1. Steven Gingery, P

6’2 190lb

Huntington Beach, CA

The 2017 Season was a remarkable year for sophomore (lefty) pitcher Steven Gingery. He finished 10-1 on the season in 15 starts and 91 innings, allowing only 21 runs with 16 earned. Gingery’s 2017 season ended with an earned run average of 1.58 - which is the lowers ERA since Corey Taylor (0.31) in 2015. The lefty also led the team in strikeouts with 107 on the year. Gingery finished the season with six different honors, including a prestigious unanimous first team All-American honor, a Big 12 Pitcher of the Year award, and a National Pitcher of the Year award. Texas Tech fell out of the NCAA regionals against Sam Houston State, failing to reach the College World Series as they had done so in 2016.

With that chip on his shoulder, Gingery is primed for one impressive season. To add more powder into the Kool-aid, the junior pitcher was one of 55 pitchers selected last Friday to the preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch list. The Golden Spikes Award is annually given to the top amateur baseball player in the country based on athletic ability, sportsmanship, character and overall contribution to the sport. The big question on everybody’s mind is whether this #5 Texas Tech team can put up the same kind of performance that it did last year and capitalize on momentum/talent/coaching to launch itself back into College World Series. If it does, it’s going to be supported a lot by the performance of our #1 pick, Steven Gingery.

It’s time for the sunblock, Red Raiders! The 2018 National championship season is underway at 2pm against the University of Maine.