RECAP: Red Raiders sweep four game set against WIU

Over the weekend, Texas Tech Baseball took all four games from Western Illinois, moving to 8-0 on the young season. The Red Raiders outscored the Leathernecks by a combined score of 55-25, including a 24 run outburst in game one of the doubleheader on Saturday.

There were a lot of impressive performances over the weekend for the Red Raiders, but at the top for me was the performance of Dillon Carter. The junior from Argyle went 9-for-14 with 2 HR, 2 2B, 3B, 3 BB, 7 RBIs, and 7 R. All of this paired with a diving catch Sunday in the 8th, then ending the series with a catch and throw to double up the runner off first for an outfield assist.

Texas Tech Athletics

Gavin Kash and Austin Green still haven’t stopped driving in runs. On the year, Kash’s stats are video game numbers: .533 AVG, 1.672 OPS, 3 HR, 3 2B, 2 3B, and 16 RBIs. Green’s numbers are out of this world too: .360 AVG, 1.142 OPS, 2 HR, 2 2B, and 17 RBIs. There are multiple others that are hitting at an elite level as well, Gage Harrelson, Kevin Bazzell, and Nolen Hester to name a few.

On the year, Tech has outscored their opponents by a combined score of 94-43. A team batting average of .348, a team OPS of 1.048, 11 HRs and 92 RBIs. The Red Raiders are raking right now.

But let me be clear, Gonzaga could be a tournament team by the end of the year. WIU will not be a tournament team. They fought hard and almost pulled off an upset in Game 3 of the series, a 6-5 win for Tech, but they went 8-44 last season.

Tech should be 8-0 and they are. The quality of competition is ramping up however, as the Red Raiders take on Air Force in a two game mid week set. Tech will then travel to Houston this weekend for the Shriners Classic, taking on Rice, Michigan, and Texas A&M.

Texas Tech Athletics

I talked in my season preview about how Tech’s non-conference schedule is pretty weak, I still believe that, but there are some teams on that schedule making some noise. Iowa for instance handed #1 LSU its first loss this season over the weekend in Round Rock. Grand Canyon has beaten #3 Tennessee and Gonzaga. Sam Houston State knocked off Kansas State in Round Rock as well. The schedule looks like its getting stronger, which will do nothing but help the Red Raiders come tournament time.

With all the positive talk I will reiterate, it is EARLY. Tech is eight games into what could possibly be a 60+ game season. So keep that in mind with my next topic: Errors. I can’t give you an accurate recap without talking about errors. Tech has 19 through 8 games. Now, that may seem like a lot, and that is because it is a lot. In the past, the Red Raiders never really had issues in the field, but the youth and inexperience is showing early, but I would expect Coach Tadlock to have that cleaned up very quickly, along with experience in games moving these guys in the right direction.

A couple of other points from this weekend: Bo Blessie was scratched from his Sunday start against WIU. Tim Tadlock said in his postgame interview Blessie was a little sore still from his first start and he is day-to-day and its nothing serious. Ty Coleman was replaced in Friday’s game by Drew Woodcox and didn’t play the rest of the weekend.

LOOKING AHEAD

Texas Tech will face the Air Force Academy on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. before they head to Houston to play Rice on Friday at 11:00 a.m., Michigan Saturday at 11:00 a.m., and Texas A&M Sunday at 7:00 p.m.

Air Force is 2-5 on the season having lost to Big 12 opponent Oklahoma last week in a mid-week game by a score of 8-6. They have 3 guys that are responsible for most of their offense so far in Sam Kulasingam, Chase Spencer, and Jay Thomason. Thomason and Spencer each have 3 homers on the young season, and Kulasingam leads the Falcons with a .538 batting average.

Coach Tadlock didn’t say for sure who would be starting the Tuesday and Wednesday games for the Red Raiders, but did mention Blessie is next in line to go if he is ready.

NEXT GAME

Texas Tech vs. Air Force

Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Dan Law Field

ESPN+, Texas Tech Sports Radio Network.