STATESBORO – The (3) Red Raiders (39-22) saw their season come to an end with the game-tying run 90 feet away Sunday as they fell short in the Statesboro Regional rematch with the (2) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (38-14). The weekend’s pitching performance was exceptional but Texas Tech found themselves in a collective hitting slump and went scoreless through the first seven innings in three games over the weekend, relying on late rallies to extend their season.
It was a season that saw a pitching staff scuffle through adversity and then put on a clinic from the mound in the postseason. Fans across social media have ridiculously called for the job of Pitching Coach Matt Gardner all while Brandon Birdsell put together a Big 12 Pitcher of the Year season, Andrew Morris, Chase Hampton, and Mason Molina struggled and each re-emerged with fantastic appearances down the stretch, and three former Red Raider pitchers made their MLB debuts.
To punctuate the stars and struggles of the weekend, Texas Tech pitching gave up only 6 runs in 4 games, including tossing a shutout against (4) UNC Greensboro in an elimination game. That’s the case considering Friday was broken by a 5-hour and 59-minute weather delay and turning to the bullpen Sunday.
But the Texas Tech offense scored only 8 runs over those 4 games hitting 3-34 (.088) with runners in scoring position and were 30-136 (.221) for the weekend.
Hampton’s Career Day Spoiled
Birdsell & Co. Toss Combined Shutout
SUNDAY GAME 1
The first game Sunday was an elimination tilt against the regional host Georgia Southern Eagles (41-20). Morris (9-3) got the start after tossing only 18 pitches in the Friday start prior to the long weather delay. He was excellent going 6 innings while surrendering only 4 hits and 1 unearned run. He fanned 3 and surpassed 100 pitches for the fifth time in his Red Raider career. The lone run for GASO came in the third on an error charged to Morris.
In the following frame, back-to-back singles from Cole Stilwell and Jace Jung were followed by a walk by Ty Coleman to load the bases. Three RBIs by a Kurt Wilson walk, an Owen Washburn sacrifice fly, and a Hudson White single gave Tech the cushion they needed to hang on. Austin Becker and Molina combined for three scoreless frames to take it the rest of the way with Molina earning the first save of his career.
After the Friday night 2-3 loss to Notre Dame, the Red Raiders battled through the loser’s bracket eliminating UNC Greensboro and Georgia Southern, setting up a rematch in the Regional Final against the Fighting Irish.
SUNDAY GAME 2
With Morris, Birdsell, Hampton, and Molina all off the table after starts and long relief appearances on the weekend, the nightcap Sunday has a Johnny All-Staff feel to it. Jamie Hitt (1-2) took the ball to start and was fantastic out of the gate. He retired the Irish in order in the first and faced only one over the minimum over the first two frames. A leadoff double in the third followed by an RBI single gave Notre Dame their first lead of the day. Hitt’s day ended at 2 2/3 innings with 2 strikeouts.
Brandon Beckel turned in 2 1/3 to follow and struck out three, his highest total since April 16 at TCU. But a one-out double in the third, a walk, and an RBI single tacked on Notre Dame’s second run of the evening.
Josh Sanders, Garrett Crowley, and Andrew Devine followed to combine for 4 scoreless frames, all looking the best we’ve seen them in 2022. They combined for 4 strikeouts and kept the Red Raiders in a close match as the offense continued to struggle to cross the plate.
Tech hitters opened the game with back-to-back hits on All-ACC pitcher John Michael Bertrand, who started the Friday matchup, but he retired the Red Raiders in order after that to end the threat. Tech got two more aboard in the second but a double play back to the pitcher Bertrand once again dashed Tech’s hopes. Another double play to Bertrand in the sixth killed a potential rally and Tech went down in order in the third, fifth, and seventh innings as well.
Third base coach J-Bob Thomas attempted to provide a spark in the fourth inning as he tired of the inconsistent strike zone of home plate umpire Greg Charles. He was tossed by Charles for arguing balls and strikes and came unglued in the ensuing argument at the plate. Thomas, Tech’s recruiting coordinator who also coaches catchers, was assessed a suspension on the spot.
According to reporting by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, an on-site NCAA official confirmed that Thomas will be suspended for seven games overall, one game for being ejected as a non-head coach, two additional games for prolonged arguing, and another four games for bumping an umpire.
“Yeah we’ve just been going back and forth a little bit on some stuff you’re not supposed to go back and forth on,” said Tadlock on the broadcast immediately following. “Just kind of had enough, you know sometimes you’ve gotta stand up for your guys.”
In the eighth, Easton Murrell hit a one-out double down the right-field line, and after a groundout, Jung stepped in with plenty to prove. Unfortunately, the reality of being on the road in a regional also made itself dramatically apparent. Jung lifted a 3-1 offering from Bertrand deep down the right-field line in J.I. Clements Stadium. But rather than a home run porch in right, the home of the Eagles features a 45-foot wall in the short corner and Jung’s game-tying home run in Lubbock became an RBI single high off of the monster in Statesboro.
Coleman followed with a single to bring Bertrand’s night to an end. He was incredible all season for the Irish, particularly Sunday night going 7 2/3 innings with 7 strikeouts. After a walk to load the bases by reliever Alex Rao, Jack Findlay entered and struck out Washburn to end the threat. That marked the third time in the weekend Tech left the bases loaded against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame – and it would not be the last.
In the ninth, a one-out single by Parker Kelly was followed by a walk by Cooper Swanson who’d entered as a defensive substitute for pinch-hitting Zac Vooletich in the eighth. Stilwell wore a painful pitch with two outs bringing Jung to the plate with the bases juiced and two outs. Tech was playing to keep their season alive and Findlay was seeking his second save of the weekend and the second consecutive Super Regional berth for Notre Dame.
Jung chopped a 1-0 offering to first base and Kelly’s tying run would never advance from 90 feet away as Tech’s season came to an end there.
It’s a disappointing end, but only because almost no end is satisfying. The Red Raiders finish yet another season in the NCAA postseason, the seventh of Tim Tadlock’s 10 seasons as the skipper in Lubbock (including the Covid-19 shortened 2020). It is only the second postseason run that ended in a regional, one has ended in the super-regional, and four have ended at the College World Series in Omaha. Incredibly, the two-year run of 2021 and 2022 marks the longest stretch without an appearance at the CWS in Tadlock’s Texas Tech head coaching tenure.
“As far as our group guys, we love every one of them,” said Tadlock. “All those guys that are seniors have meant a lot to us and the draft-eligible guys have meant just as much to us. A lot of really good baseball players, even better guys honestly. Just a lot of really good make-up guys and good character. Appreciate everything they’ve done for our program, we appreciate the way they go about things every day.”
I’ve enjoyed covering this team and doing what I can to bring you Texas Tech Baseball News in what has been a wild year both on and off the field. We’ll be back around soon with recruiting class information for you as Tadlock and company look to reload for another season of some of the best baseball in the country at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
