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Texas Tech baseball needs these players to come up big in Omaha

By Matthew Conner

Omaha, NE - JUNE 27: A general view of the exterior of TD Ameritrade Park prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series between the Arizona Wildcats and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on June 27, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 27: A general view of the exterior of TD Ameritrade Park prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series between the Arizona Wildcats and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on June 27, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
(Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

2B Brian Klein

During this year’s run to Omaha, one of the best hitters in the Texas Tech lineup has been a relative non-factor.  Second baseman Brian Klein entered the NCAA Tournament hitting .326 but in his last six games, he’s hitting just .227 after going 5-22 at the plate.

Klein has hit in the critical No. 3 sport in the order for the vast majority of the season but with leadoff hitter Gabe Holt missing Sunday’s game-three win over Oklahoma State due to a thumb injury, he moved up to the No. 2 spot.  But either way, he must hit better than .227 in Omaha.

In the No. 2 spot, Tech needs Klein to get on base ahead of Jung and Warren so that pitchers are not as likely to try to pitch around Tech’s biggest bats.  With runners on base, RBI producers like Jung and Warren are likely to see more hittable pitches because pitchers do not want to compound their problems with walks.

And if Klein is put back into the No. 3 spot in the order he will have to be an RBI producer himself.  On the year, he’s driven in 54 runs, third most on the team behind Warren and Jung and in the NCAA Tournament he’s brought home five runners in six games.

In the College World Series, runs are at a premium because the pitching in Omaha is usually elite. That’s why it will be key for one of the Red Raiders’ best hitters to regain the form he has shown for most of his collegiate career and provide some extra pop at the top of the order.

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