LOOKING BACK TO LOOK FORWARD
As we look toward Texas Tech’s 2023 season, I found myself starting by reflecting, so that seems as good a place as any to start here as well. In my opinion, perspective is invaluable and in sports, it is all too often completely absent.
Each year, the phrase “Texas Tech doesn’t rebuild – they reload” is expressed more and more often when considering Tim Tadlock and company’s preparation for the upcoming season. You may attribute that trajectory to unending hard work, relationships across the country, recruiting players to the culture as much as filling team needs, trust in their player assessments, the player development program they’ve established, or maybe a healthy combination of all of these factors (and probably more that those of us who watch but don’t do may not understand).
Whatever the secret sauce Tadlock’s crew has cooked up, it has borne out results on the field year after year. In his decade at the helm of his alma mater, Tadlock’s teams have made the NCAA postseason seven times (add in a lost opportunity in 2020 if you like). With sustained recent success though, it is easy to forget how painfully down this Texas Tech program was when he took the reins. At that time, it was a program for which an earlier generation of fans had also become accustomed to success with a different coach in the dugout.
Prior to the Dan Spencer era (2009-2012), the 22-year Larry Hays tenure saw Texas Tech win less than 30 games only four times: 1987 (his first season), 1992, 2007 & 2008 (his final two seasons). Over Hays’ Hall of Fame career, the Red Raiders won 30+ games 18 times, 40+ games 11 times, and more than 50 games in a 1995 season that included both a Southwest Conference Championship and an SWC Tournament Championship.
Add in the 1997 Big 12 Championship and 1998 Big 12 Tournament Championship and you get a picture of a program that was consistently making noise. In a time that straddled the pre and post-super regional eras, Hays’ teams posted 8 consecutive regional appearances between 1995 and 2002, with his final coming in 2004. The Red Raiders of the 1990s and early 2000s were accustomed to winning, but as the Hays era wound down and Spencer took over, things took a downward turn.
In Tadlock’s first season at the helm (2013) we saw him place his stamp on the program immediately with a relentless dedication to recruiting, player development, and aggressive play as he established gritty and competitive culture. His first season at the helm showed improvement, as he led the Red Raiders back to the Big 12 Tournament (something Spencer’s final squad failed to do in 2012) and won a game in Oklahoma City, something Tech hadn’t accomplished since 2010.
With the benefit of hindsight, we now know we were witnessing the dawning of a bright future. Pulling off an unlikely road win as the 2-seed in the Coral Gables Regional (Tech’s first NCAA Regional Championship), Texas Tech hosted its first Super Regional appearance and made the most of it with two 1-0 victories over College of Charleston, punching their first ticket to the College World Series. Tadlock took the Red Raiders to Omaha three more times in the ensuing years (2016, 2018, 2019), hosting the Lubbock Regional in each of those years as well as 2017 (losing to Sam Houston State) and 2021 (winning the Regional but losing to Stanford in the Lubbock Super Regional).
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2022?
As always happens in sports, with sustained success comes expectations, and as is often the case, a loss of perspective. With the 2022 season marking the first time since 2014 that Texas Tech did not host the NCAA Regional in which they participated, and Tadlock’s first back-to-back seasons notching less than 40 wins, fans may be feeling that shadow of doubt creeping into the back of their mind wondering if the magic is wearing off.
The Red Raiders went 39-22 and 15-9 in Big 12 play last season. They were 21-5 on Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park, 13-9 on the road, and 5-8 in neutral-site games, but in the end, it felt like a season where the Field of Dreams cosmic tumblers didn’t quite click into place. There were great moments, including back-to-back Kurt Wilson walk-offs over the University of Texas in Lubbock to jump past 20 wins. Sundays became a problem, however, as Tech struggled to close out series with a win. They were then swept at TCU, had back-to-back RPI-shattering midweek losses at New Mexico and then Abilene Christian, also losing closer Trendan Parish to injury in the latter.
