Texas Tech Red Raiders news: Baseball catches a break, softball left out, more

Here is your May 13, 2024 news roundup for Texas Tech athletics.

Texas Tech baseball catches a break thanks to mother nature

This weekend saw the Texas Tech baseball team's Big 12 losing streak climb to eight games. Though the Red Raiders didn't win any of the matchups in their three-game series at Oklahoma State, the good news is that the losing streak didn't reach nine games, as it could have.

After being dominated by the Cowboys 16-4 on Friday and 9-3 on Saturday, the Red Raiders were in danger of falling out of tenth place in the conference standings which would have meant that Tim Tadlock's team would have missed the Big 12 Tournament.

However, when Sunday's game was rained out and ultimately canceled, the Red Raiders caught a break. By not having to play in their final Big 12 game of the regular season, Tech has locked up a spot in the conference tournament, which will be played May 21-25 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Tech currently sits at just 30-22 overall and 12-17 in league action. That's not up to the standard that this program has set for itself over the past decade and it may not be good enough to get the Red Raiders into the NCAA Tournament.

That's why playing in the Big 12 Tournament is so important for Tech. Of course, winning it all in Arlington would give the Red Raiders an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament but even securing two or three quality wins might be just enough to earn an at-large bid.

Tech returns to action this week in Tempe, Arizona to face Arizona State on Thursday before playing UNLV and the Sun Devils in a double-header on Friday. Then, Tech will fight for its tournament life in Arlington the next week.

Texas Tech track comes up just short at Big 12 Outdoor Championships

Just months removed from winning the NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field National Championship, the Texas Tech Red Raiders came up just shy of winning the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship this weekend in Waco.

Tech finished with 115 team points to trail only Texas (134 team points). Iowa State finished a distant third at 90 points while BYU and Houston rounded out the top five. The Red Raiders now have a week off before heading to the NCAA West Regionals in Arkansas.

Texas Tech basketball portal target heads elsewhere

Monday morning, Texas Tech basketball portal target Great Osobor announced on social media that he has committed to play for Washington. The former Utah State big man was the Mountain West Player of the Year this past season and at Washington, he will be reunited with his Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle who was named the Huskies' head coach in late March.

It is being reported by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express that Osobor, who took an official visit to Texas Tech recently, will make $2 million in N.I.L. payments making him the highest-paid known player in the country. Texas Tech will likely now try to put the full-court press on New Mexico transfer JT Toppin who is also a dynamic power forward with interest in the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech softball misses out on NCAA Tournament bid

Despite reaching the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament last week, the Texas Tech softball team saw its bubble burst this weekend when it was left out of the NCAA Tournament field. The Red Raiders sit at 29-21 overall but an 8-16 conference record likely kept them from earning a place in the field.

The program did show improvement this year, though after going just 5-13 in Big 12 play in 2023. What's more, Tech was one of the first four teams left out of the field according to the selection committee, a small consolation but a sign that improvements were made this season.

Former Texas Tech running back lands at UTSA

Former Texas Tech running back, Bryson Donnell, a 3-star recruit in the class of 2022, has committed to play for UTSA according to social media posts. Donnell was a career backup at Tech where he rushed for only 87 yards on 20 carries in parts of two seasons. He appeared in 16 total games as a Red Raider, primarily on special teams.