Texas Tech to host super regional for chance to advance
Lubbock Texas- The Texas Tech Red Raiders will host the super regional in Lubbock, Texas and play the Stanford Cardinals in a three-game series this weekend, June 11-13.
Texas Tech makes its 4th super regional appearance and hosts its third straight super regional. Tech won the Lubbock super regional in 2019 against conference rival Oklahoma State in three games to advance to the College World Series. Texas Tech has never lost a super-regional in its postseason history.
Stanford also qualified for a super regional in 2019, where they traveled to Starkville, Mississippi, and lost both games to Mississippi State. Their last super regional was in 2014, where they played Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, but lost in 3 games to the Commodores.
Stanford’s Season so far
Stanford has had quite the season so far. With an overall record of 33-14, they finished third overall in the Pac-12. The Cardinal have ranked series wins over Arizona, Oregon, and UCLA, who Tech beat in the Lubbock Regional. They weren’t ranked at the beginning of the season but finished the season 9th overall.
The UC Irvine Anteaters kept Stanford on their toes in the Stanford regional, going to a Game 7. Despite leading teams 21-4 in runs before the finals, Stanford gave up 16 against UC Irvine and edged out the Anteaters by three runs in Game 7.
Stanford looks to make their first College World Series appearance since 2008 with a win over the Red Raiders in the super regional.
Stanford’s impact players
Eddie Park and Tim Tawa were the heroes of Game 7 of the Stanford regional, both scoring two runs each. Tawa hit the Cardinal’s only home run of the game and a two-run oppo taco at the top of the first. Usually batting 2nd, Tawa sits near the top of the lineup. Eddie Park is another impact player to watch, who typically leads off for Stanford. Drew Bowser, Tommy Troy, and Adam Crompton each got at least one run-in, and they bat 7th, 8th, and 9th, respectively.
Christian Robinson, Vincent Martinez, and Nick Brueser are the only three Stanford players who have a batting average over .300. Tech’s bullpen needs to watch out for them. Stanford pitching isn’t anything to scoff at either. Pitcher Brendan Beck has a solid ERA of 3.00, with Zach Grech close behind with an ERA of 3.17. The bullpens for both teams are super deep, and neither team will likely get into pitching trouble in a three-game series, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Tech’s Top Performers
Kurt Wilson has really shown up for the Red Raiders when he’s needed. Hitting a home run against North Carolina and averaging one run per game during the Lubbock regional, Kurt can get on base and get home. Cal Conley, Jace Jung, Dru Baker, and Braxton Fulford are also players to watch. Dru Baker and Cal Conely had five strikeouts against UCLA, which is uncharacteristic of them, but we expect both to reset and be ready for the super regional.
Dates and Times
The super regional takes place on Friday, June 11th, Saturday, June 12th, and Sunday, June 13th, if necessary. All games start at 2 PM CST. Ticket information will be released soon, so check back here for updates. Three hundred student tickets will be held for Tech students for the whole weekend. Click here for more info.
For a full recap of the Lubbock regional, you can read that here!
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Written by Campus Live intern Dylan Winn