Can Tim Tadlock break through an odd number year?

With basketball season in full swing, I’m not sure if anyone has even noticed, but baseball starts TOMORROW! I hope that someone else is as excited as I am. In 2019, Red Raider baseball is projected to win the Big 12 Conference. Every article you read will talk about how amazing Texas Tech is supposed to do this season. Some articles project Texas Tech will be in the Regionals. Others talk about Omaha. Those are great predictions, but they are forgetting one thing. This year is an odd number year. I am not one for superstitions, but the numbers don’t lie. Since Tim Tadlock took over, odd number years have not been kind to Texas Tech.

In Tim Tadlock’s first year as Head Coach at Texas Tech (2013) the Red Raiders finished the season 26-30, and their post-season ended in the Big 12 Tournament. You can’t really blame him though. It was his first season. Many, many coaches struggle their first year in a new school.

In 2014, the program improved greatly. They finished the season with a 45-19 overall record and 14-10 in conference record and earned a trip to the College World Series. This was Texas Tech’s first trip... ever. Sadly, the team was eliminated in the first round, but it was still pretty impressive.

Naturally, expectations were high in 2015, but those expectations were shattered by the end of the season. I don’t mean that in a good way. They were literally in pieces. The Red Raiders finished the season 31-24 and didn’t make it very far in the Big 12 Tournament.

The 2016 season was probably Tadlock’s best season yet. They finished 47–20 overall and 19–5 in conference. They were eliminated in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, but they were already conference regular season champions so no biggie. They swept through regionals and super regionals. They make it past the first round, just barely, and then they are eliminated by Coastal Carolina. It wasn’t the ending we were hoping for, but it was not a bad year. Surely, 2017 is their year. Am I right?

Then the 2017 season came along. Can you guess how that went? Are you starting to see a pattern here? I mean, it was not a terrible season. They have had worse seasons under Tadlock, but I was ready for Omaha. I bought the plane tickets. My bags were packed. I was ready to go. Sadly, the offseason only went as far as the Lubbock Regional.

Does anyone need a reminder of how the 2018 season ended up? I know it was a long off-season. Here is the run down. Omaha. That is all you need to know. They didn’t win the Big 12 Conference or even the tournament, but the regionals and super regionals were pretty good. Obviously, as hosts you like to show off your skills. They were eventually eliminated in the second round of the College World Series, but Red Raiders everywhere can already see Tadlock holding that trophy.

Now here we are. 2019. I have faith. They lost a few big names to graduation and the MLB draft, but they are still in good shape. Tadlock loves to brag that this is his best team yet, but can they beat that “odd year curse”?