After the Red Raiders swept Oklahoma State in their new house, it felt like a corner had been turned. They held their Big 12 destiny in their hands needing a sweep of Oklahoma to lock up the title, but a six-home run outing for the Sooners flipped an early 4-1 Tech lead in game one of the series, and that was that. A battered RPI pushed Tech out of the NCAA Regional hosting conversation and the Red Raiders found themselves traveling to Statesboro, Georgia as the 3-seed. They battled through the elimination bracket into the Regional Final but were unable to overcome strong Notre Dame pitching and failed to force the decisive final game.
It is easy to make 2022 read like a disappointment, but was it? Despite multiple injuries in the bullpen and in the field the Red Raiders were in the hunt for a Big 12 Championship, they were in the postseason and pushing into an NCAA Regional Final despite a season of challenges. While the team of 2022 struggled to fully turn the corner, they flashed what they were capable of in moments and even series of greatness, but proved unable to find the consistency they needed.
It was a team with a marquee prospect, beloved folk heroes, and solid pitching prospects, but I’ll tip my cap to Tim Tadlock for accomplishing what they did despite a slew of pitching injuries, exacerbated by more in the field, and with minimal depth to fill the gaps. Additionally, it seems that the chemistry that has been the hallmark of Tech’s greatest squads never quite fully established itself. Injuries will always come, in fact, they already have, but the competition that is playing out for positions all over the field is demonstrative of the level of depth that I believe will define 2023.
Additionally, it’s important not to forget the absence of Ray Hayward as part of the 2022 story as well. Battling for his life and ultimately receiving two organ transplants, Hayward’s experience, counsel, and steady friendship were sorely missed for the majority of the season. The best news is that Hayward is back. All health reports look good, so much so that he was strong enough to have a minor procedure at the end of January, a positive sign considering his transplant doctors found him strong enough to do so. He was home in Lubbock and regaining strength in the offseason and has been present around the program. If you’re not familiar with his journey, our stories are linked HERE.
WHO’S GONE?
If one thing is for sure about the 2023 iteration of Red Raider Baseball, it’s that there will be a lot of new faces. Texas Tech sees 20 players from its 2022 roster move on for various reasons and only 20 return.
Those who exhausted their eligibility but did not go to professional baseball include:
#7 Cody Masters (OF)
#8 Kurt Wilson (INF)
#14 Cooper Swanson (OF)
#19 Easton Murrell (IF/OF)
Of those, Tadlock specifically mentioned Kurt Wilson at the College Baseball Foundations First Pitch Luncheon in Lubbock as “probably the best player in Texas Tech history that didn’t sign a professional contract.”
From a transfer standpoint, the following moves were made:
#3 Lauden Brooks (INF) – Cincinnati
#13 Trevor Conley (C) – Austin Peay
#17 Drew Reynolds (INF) – Shasta College
#20 Dalton Porter (OF)
#29 Jamie Hitt (LHP) – Oklahoma
#36 Shay Hartis (RHP) – Kansas State
#38 Tyler Hamilton (RHP)
#40 Sam Hunt (OF) – Kansas
Additionally, five players were taken in the 2022 MLB Draft, two more signed as Undrafted Free Agents, and one pursued independent baseball. You can keep up with all of the current Red Raiders in professional baseball here: All Active Pro Players
#2 JACE JUNG, 2B
Round: 1st
Pick #: 12
Slot Value: $4,590,000
Signing Bonus: $4,590,000
Team:
No surprises here, Jung has been projected as a first-round prospect for years and he lived up to that billing both in his Red Raider career and in the draft itself. After putting together another All-American season as Tech’s everyday second-baseman, Jung was taken #12 overall by the Detroit Tigers. He becomes the third first-round pick in Texas Tech Baseball history, the third-highest overall pick, and the second first-round pick in his family.
Jung’s 2022 campaign saw him slash .335/481/.612 with 14 home runs and 19 more extra-base hits. He led the Red Raiders with 68 runs scored and finished the season ranked fifth nationally with 59 walks.
