Oklahoma State at Texas Tech
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park
RECORDS: Oklahoma State 11-3-1, Texas Tech 14-3
LAST MEETING/SERIES: In one of the closest series in the country, the Cowboys own a 42-41 edge dating back to the first showdown in 1983. The Red Raiders hold the upper hand as Big 12 Conference opponents, 38-36, and the series is dead even in Lubbock – 21-21. The last matchup between the two was in the 2019 Super Regional round when Texas Tech prevailed in an unforgettable three-game showdown when the outcomes were settled by 3 total runs. The Red Raiders have won 10 of the last 12 games vs. OSU with regular-season sweeps in 2016, 2018, and 2019.
LAST TIME OUT: Oklahoma State dropped a mid-week game to Louisiana-Monroe, 13-6 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The Red Raiders capped a four-game sweep against UConn with a scintillating walk-off victory with back-to-back-to-back solo home runs from Nate Rombach, Cal Conley, and Braxton Fulford in the bottom of the 10th inning.
UCONN RECAPS: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
PODCAST: Sweeping the Huskies & Previewing the Cowboys | Dinger Derby
RANKINGS: Oklahoma State – No. 14 D1Baseball, No. 11 USA Today (coaches); Texas Tech – No. 7 D1Baseball, No. 6 USA Today/coaches’ poll | RANKINGS ROUNDUP
RADIO: 97.3-FM | TuneIn Radio App
TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
INTERNET: RedRaiderDugout.com
TWITTER: @RandyRosetta | @RedRaiderDugout | @KeithBPatrick
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday – Oklahoma State LH Parker Scott (3-1, 21 IP, 1.71 ERA, 21 SO/7 BB, .224 opponent BA) vs. Texas Tech RH Brandon Birdsell (2-0, 15.2 IP, 4,60 ERA, 13 SO/7 BB, .255 BAA)
Saturday – Oklahoma State LH Justin Wrobleski (1-1, 16 IP, 2.81 ERA, 23 SO/12 BB, .182 opponent BA) vs. Texas Tech LH Patrick Monteverde (3-0, 23 IP, 0.78 ERA, 27 SO/2 BB, .128 BAA)
Sunday – Oklahoma State RH Bryce Osmond (2-0, 20.2 IP, 4.35 ERA, 19 SO/9 BB, .256 opponent BA) vs. Texas Tech LH Mason Montgomery (1-0, 19.1 IP, 3.26 ERA, 21 SO/8 BB, .224 BAA)
OUT OF THE BULLPEN
Oklahoma State
RH Justin Campbell (2-0, 17 IP, 0.53 ERA, 32 SO/6 BB, .200 BAA)
RH Brett Standlee (1-0, 7 IP, 1.29 ERA, 15 SO/1 BB, .174 BAA)
RH Trevor Martin (1-0, 8.1 IP, 2.16 ERA, 9 SO/3 BB, .200 BAA)
Texas Tech
RH Connor Queen (1-0, 3 saves, 6.1 IP, 1.42 ERA, 5 SO/2 BB, .261 BAA)
RH Micah Dallas (1-1, 15.2 IP, 1.72 ERA, 16 SO/5 BB, .214 BAA)
RH Hayde Key (1-0, 7.2 IP, 2.35 ERA, 10 SO/3 BB, .179 BAA)
RH Ryan Sublette (2-0, 9.1 IP, 5.79 ERA, 13 SO/4 BB, .250 BAA)
LINEUP LEADERS
Oklahoma State
C Brock Mathis (.368/.419/.895, 10 R, 5 2B, 5 HR, 10 RBIs)
LF Jake Thompson (.311/.467/.489 6 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 11 BB)
2B/DH Nolan McLean (.286/.407/.592, 13 R, 3 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBIs, 9 BB)
3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand (.263/.323/.579, 11 R, 3 2B, 5 HR, 14 RBIs)
Texas Tech
2B Jace Jung (.403/.524/.823, 18 R, 5 2B, 7 HR, 27 RBIs, 16 BB)
SS Cal Conley (.394/.450/.648, 13 R, 6 2B, 4 HR, 21 RBIs, 5-6 SB)
LF Dru Baker (.368/.469/.471, 26 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBIs, 12 BB, 8-9 SB)
C Braxton Fulford (.302/.388/.721, 9 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 13 RBIs)
UP NEXT
South Florida at Texas Tech | March 26-28
AROUND THE HORN
- This weekend’s series has been deemed the 11th annual Brooks Wallace Memorial Classic in honor of the former Red Raider shortstop and assistant coach who died at age 27 in 1985.
- Texas Tech has reeled off 14 consecutive victories, its longest streak since the 2002 team piled up 16 wins in a row. It’s the fifth time in six years the Red Raiders have compiled a double-digit winning streak.
- For the first time since 2009 and the first time in Tad Tadlock’s tenure, Texas Tech is beginning the conference season at home. In the seven previous seasons under Tadlock, the Red Raiders are 11-10 and have won four of seven series.
- Jace Jung enters the weekend as the national leader with 27 RBIs, while Dru Baker ranks second in the nation in runs scored with 26. Jung tops the Big 12 with 7 home runs, which is the eighth-best nationally.
- In the four-game sweep of Connecticut, Red Raider pitching allowed its highest opponent batting average in a series (.279, the most hits (41), the highest ERA (4.86) since losing three games to SEC foes to begin the season and finished with a less-than-favorable 29-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Brandon Birdsell comes in off his best start of the season: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R vs. UConn.
- Despite the addition of a high-profile volunteer assistant (Matt Holliday) and undergraduate student assistant coach (Robin Ventura), Oklahoma States comes into league play with a .235 team batting average, last in the Big 12. The Cowboys also rank last in stolen bases (6) and eighth in runs scored (85) but stand third in home runs (21).
- Some of the Cowboys’ offensive woes have to do with their level of competition. According to WarrenNolan.com, OSU’s strength of schedule ranks 48th, highest in the Big 12. By contrast, Texas Tech’s schedule checks in at 169th, seventh-lowest in the league.
- OSU pitching ranks second in the Big 12 with 169 strikeouts (first in Ks per 9 IP with 12.1) and has logged 10 games with double-digit strikeout totals in 15 games. The Cowboys are also third in ERA at 3.36.
