Is It Time To Panic Over Texas Tech Baseball?

As the college baseball postseason nears, Texas Tech finds itself in a team-wide funk making fans wonder if it is time to hit the panic button after a 10-4 home loss to Dallas Baptist on Tuesday.

There are a few certainties that can be counted on the west Texas every spring; namely the wind, rising temperatures and, in the past five years, Texas Tech baseball success. But in recent weeks, the Red Raiders have hit a stretch of poor play rarely seen in the Tim Tadlock era.

Since April 22nd, Texas Tech has lost seven of ten games and two crucial Big 12 series. Losing two of three games to both TCU and Texas has virtually eliminated the Red Raiders from the Big 12 regular season race and as a result, Tadlock’s team is has fallen from No. 4 in the national polls to No. 12.

Now, the Red Raiders are a long shot to earn a top 8 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, which would guarantee both weekends of the tournament prior to the College World series would be played in Lubbock. What’s more, if Texas Tech does not rebound with a series win in the final Big 12 series of the beast at Oklahoma State on May 17-19, Tech may be at risk of not hosting even a regional on the tournament’s opening weekend though that would likely only happen if Tech was to be swept in Stillwater.

So what has gone wrong for the Red Raiders? Look no further than the pitching mound.

In the past ten games, Tech has allowed 7.7 runs per game. Tech’s team ERA in that span has been 7.50, over three runs higher that its 4.21 season ERA.

And the struggles for the rotation have started with the team’s top starter, Davis Martin. In his last three starts, Martin has posted an ERA of 8.75. He has averaged just 4.6 innings per start while surrendering 21 runs combined.

Another cause for concern in the pitching staff is the role of the third starter. The loss of presumed ace Steven Gingery after just one start this season caused Tadlock to make adjustments to his weekend rotation. As a result, Texas Tech has struggled to find a consistent Sunday starter and that has cost them throughout Big 12 play.

Tech has failed to pick up a win on each of the past three Sunday contests and that cost them the two critical series against TCU and UT. Against the Frogs, Josh McMillon lasted only 1.2 innings wile giving up 4 runs. The next week, Ryan Shetter did not fair much better allowing four runs in just 3.0 innings against the Horns.

But while the Red Raider pitching staff has hit the skids, the offense has been erratic and inconsistent. Tech’s scoring has dropped from its season average of 8.7 runs per game to just 5.9 in the last ten games and in half of those games, Tech has failed to score over five runs.

Struggles such as this have been unheard of in recent years. Tech has suffered a three-game and a two-game losing streak in the past 10 days, something rarely seen in the Tadlock era.

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In 2017, Texas Tech lost consecutive games just once in the regular season. The three-game streak that included losses to Oklahoma, Arkansas and TCU at the start of this ten-game stretch is the Red Raiders’ first 3-game losing streak since 2015.

It is clear that Texas Tech is reeling so perhaps the upcoming eight-day break for finals comes at the right time. This team needs to regroup and prepare itself for the most important stretch of the season.

Fortunately, there is still time for Texas Tech to regain its footing. But there is reason to be concerned that this team may not be able to fix all that ails it.

Certainly, there is reason to believe that Davis Martin can return to the form that he has displayed throughout his career in Lubbock and the extra rest is likely to do wonders for him. However, the inconsistency in the starting rotation has been an issue all season and unless one of the Red Raider starters steps up his game, the third spot in the rotation will continue to be the weak link in the chain.

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But if there is anyone on campus that has earned the benefit of the doubt, it is Tim Tadlock. He is currently facing once of the most frustrating stretches of his tenure but if anyone can find the right buttons to push, it will he him.

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