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Why Texas Tech baseball has historically struggled in Omaha

By Matthew Conner

OMAHA, NE - JUNE 24: A general view to the entrance to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series between the Michigan Wolverines and the Vanderbilt Commodores on June 24, 2019 at in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE - JUNE 24: A general view to the entrance to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series between the Michigan Wolverines and the Vanderbilt Commodores on June 24, 2019 at in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

T.D. Ameritrade Park neutralizes Tech’s biggest advantage

The Texas Tech baseball program under Tim Tadlock has become synonymous with offense as virtually every year, the Red Raider lineup is considered one of the best in the nation.  That’s great until the Red Raiders get to Omaha and play in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the country.

T.D. Ameritrade Park is a large park.  It is 335 feet down each line and 375 to the power alleys while playing 408 feet to straight away center.  That is five feet larger down the lines and four feet deeper to center than Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock.

Making T.D. Ameritrade play even larger are the prevailing wins that typically blow in from center field or across the outfield holding up fly balls long enough for outfielders to make a play.  That is far different than the winds in Lubbock, which typically blow out of the west, pushing balls straight out to left field or from the north, blowing directly from home to center.

"“You’ve got to be King Kong to get the ball out in the gaps” said St. John’s head coach Ed Blankmeyer of T.D. Ameritrade in 2017.  “You can get the ball into the bullpens, but to get a ball in the gap and out? You’ve got to crush it.”"

Thus far, there have been 111 homers hit in the CWS since it moved to the current stadium in 2011.  That is an average of just 13.8 per year over the course of an event that could go as deep as  17 games.

For reference, this year, Tech averaged 1.09 homers per game.  So in 17 games, Tech alone, would put up more long-balls than what is being averaged at T.D. Ameritrade.

Certainly, Tech relied heavily on the homer this season at the CWS belting five in four games.  But that still brings the program’s all-time total to just six in twelve games in Omaha.

So it’s not surprising to see that, Tech’s averaged just 3.25 runs per CWS game.  The Red Raiders have never scored more than six runs (which would be considered a moderate scoring output in Lubbock) in any game at T.D. Ameritrade.

Tech has constructed its roster to fit perfectly with what Rip Griffin Park gives you, plenty of offense.  The problem is that you can slug your way to Omaha but it is nearly impossible to ask your offense to carry you to a title in a park known as a hitter’s graveyard.

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