware have a combined ERA of just 4.26.  It stands to reason that Tech will see Marinaccio on Friday and the Red Raiders must avoid the strikeout.  He has recorded 65 K’s on the season which is 30% of the hitters he’s faced.

If Tech can get into the Delaware bullpen, the Red Raiders will be in great shape.  Only one member of the Hen’s pen has an ERA below 4.30.  Thus, the key will be to make Marinaccio pound the zone and not chase bad pitches.

Next: Texas Tech Basketball Offseason Notes

The key for Delaware will be to rely on their ace to pull off an upset of Texas Tech on Friday and then hope they can slug their way through the rest of the bracket.  However, their lack of quality depth on the mound is likely to hamper them as they face three powerful offenses this weekend.

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