Little JJ rose to High-A in his short 2022 professional season playing for the West Michigan Whitecaps. The Tigers showed their enthusiasm for Jung’s future as he took BP with the MLB club after wrapping up the MiLB season and threw out the ceremonial first pitch as well. He’s been named MLB Pipeline’s #3 Prospect at 2B for 2023.
#34 ANDREW MORRIS, RHP
Round: 4th
Pick #: 114
Slot Value: $533,100
Signing Bonus: $500,000
Team: 
Morris stormed onto the Texas Tech scene as a transfer from DII Colorado Mesa. The reliable RHP tallied a 4.58 ERA across 15 starts and one appearance in relief with 91 strikeouts to 28 walks in his 88 1/3 innings pitched. He leaves the Red Raiders with an 8-2 record in Lubbock and a complete game under his belt.
Morris is currently playing A-ball for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
#48 BRANDON BIRDSELL, RHP
Round: 5th
Pick #: 143
Slot Value: $420,100
Signing Bonus: $385,000
Team: 
Birdsell was an extremely important piece for the 2022 Red Raiders after electing to return to campus. He bet on himself after being taken in the 11th round by the Minnesota Twins in 2021 and it paid off for Birdsell who put together an All-American season and garnered Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors.
The fireballing right-hander finished his Texas Tech career with a 2.84 ERA and 142 strikeouts. He notched 106 of those in the 2022 season alone and held opposing batters to a .216 average in each of his two seasons in the red and black.
#28 CHASE HAMPTON, RHP
Round: 6th
Pick #: 190
Slot Value: $264,000
Signing Bonus: $497,500
Team: 
Hampton was a key piece of the Red Raider’s pitching staff logging 56.2 innings, the fourth-most on the team in 2022. He made 11 starts and 15 appearances as Tech searched for answers in the rotation. The draft-eligible sophomore came on extremely strong down the stretch, tallying 37 strikeouts in the 21.2 innings of his final four starts.
He was exceptional in the last appearance of his Red Raider career as he tied a school-best 12 strikeouts in an NCAA tournament game in the Statesboro Regional versus Notre Dame, matching Monty Ward’s 12-strikeout performance vs. South Carolina on May 22, 1998, for most Ks in an NCAA Tournament game.
#31 AUSTIN BECKER, RHP
Round: 16th
Pick #: 476
Signing Bonus: $100,000
Team: 
Austin Becker was a transfer to Texas Tech from Vanderbilt in the 2020 season and missed 2021 due to injury. He came into 2022 with high hopes and ultimately carved out a role as a closer in the late season, notching 2 saves.
#15 PARKER KELLY, 3B
Round: UDFA
Team:
Kelly was always an easy guy to root for. As an elite defender at the hot corner, he started 100 games at third base in his final two seasons posting a .947 fielding percentage over those two years. Kelly came to the Red Raiders out of Wichita Falls Rider and continued to build his game and his physical presence throughout his career. He broke out for 10 home runs in 2022 including the most grand slams (3) in a season since Cameron Blair in 2005.
#18 COLE STILWELL, C/1B
Round: UDFA
Team: 
Stilwell brought a gritty workman mentality to the Red Raiders throughout his tenure in Lubbock. Starting out as a primary catcher, he transitioned to first base making 81 starts there. Additionally, Stilwell contributed 19 starts behind the dish in 2022 turning in a fielding percentage of .990 between the two positions and slashing .313/.405/.504 and finishing his career with an even .300 batting average and .500 slugging percentage.
#49 COLIN CLARK, LHP
Round: INDEPENDENT
Team: 
Colin Clark spent the bulk of his collegiate career at Youngstown State University but transferred to Texas Tech for his fifth year of eligibility. He turned in 14 appearances totaling 21.2 innings pitched, tallying 19 strikeouts and earning a three-inning save against Kansas State. Clark played independent ball last Fall as a member of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in Fargo, ND.
In Part 2 of our 2023 season preview, I’ll look at Texas Tech’s 20 returners and what we can expect from them this season. Stay tuned!
