Texas Tech football: The most underrated players of the Mike Leach era

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Running back Baron Batch #25 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images) /

RB Baron Batch

Baron Batch is now making a living as a painter in Pittsburgh where he had a brief stint with the Steelers. It’s a far cry from the rugged way he played the position of running back for Texas Tech from 2006-10.

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But don’t forget that the Midland native fought through multiple knee injuries just to become a college football player. Thus, long before he was an artist and weekly columnist in West Texas newspapers as he was towards the end of his college days, he was a smashmouth running back in an era when scat backs seemed to rule the day. He was also an inspirational story of perseverance.

Ending his career with 2,501 rushing yards and 27 TDs, he’s ninth in both categories in Texas Tech history. But most fans don’t put him on as high of a pedestal as the likes of Taurean Henderson or DeAndre Washington or even Shannon Woods (and rightly so).

Maybe his lack of a 1,000-yard season keeps his prestige suppressed from a historical perspective. His best year was in 2009 when he ran for 884 yards and 14 TDs. It was one of three seasons in which he went for at least 758 yards, meaning that he had several solid seasons but no standout campaign.

A between the tackles runner, Batch took a pounding but he also delivered a few shots to aspiring tacklers. That’s why so much of his career was spent playing through pain.

He had five 100-yard games for the Red Raiders. The best being a 136-yard, 2-TD day in a win over OU in 2009 in Leach’s last home game as head coach. That day, Batch also had 7 catches for 68 yards.

You won’t hear Batch discuss his playing days anymore. He shies away from that part of his life, preferring to focus on his painting.

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But Texas Tech fans should talk more about his exploits as a Red Raider. That’s because he was one of the hardest-working and toughest players of the Mike Leach era.

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