While many Texas Tech baseball fans are in a state of disbelief and mourning after the team’s elimination from the NCAA Tournament, the silver lining is that this club is set up well for another strong run in 2018.
It wasn’t supposed to end like that. Texas Tech baseball was 3-0 in elimination games prior to the College World Series under Tim Tadlock. It had not lost two consecutive home games all season and had lost two in a row just once.
But when Monday’s game ended with the Sam Houston State Bearkats celebrating a regional victory in the middle of Dan Law Field, the grim reality set it. 2017 was not to be the year most Red Raider fans expected it to be.
There will be no return trip to Omaha this year. Once again, the program that has been knocking on the door of a national title finds itself talking about next year and how it will be different.
And while every team but one (the eventual national champions) will look optimistically towards 2018 and declare that next season will be the year it all comes together, there is reason to believe that such sentiment is more than just rhetoric for Texas Tech.
Prior to the Lubbock Regional, we detailed the unusually large number of underclassmen that played a key role for Tadlock in 2017. As many as 10 freshmen and sophomores were staples on the field during the team’s 45-win season.
That group is headlined by the entire weekend starting rotation of Davis Martin, Steven Gingery (the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year) and Ryan Shetter. Not to be forgotten is the Big 12 Freshman of the Year Josh Jung, who was named to the All-Regional team.
In addition to the underclassmen, a fantastic group of juniors could return next season unless they are taken in this summer’s MLB draft.
Shortstop Orlando Garcia (who led the team with 13 homeruns), infielder Michael Davis and Tanner Gardner (also an all-regional selection) were huge cogs in the lineup this year. The trio put up a combined 129 RBI, 24 homers and 118 runs scored.
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They will hopefully return next year and combine with the underclassmen to form yet another deadly offense for the Red Raiders.
Another reason for optimism is the strong recruiting class Tadlock is putting together. The website www.perfectgame.com ranks Tech’s 2018 recruiting class in the top 25 in the nation so more impact players are on the way to help the Red Raiders reload for another run at a national title.
There were only four seniors on the 2017 roster and only two of them, Big 12 Player of the Year Hunter Hargrove and infielder Ryan Long were starters. The Texas Tech baseball team that won the fifth-most games in program history in 2017 did so primarily on the backs of players that figure to be back next season.
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So while the pain of an early end to the season will likely linger for a bit longer, fans will soon begin to turn their eyes towards next year. When that happens, the outlook will be exciting as fans realize that the golden age of Texas Tech baseball is just beginning.