Why Texas Tech baseball has historically struggled in Omaha

Tech has not had elite pitching

Though we are in an era of increased offense and elevated home run numbers in both professional and college baseball, pitching remains the most important aspect of the game.  Unfortunately, the Red Raiders have never had the type of pitching that could carry them to a national title.

Of the 8 teams in this year’s field, Tech had the third-highest team ERA at 4.01.  The only teams with worse numbers in that category were Florida State and Auburn.

The three starters Tech threw in Omaha, Micah Dallas, Caleb Killian and Bryce Bonnin were solid this year but far from elite.  In fact, at 3.92, Killian was the only member of that trio with an ERA below 4.00.

Consider the difference between that and the two teams playing in the championship series.  All three of Michigan’s starters have an ERA below 3.30 with two possessing an ERA below 3.00.  Meanwhile, Vandy’s three top starters each has an ERA south of 3.40.

Unfortunately, Tech has never had the type of pitching needed to win at the highest levels.  That could have been the case if not for some injuries.

In 2018, Tech’s ace Steven Gingery missed the season after undergoing Tommy John’s surgery.  He holds the program’s all-time record for career ERA at 2.09 but only got to pitch in one CWS game, a 4.1-inning, two-run start against TCU in 2016.

Injuries also put the breaks on what could have been a tremendous career for Davis Martin.  In 2016, he earned freshman All-American honors after posting a 2.52 ERA.

But after as strong start to this sophomore campaign, he began to experience tightness in his elbow and missed most of the second half of the year.  He was never the same pitcher for the Red Raiders after that as he finished his career with a 4.87 ERA in 17 starts in 2018.

This year, Tech’s pitching at the CWS was respectable, especially in the middle two games in which the Raiders gave up only four runs to Arkansas and held FSU to one unearned run.  But in eight of the program’s twelve games in Omaha, the Red Raiders have given up at least five runs.  If Tech is ever going to win it all, the performances on the mound have to be much better.