Red Raiders try to snap skid against TCU
When Texas Tech plays a Big 12 series opener this weekend, the opposing pitcher the Red Raiders see on Friday night against TCU figures to be the pitcher who beat them last year on a Sunday at Kansas.
Ryan Vanderhei struck out nine in six innings to lead Kansas over Tech 8-5 in a series finale, and after the season ended, the tall righthander had his name in the NCAA transfer portal.
"He's a guy that's probably up to 95, 96 (miles per hour), good slider," Tech coach Tim Tadlock said Thursday. "He can really hit a golf ball. I played 18 holes out here with him when he came on a visit. He didn't beat me in that, so if that's worth anything. He's one of the few guys I've ever played golf with on a visit. His visit couldn't have gone any better here. We had a great couple of days."
Alas, Tech lost the recruiting battle.
Vanderhei has been the No. 1 starter all season for TCU. No. 19 Tech (18-8, 2-4) hosts No. 27 TCU (16-9, 4-2) at 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park.
The Red Raiders are opening a seven-game homestand and trying to end a four-game losing streak, the last three of the losses in walk-off fashion. Texas beat Tech 6-2, 6-5 and 9-8 last weekend in Austin, and New Mexico edged Tech 11-10 Tuesday in Albuquerque.
The Red Raiders who were on the team in 2022 have some experience with pulling themselves out of a tailspin. From April 3-26 last year, they wallowed through 10 losses in a 15-game stretch that included a five-game losing streak. The 5-10 skid started with Vanderhei's win over the Red Raiders in the series finale at Kansas. They came out of it well enough to finish one game out of first in the Big 12 and make an NCAA regional final.
The message now?
"Just get back to work," Tadlock said. "Get back into your routine and understand that little things matter, within a day and within a game. ...
"The message is still pretty much the same. It's the same guys that we went to Austin with. We've still got a lot of belief in them, a lot of trust in them. At the same time, to win a Big 12 baseball game or a series, you've got to do a bunch of little things right."
The Red Raiders, picked third in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, are halfway through a front-loaded conference schedule in which their first four series are against the other teams forecast to finish in the top five. They opened two weeks ago by winning two of three against Oklahoma State.
No. 24 Texas' sweep last weekend was the Longhorns' first Big 12 series. TCU, No. 13 Oklahoma State (20-6, 4-2) and Kansas State (18-9, 4-2) are tied for second in the conference. Behind them is a group of Tech, Oklahoma (13-12, 2-4) and Baylor (9-16, 2-4). No. 25 West Virginia (19-6, 0-0) opens conference play this weekend at K-State.
Theoretically, the Red Raiders need to keep their heads above water in the first 12 conference games to be within striking distance once the schedule eases up. Tadlock doesn't think that way.
Asked how many of the first 12 conference games his team needs to win for him to feel the Red Raiders are in a good position, he said, "If you said (how many of the) 12, I'd say '12' if you asked at the start. If you ask in the middle, I'd say however many's left. ... If you ask us before or after, it'd be, 'Hey, you want to win every day.' And you expect to win every day.
"As far as perception of our league and first three or four weekends, our league's been good top to bottom for a long time. There's been a lot of years you could make an argument nine teams could get in the NCAA Tournament or eight teams or seven teams."
Tech plans to switch its Sunday starter this weekend. After usual No. 1 Brendan Girton and No. 2 Mason Molina go on Friday and Saturday, sophomore righthander Trendan Parish will get his second start of the season in the series finale and the third start of his career in what will be his 29th appearance.
Parish is one of the six pitchers Tadlock said at the beginning of the season were options to start. Taber Fast (0-0, 6.38) has made four starts, including three in March and was the Sunday starter in Tech's first two conference series. But the freshman lefthander has walked 16 in 18 1/3 innings.
Tadlock called that one of the biggest surprises of the season, though not in a good way.
"He was within the top three pitchers, for me, in the fall," Tadlock said. "Every time he went out there, he was efficient, he threw strikes, he changed speeds. It's just been he probably hasn't located his fastball as good as he wants to. That kind of sets everything up.
"So maybe we put him in a role where it gets him a chance to get going and he can make a difference, whether it's in a midweek or at the back end of a game, but we've got to give him an opportunity to kind of get going."
College baseball
Who: TCU at Texas Tech
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park
Records: TCU 16-9, 4-2 in the Big 12; Texas Tech 18-8, 2-4
Rankings by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association: TCU No. 27, Texas Tech No. 19
Projected starting pitchers: Friday, TCU RHP Ryan Vanderhei (2-2, 5.28 earned-run average) vs. Texas Tech RHP Brendan Girton (2-0, 4.28). Saturday, TCU RHP Kole Klecker (4-2, 2.30) vs. Texas Tech LHP Mason Molina (2-1, 2.93). Sunday, TCU RHP Cam Brown (2-0, 2.08) vs. Texas Tech RHP Trendan Parish (1-0, 4.64).
Online streaming: All games on ESPN+
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Red Raiders try to snap skid against TCU
