College of Charleston Cougars vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Game 1 Preview and Game Thread

NCAA Tournament Lubbock Super-Regional
Charleston Cougars (44-17, 15-6) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (43-19, 14-10)
Location: Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park | Lubbock, Texas
Date: Saturday, June 7th through Monday, June 9th
Official Site Notes
Radio: Affiliates

Game 1: Saturday, June 7th
First to Win Two: College of Charleston 0, Texas Tech 0
First Pitch: 12:05
Television: ESPNU
Texas Tech Starting Pitcher: LHP Chris Sadberry (4-2, 3.49)
College of Charleston Starting Pitcher: RHP Taylor Clarke (10-3, 2.62)

TEXAS TECH PROBABLE STARTERS:
OUTFIELD:
LF: Tyler Neslony
CF: Stephen Smith
RF: Adam Kirsch
INFIELD:
3B: Ryan Long
SS: Tim Proudfoot
2B: Bryant Burleson
1B: Eric Gutierrez
C: Hunter Redman
DH: Matt Broadbent

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON PROBABLE STARTERS:
OUTFIELD:
LF: Brandon Murray
CF: Morgan Philllips
RF: Brandon Glazer
INFIELD:
3B: Carl Wise
SS: Champ Rowland
2B: Blake Butler
1B: Nick Pappas
C: Ryan Welke
DH: Ben Boykin

It's Game Day. Texas Tech baseball in June.  Pretty awesome, right?  This is your open thread for the day, so make every comment count. The official site has quotes and video and all sorts of things. They also have a page for today's game.

In the press conference quotes, here's head coach Tim Tadlock talking about what it means to play in Lubbock and at home:

Well, it's what we all talk about. We talk about playing at home in front of a good crowd in a great environment, being able to play for what we're playing for. You talk about all those things in the recruiting process. Don't know so much you talk about it right now as far as that goes. As far as right now, it's a baseball game. The bases are the same, pitcher's mound is the same, and we're going to treat it that way.

Lots of Pitching. As noted above, Chris Sadberry is getting the start and head coach Tim Tadlock said that he's been the most solid starter this year:

"He's been the one guy throughout the spring that we've sent to the mound every week as a starter," he said. "And really this time of the year you just want to send a guy out that you trust. ... He seems like the right guy at the right time."

The Avalanche Journal also has three additional things that you should know about, including Adam Kirsch saying he doesn't know anything about the College of Charleston pitching (which I doubt).

Know a Little About the Cougars. I don't know a lot about the College of Charleston, but this was good to learn a bit about the Cougars:

COUGAR PITCHERS: The Cougars' weekend rotation has been strong all season. They have two 10-win pitchers and the probable starter for the first game, sophomore Taylor Clarke, is one of them. His ERA is 2.62 and he has struck out 89 to lead the team. Freshman Bailey Ober, who also has won 10 games and has an ERA is 1.55, will likely start Sunday. Freshman Tyler Thornton probably would get the nod if a third game is needed Monday.

COUGAR HITTERS: College of Charleston plays tough defense, so it doesn't rely heavily on batting to win. Still, senior left fielder Brandon Murray has gotten six home runs on his way to a .275 batting average. Leading the team in RBIs with 54 is sophomore third baseman Carl Wise, batting .297. Freshman first baseman Nick Pappas has five home runs, while batting .274.