The Red Raiders (7-0) faced the Western Illinois Leathernecks (1-6) in a doubleheader Saturday that saw 44 runs scored, 6 double plays turned, 10 errors, and #1 Dillon Carter back in the starting lineup and making big noise at the plate.
Opportunistic Red Raiders Earn Series Opening Win
The junior from Argyle has had a tough road with Texas Tech Baseball, mainly due to dealing with injuries. He came in as an instant-impact freshman in 2020 but coming back in 2021 Carter’s season was shortened by recovery from injury and he didn’t see his first start until March 26. He also missed an 11-game stretch of the 2022 season due to injury, an injury which he played through for the remainder of the season.
Carter has been described by Head Coach Tim Tadlock as “the best defensive center fielder in the Big 12.” Something Carter has proven to be true time and again covering the outfield with blazing speed and making circus catches over and over.
There he is on @SportsCenter 🔥@dilloncarter16 | #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/rGkXWYjYHx
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) February 20, 2022
In his true freshman campaign in 2020, while only 16 games, Carter slashed .280/.448/.380. In the two injury-plagued seasons to follow, while he maintained the elite defense he is known and respected for, his batting average hovered around .200.
Carter did not scrimmage this past fall, but when he began scrimmaging in the spring semester, competitive at-bats seemed to be the goal. He was walking, spoiling pitches, and grinding out his time in the box. He didn’t fall into new success, Carter has been putting in the work making adjustments and putting in the time in the cages to get his swing and approach where he wants them to be.
When asked what he’s been working on he said, “just better bat path. It helps being healthy. But that’s pretty much it for the most part, just better path and working definitely more lower half instead of all up top.”
Whatever it is that Carter has been working on, it looks to have paid off for him Saturday as he made the most of his first two starts of 2023. He combined in the two games to go 6-7 at the plate with a home run, 2RBI, 2 walks, stole a base, scored 4 runs, and in the first game he reached in every plate appearance.
“I felt really good to finally get back in the mix,” said Carter. “I knew there was going to be an opportunity arise and I was just waiting on my moment and I went up today and just tried to put together good ABs and I think I executed that plan.”
Carter’s loudest swing of the day came in the eighth inning of game one when he pounded a no-doubter into the scoreboard for his first home run of the season. Perhaps an even more impressive moment wasn’t a swing at all. In a much tighter second game, Carter laid down a perfect drag bunt and used his impressive speed to leg out a bunt single as part of a decisive inning. Those tools will be most welcome on this team as the season wears on.
Texas Tech took the first game 24-9 Saturday. The Leathernecks pulled within one run in the top of the fifth, but thanks in part to a three-run double from Gage Harrelson and four extra-base hits from Gavin Kash (2 2B, 2HR), Tech put 17 runs on the board from the fifth forward.
Despite seeing nine runs on the scoreboard, Tech pitchers surrendered only 2 earned runs on the day. The error bug continued to plague the Red Raiders who have only two clean games this season, and while the errors are coming in bunches, Tadlock isn’t concerned.
“The better you play on both sides of it, the more margin for error you have,” said Tadlock. “We’re not asking anybody on this team to be perfect, we’re asking them to be present more than perfect.”
In the second game, the Red Raiders fell behind 2-0 early when freshman Taber Fast surrendered three hits in the first inning. But Fast settled in and put together a solid outing from there. Tech capitalized on the mistakes of the Leathernecks working two-run innings in the second, fifth, and eighth to take the lead for good. Ultimately it was Drew Woodcox, making his first two starts at DH Saturday, who pounded a two-run shot onto the top of the left-center field fence.
Trendan Parish earned the win in the second game and was excellent, striking out three and limiting Western Illinois to only one run in his outing, a solo home run in the ninth inning. Parish benefited from a defense behind him that turned a double play in three consecutive innings. His trademark fire was on display Saturday night, something that’s just part of his game.
“I’ve always been a guy that’s been high on emotion. Like playing ping pong in the locker room or anything like that, man, I get fired up and I get into it and it helps me keep going and helps me get in the game,” explained Parish. “I try to channel that in the right way…a lot of times not only me but it gets a lot of my teammates in the game. You know, if I can get fired up and get them fired up, then you know we’re gonna start rolling.”
“I mean, it goes way beyond ping pong,” Carter responded with a chuckle. “I mean y’all have seen it, when Parish is out there it’s kind of a different morale in the stadium. Everybody loves watching him pitch and we love playing behind him and y’all saw why. I mean he’s got really good stuff and he commands it really well. So it’s always a lot of fun watching him get up on the bump and compete.”
Big mood @Trendan_09 😤 pic.twitter.com/hsAuAyswDe
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) February 26, 2023
The Red Raiders and Leathernecks will meet once more on Sunday at 1:00 PM and the broadcast will be available on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, Double T 97.3 FM, and The Varsity App.
