Texas Tech set to host No. 1 Texas in final regular season series
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Red Raiders will finish their regular season with a weekend series against No. 1 Texas beginning on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. followed by a 1 p.m. start on Saturday and a 12 p.m. start on Sunday.
Texas Tech (28-17, 8-13) is coming off a series win against Houston last weekend as they won the rubber match on Sunday 5-2 after splitting the first two games. Tech’s RPI now sits at 33 after updating on Wednesday.
The Longhorns (42-6, 20-4) are one of the hottest teams in the country as they will arrive in Lubbock riding a 13-game win streak including three straight series sweeps against Baylor, Kansas and most recently Iowa State. Texas sits comfortably in the No. 1 spot in the RPI and top 25.
Historically, the Red Raiders are 11-56 against the Longhorns with their last win coming in 2021 when they defeated Texas 5-1 in the Big 12 Tournament.
This will be the first time in program history that Tech has faced two separate No. 1 teams in the same season as they faced Oklahoma earlier in the year when they were ranked atop the top-25. The Red Raiders, historically, are 1-17 against opponents ranked No. 1 with their only win coming against Arizona back in 1998.
SENIOR WEEKEND:
Tech will be honoring its 10 seniors this weekend along with three support-staff students for senior weekend.
Friday Seniors: Carson Armijo, Abbie Orrick, Arriana Villa – student manager Drew Korber
Saturday Seniors: Kennedy Crites, Jacee Hamlin, Chassety Raines – student athletic trainer Jordan Bishop
Sunday Seniors: Alanna Barraza, Riley Love, Olivia Rains, Maddy Wright – student athletic trainer Alli Stewart
STORYLINES:
• NO INTRODUCTION NEEDED – Reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year Kailey Wyckoff has somehow been even better this season. She enters the weekend slashing .409/.636/.484 on the season. She has also recorded 31 RBIs and drawn 18 walks. Wyckoff leads the team in batting average, on-base percentage and hits. On defense, she’s been a true utility player, spending time at catcher, first base and right and left field.
• CRITES NEW HEIGHTS – There was no question of senior catcher Kennedy Crites’ defense entering the 2024 season. Last year she led the Big 12 in throwing out batters, but on offense she showed flashes in 2023 of bringing consistent production. After a slow start to the season, batting .185 entering the month of March, she has turned it on the last two months. Crites is batting .326 with 29 hits, two homers, four doubles and nine RBIs – all of which tie or set career highs for her.
• FEW BETTER THAN NO. 5 – Senior Riley Love has seemed to save the best for last as she has been on an absolute tear this season. She enters the weekend having recorded 39 hits, 11 doubles, 13 home runs, 46 RBIs and 93 total bases – all of which mark career highs. Her glove has been just as solid, having several stellar plays at the hot corner to save runs and base hits. For her impressive start she was recognized as the No. 6 ranked third baseman in the country by Softball America for the month of March and for April and was ranked No. 9 for the month of May. Her doubles, RBIs and home runs rank in the top 10 in the Big 12.
• ORRICK MAKING NOISE – Senior shortstop Abbie Orrick has had an impressive stretch of play for the Red Raiders that continues to go on. Orrick is currently batting .320 with 41 hits, eight homers and 30 RBIs – all of which crush her previous career highs. The senior was one of the bright spots in the series finale against Oklahoma St. as she went 2-for-3 with a big two-run homer in the fourth inning to spark a comeback that fell just short.
• OUTFIELD IMPACT – Outfielders Arriana Villa and Demi Elder have also been having career seasons. Villa is batting .370 on the season with a career-high 14 doubles – her doubles are also tied for second most in the Big 12 – and has also recorded a career 47 hits and 84 total bases. Elder is batting .318 and has set new career highs in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs and walks thanks to her first career multi-home run game against Houston. Villa and Elder have been solid on defense as well, having just one error combined all season.
• IN THE RANKINGS – The Red Raiders currently sit at No. 33 in RPI and No. 36 in KPI. On offense, Tech ranks 6th in the country for doubles per game (1.78), 22nd in homers per game (1.22), 14th in slugging (.535), 23rd in runs per game (6.13), and 30th for batting average (.313). On defense, the Red Raiders rank t-13th in double plays (25), 13th in double plays per game (.54).
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Release Provided By Jay Strader Texas Tech Athletics