Red Raiders begin conference play with a three-game series against the Baylor Bears

#6 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Baylor Bears

Game times

March 16 (Fri): 6:30 PM (FCS)

March 17 (Sat) 2:00 PM (FSSW)

March 18 (Sun) 1:00 PM (FSSW+)

Probable starters

Friday: RHP Davis Martin (3-1, 2.00 ERA) vs LHP Cody Bradford (2-1, 2.55 ERA)

Saturday: RHP John McMillon (3-1, 3.43 ERA) vs RHP Hayden Kettler (2-2, 2.13 ERA)

Sunday: TBA vs Tylar Thomas (0-0, 0.68 ERA)

The matchup

The Red Raiders return to the Lone Star State to open up conference play against the Baylor Bears. Texas Tech comes into the series after a tough road trip through the state of Kentucky where they went 1-2 against the Kentucky Wildcats and 1-1 against the Louisville Cardinals. Baylor comes in 8-6 overall after a sweep of the George Washington Colonials and a loss to the Sam Houston State Bearkats.

This is the third season for Bear head coach Steve Rodriguez. Last season, Rodriguez led the Bears to a 34 win season (the most in school history) and an NCAA regional appearance.

Players to watch

Andy Thomas leads the bears with a batting average of .375. In 48 at-bats, Thomas put up six runs on 18 hits and six RBIs with a home run. He knows how to get on base and will make pitchers pay for misses

Nick Loftin averages .290 at the plate. In 36 at-bats, he’s recorded six runs on 9 hits with four RBIs.

Prediction

The Bears have some really great starting pitchers but lack depth in the bullpen, something the Red Raiders have recently struggled with as well. Where Tech has the advantage is in its offense. If the Red Raiders can keep the Bears from producing runs late, then the offense can take care of the rest. Tech wins the series 2-1 to open conference play.

Friday: 12-8 TTU

Saturday: 8-5 BU

Sunday: 10-6 TTU

Give us your predictions in the comments.