Tim Tadlock gets another chance to learn about players as No. 16 Texas Tech hosts Air Force
Even after eight games, Texas Tech baseball coach Tim Tadlock feels like he needs more time to figure out how to fill out his lineup.
“We’re getting there,” Tadlock said after Sunday’s victory over Western Illinois. ” There’s a whole bunch of guys that still haven’t pitched. There’s a bunch of guys that haven’t really played enough to really evaluate it.
“We knew going into this, it was going to be very hard on guys because they’ve all played their whole life. And really right now we’d like to get everybody firing on all cylinders if we can.”
Tadlock will get another chance to see how his players react to in-game action as the Red Raiders complete a 10-game homestand by hosting Air Force in a midweek series, beginning with a 6 p.m. Tuesday contest at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
The Red Raiders (8-0) are coming off a series in which the offense showed out, scoring 55 runs in a four-game sweep over the Leathernecks.
Dillon Carter, who struggled on the offensive side at times last season, had a stellar weekend. He finished hitting at a .643 clip with two home runs, one triple and a double. He also went 6-for-7 and and tallied a career-high four hits in the first game a Saturday doubleheader.
He capped it off with a highlight-reel catch in the eighth and followed that up by turning a double play to close out the 14-8 victory Sunday afternoon against Western Illinois.
"So, there's no doubt he's probably the best centerfielder in all of college baseball," Texas Tech catcher Hudson White said of Carter, following Sunday’s triumph. "This offseason, he worked his tail off. ... He just worked his butt off offensively and he's seeing the rewards for that now."
Offense seems to be hitting on all cylinders, while the pitching is also finding its form.
Right-handed pitcher Bo Blessie (1-0, 0.00 ERA), a late scratch Sunday, is expected to start for the Red Raiders. Left-handed hurler Kyle Moats (0-0, 10.80) is set to toe the mound for the Falcons. Starting pitchers for the Wednesday contest have not been announced.
Blessie, who was dealing with soreness following his first start back on Feb. 19, was pushed back a game as a precautionary measure according Tadlock on Sunday. The right-handed hurler recorded six scoreless innings as the Red Raiders downed Gonzaga 12-4.
"I would say a career day is pretty cool to watch and do it, but seeing Bo going out there and dominate the strike zone — and I talked about it before the season started — said he was going to be fun to watch and that he was today," Texas Tech’s Ty Coleman said after the Feb. 19 victory of Blessie’s performance. "I think it was five and two-thirds where he got no hits. It was just fun to watch him pitch today."
The Red Raiders will go up against a Falcons squad which snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Navy 4-1 last Sunday.
Jay Thomason leads the team in RBI followed by Chase Spencer (seven RBI) and Sam Kulasingam (four RBI), who has also hit four doubles this season. Spencer and Thomason are the power hitters, netting three home runs apiece.
Texas Tech is ready to match, especially after it’s offensive surge last weekend.
“It’s really fun to be apart of this team,” White said of his squad, following an eight-run, third inning Sunday. “Everyone just has fun. Like they should.”
NO. 16 TEXAS TECH VS. AIR FORCE
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; 2 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park
Records: Texas Tech 8-0. Air Force 2-5
Online stream: ESPN+
Radio: FM 97.3
Coverage: Follow @AJ_DonWilliams on Twitter for live updates, with postgame recap and interviews to follow on www.lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tim Tadlock gets another chance to learn about players as No. 16 Texas Tech hosts Air Force
