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#10 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Northeastern University Huskies
Game times
March 23 (Fri): 6:30 PM
March 24 (Sat): 12:00 PM (DH)
March 24 (Sat): 4:00 PM (DH)
March 25 (Sun): 12:30 PM
Probable starters
Friday: RHP Davis Martin (3-2, 2.16 ERA) vs RHP Tyler Brown (2-2, 2.45 ERA)
Saturday 1: Caleb Kilian (7-1, 0.63) vs RHP Brian Christian (2-2, 13.50 ERA)
Saturday 2: RHP John McMillon (3-2, 3.16 ERA) vs TBA
Sunday: RHP Ryan Shetter (6-0, 2.25 ERA) vs LHP Sean Mellen (2-2, 2.25 ERA)
The matchup
The Red Raiders return to the friendly confines after a grueling eight game road trip through Kentucky and Central Texas. The Red Raiders came into the stretch 14-0, but bullpen issues and other factors would send Tech limping home after series losses to Kentucky and Baylor; and a 1-1 split with Louisville.
Northeastern comes to Lubbock 11-5 after an 18 inning 7-4 road win against cross town rival Boston College. Northeastern is unranked in the D1 Baseball polls, but sits at #7 in the RPI rankings after going 8-5 against power five teams. The Huskies bring a strong offense that, like Tech, sits in the top 20 in triples per game.
Players to watch
OF Charlie McConnell leads the Huskies with a batting average of .467. In 69 at bats, McConnell recorded 13 runs on 28 hits with eight RBIs. He went five of nine in the 18 inning marathon against Boston College where he recorded two triples.
LHP Sean Mellen led the Huskies to an upset win over #17 Auburn with seven and two thirds innings of no hit baseball. He ranks second in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 1.09 ERA. In 33 innings, Mellen boasts a perfect 5-0 record and has 41 strikeouts.
Prediction
The Red Raiders need a series win after going 3-5 in the last eight games. Northeastern has a propensity to pull upsets against ranked opponents but they haven’t faced an offense as strong as Tech’s. Look for the Red Raiders to bounce back at home. Tech wins this one 3-1
Friday: 12-6 TTU
Saturday 1: 8-3 TTU
Saturday 2: 4-1 NU
Sunday: 7-5 TTU