In the Thursday press availability, Texas Tech Baseball Head Coach Tim Tadlock announced the weekend rotation for the Red Raiders as they head into the State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington. I also dropped my weekend preview this morning and made my own predictions about some of these things, be sure to see how right and wrong I was!
THE ROTATION
Coach Tadlock emphasized in his comments that all of the starters are working in some level of a pitch limit and that plans exist for guys to piggy back with them in relief to manage those loads. The Red Raiders have not practiced outside since Thursday, February 11, and while they’ve had the opportunity indoors to run bullpen sessions and scrimmage, early season cold weather can wreak havoc on arm health and performance. So look to see a lot of guys coming out of the bullpen, Brandon Birdsell, Chase Hampton, Levi Wells, Nick Gorby, Brendan Girton, and Andrew Devine were all mentioned by Tadlock by name as being in the mix and it’s by no means a comprehensive list.
vs. #8 Arkansas
Patrick Monteverde, LHP: Monteverde started his collegiate career at Division III Virginia Wesleyan University and came to the Red Raiders by way of Seton Hill University, a Division II school in Pennsylvania. He came to Tech over offers from Miami, Alabama, Auburn, Indiana, and UCF, among many others. The redshirt senior also has Tommy John in his rearview after undergoing the surgery following a UCL injury in his junior season. He has impressed in every appearance in intrasquad scrimmages and it’s no surprise he’ll be starting, it is a bit surprising to see him as your opening day starter and looking to take the Friday night slot. Monteverde is running it up to the low to mid-90s. He’ll depend on locating well and getting ahead in the count for his success. He brings a solid changeup with him and Tadlock said he was moved up a day, most likely indicating that Hunter Dobbins would have been your Friday starter if not for the UCL injury.
@ #6 Ole Miss
Micah Dallas, RHP: The sophomore from Aubrey, TX had an incredible year coming out of the bullpen in 2020 after working as a starter in 2019. He tossed a 0.57 ERA in 15.2 IP and boasted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 23:1. Dallas held opposing batters to a sub-Mendoza .132 batting average. He’s a fiery competitor and an early fan, and media, favorite. Tadlock indicated that Dallas wants to be a starter and they’re giving him that opportunity. This is certainly a stage and a level of competition where he could show everyone what he brings to the table.
vs. #7 Mississippi State
Mason Montgomery, LHP: The sophomore from Leander, TX is in his third season as a Red Raider and in the shortened 2020 showed marked improvement. He’s a lefty that came to campus with a lot to offer and I believe his time has come to take up a weekend rotation slot. He tossed 18IP in 4 starts last season, allowing opposing batters a .185 BA and with a 20:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
THE LINEUP
In addition to the starters below that Tadlock specifically mentioned he was also asked about potential leadoff hitters and he listed Max Marusak, Dylan Neuse, Easton Murrell, and Dru Baker for the top of the order. At another point in the Zoom call, he also mentioned Drew Woodcox being someone they were very excited about and he’d be working in as soon as they can find somewhere for him to stand.
SS – Kurt Wilson: As I indicated in my preview, Kurt Wilson would most likely step in should Cal Conley‘s injury linger into opening weekend and that has been confirmed. Conley has not scrimmaged with the team in the spring semester and will sit out the weekend in Arlington as well. Wilson, a product of Arlington Martin came to the Red Raiders with a 97mph fastball and has quite literally appeared in almost every position on the field for the Red Raiders. He has seen significant work at SS in recent weeks and will be your opening day starter there. Wilson, of course, is probably most remembered by fans for the towering go-ahead home run against Oklahoma State in the 2019 Super Regional in Lubbock.
2B – Jace Jung: The freshman from San Antonio started 16 games in 2020 at 3B, but many of us felt like a move was coming to 2B when Big 12 play began. D1 Baseball placed Jung at #12 on their Preseason 2B Power Rankings, so the secret is definitely out. Jung spent all of the fall at 2B and we expect him to hang there for some time. Coach Tadlock joked about him looking like a big bat standing at 2B, but quickly turned around to praise Jung for the intensity of his work ethic to become a solid defender on the right side of the infield. There’s a potential Jung may see more movement as the corner infield spots are both less locked down than in years past.
3B – Parker Kelly: Defensively, PK’s strength at 3B is no secret. He started 23 games for the Red Raiders in 2019 and he recorded a .953 fielding percentage. Longtime observers may remember him having a lanky build, that is no longer true for the full grown man that Parker Kelly has become. In the fall, he hit the longest home run I’ve seen leave Rip Griffin Park. It came down on top of the scoreboard bouncing over, and that was opposite field as it went out in right center. The bat appears to have consistently come on strong and it’s been confirmed that he’ll get the start in Arlington. Coach Tadlock indicated they aren’t going to be shy about trying different guys out at the hot corner and PK will need to be strong on both sides to hold off those behind him looking for opportunities.
