Tim Tadlock has been the head coach of Texas Tech (39-15) since 2013, almost nine seasons. On Sunday night his Red Raider squad captured their fifth NCAA Regional Championship with a resounding 8-2 victory over the UCLA Bruins (37-20). For the first time since 2016, Texas Tech faced every team in the regional field, taking down (4) Army 6-3 Friday, (3) North Carolina 7-2 Saturday, and now UCLA on Sunday.
The atmosphere was once again electric as Lubbock, TX continues to demonstrate that postseason baseball is not something they have tired of or are taking for granted. 4,737 fans squeezed into Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park for a sellout including the temporary left field bleachers added for the postseason.
“Great atmosphere, love for the game, love for their team, lot of support. It’s really what college athletics should be, I mean it’s a home field advantage and it’s a tough place to play. Tim’s done a fantastic job here,” said Bruins Head Coach John Savage. “It’s a good place to come and it’s a tough place to win and that’s the way it should be.”
As Head Coach Tim Tadlock is fond of saying of top performers, the Red Raiders were “fun to watch” on Sunday. Tech tallied 11 hits and scored 8 runs despite not hitting a ball out of the yard all evening. Additionally, Mason Montgomery fanned 8 Bruins in his 5 innings of work and gave up only 1 earned run. Behind him, Andrew Devine, Derek Bridges, and Micah Dallas turned in 4 scoreless innings, 6 more strikeouts, while only allowing one hit apiece.
Impressive situational hitting fueled the potent Red Raider offense, especially the three-run third and fifth that ultimately slammed the door on the Bruins. Overall, the Red Raiders were 11-37 on the day (.297) but they hit .400 with two outs tallying 6 hits and scoring 4 runs with their backs against the wall, including all three runs in the decisive fifth. Additionally, they went 5-8 (.625) with runners in scoring position and hit .364 (8-22) with runners on base. Kurt Wilson, Cole Stilwell, and Eason Murrell all tallied multi-RBI nights.
Wilson notched the first RBI of the day, a two-out single to RF that scored Murrell who’d reached on a walk. That base knock by the newly minted “Mr. June” tied the ballgame after UCLA, playing as the home team, scored a run in the bottom of the first. A leadoff double by Kevin Kendall was moved around by a sac bunt and scored on a sac fly to center field.
Wilson, Tech’s new starting center fielder, was named Most Outstanding Player of the Lubbock Regional and he put together quite the weekend résumé. He went 5-for-11 with 2 runs, 4 RBIs, a double, a home run, and a walk. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by five teammates: Braxton Fulford, Jace Jung, Murrell, Stilwell, and Ryan Sublette.
Stilwell drove in two runs of the three-run third on a go-ahead double to right center field that broke the 1-1 stalemate. Nate Rombach wasn’t to be denied either as he put a ball on a rope to the center field wall, giving the big fella an RBI stand-up triple as part of the decisive fifth inning. He trotted home in the next at-bat as Wilson notched his second RBI single of the evening.
Murrell put together an excellent game going 3-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs, and two runs scored. He drove in the first run of the big fifth and the last run of the three-run third as well. Murrell has quietly become one of the most dependable at the plate for the Red Raiders. While his batting average isn’t outrageous, his on base percentage is .453, second only to Jung. Between his 41 walks and 9 HBPs, Murrell is one shy of the team lead in reaching on free passes.
Jace Jung also turned in a surprise performance of a different variety. He went 2-5 on the night with 2 runs scored, but his most impressive moment came in the fifth.
Batting in the leadoff for the inning, Jung laid down an excellent bunt which he legged out for an infield single. He was later hit home by Easton Murrell as part of the two-out rally. For those who remember Jung’s first season as a Red Raider, he was called on to bunt at times and showed little feel for the skill. Jung, who hit .476 as a senior at MacArthur High School probably didn’t see the bunt sign come his way too often from his coach (and father).
“When he came in he was bragging that he finally got one down,” said Tadlock with a smile. “Hadn’t seen too many guys that can really hit that can’t bunt, so he can really hit, and obviously if you can really hit you can handle a bat a little bit. So he did that all on his own and man it was a great play, it got an inning started.”
Jung also gets the tough-guy award for the day. While covering 1B a throw on a groundout to Parker Kelly at third base pulled him over the bag. Jung made the catch and recorded the out, but a violent collision saw the baserunner’s knee pound him in the ear. After a short time in the dugout being tended to by trainer Bryan Simpson, Jung trotted back out to thunderous applause to resume his place at second base.
Not to be left out of the conversation, Texas Tech’s pitching was stellar in the final game of the weekend. Montgomery’s start was superior and he has now struck out 25 batters in his last three starts across 15 innings of work.
“Yeah he was pitching to both sides of the plate, he was commanding the fastball to both sides of the plate, and he had a good secondary in his changeup,” said UCLA shortstop Matt McClain. “Hat off to him.”
There were new wrinkles we saw this weekend that look to be as permanent as anything can be moving forward in the postseason. Defensively we saw the Red Raider outfield shift in later innings looking to protect a lead with Dillon Carter entering the game to take over in center, Wilson moving to left, and Dru Baker assuming duties in right. Nate Rombach also appears to have settled in at first base with Stilwell as the designated hitter.
Additionally, Micah Dallas has assumed a bullpen role, fulfilling closer duties Sunday night with two scoreless, one-hit innings. Dallas provides Tech a welcome second option in relief alongside Ryan Sublette.
The Red Raiders will now face the winner of the Palo Alto Regional, which will be decided at 9 p.m. CST Monday, June 7 when Stanford and UC Irvine meet for a decisive game to determine who is headed to Lubbock for the Super Regional. Whoever the opponent ends up being, they’ll face a difficult atmosphere that has paid dividends for Texas Tech over the years.
Since losing to Sam Houston State in the 2017 Lubbock Regional, Tadlock’s Red Raiders have gone 95-18 at home. Within that record is a 9-0 record in regionals as they have now swept their last three (2018, 2019, 2021). Texas Tech is undefeated in Super Regionals in program history, having made it to four and then advancing to the College World Series each time.
2021 NCAA LUBBOCK REGIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
C – Braxton Fulford, Texas Tech
1B – JT Schwartz, UCLA
2B – Jace Jung, Texas Tech
SS – Matt McLain, UCLA
3B – Jake Mobers, UCLA
LF – Angel Zarate, North Carolina
CF – Kurt Wilson, Texas Tech
RF – Easton Murrell, Texas Tech
DH – Cole Stilwell, Texas Tech
P – Ryan Sublette, Texas Tech
P – Zach Pettway, UCLA
Most Outstanding Player – Kurt Wilson, Texas Tech
