Red Raider Sports Magazine - February/March 2020 by Red Raider Club

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RedRaiderSports.com is a publication of TRI Productions Volume 25 Issue 3 Managing Editor

 HERE'S TO 

ANOTHER

SEASON OF

CLUTCH

PLAYS

Aaron Dickens

Cover Photo Elizabeth Hertel

Screaming fans, the squeak of shoes on the court and the unmistakable swish of a three-pointer. It’s basketball season and we can’t wait to see what the Red Raiders

Photographers Elise Bressler

Elizabeth Hertel

Norvelle Kennedy Artie Limmer

Michaela Schumacher Michael Strong

Writers Terry Greenberg Ty Parker

Donna Olmstead Al Pickett

Red Raider Sports (USPS 0013-768) is published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October and December. Annual Red Raider Club membership dues of $500 or higher include a one-year subscription to Red Raider Sports Magazine. Red Raider Sports is a publication of TRI Productions, P.O. Box 53604, Lubbock, TX 79453. Periodicals postage is paid in Lubbock, Texas. Address all editorial-related correspondence to Red Raider Sports, P.O. Box 53604, Lubbock, TX 79453. Red Raider Sports is not an official publication of Texas Tech University. Postmaster: Send address changes to Red Raider Sports, P.O. Box 53604, Lubbock, TX 79453. For subscription inquiries contact the Red Raider Club at 806.742.1196. Give old and new addresses and enclose latest mailing address label when writing about your subscription. ©2020 TRI Productions. All Rights Reserved.

will do this season. How about another run at the National Championship? The spirit of competition, teamwork and comaraderie are all part of what we call

The Spirit of West Texas.

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Red Raider Club

update

It is such a great time on campus as many of our spring sports are now in full swing.

February was a special month with the opening of the Cash Family Sports Nutrition Center on

Monday, February 17th. This facility will not only enhance the quality of nutrition we are able to pro-

vide each of our student-athletes, it will also allow our nutrition team ample space to demonstrate

cooking techniques in the Dean and Christi Quinn Education Kitchen. Nutrition is critical as we continue to develop a competitive advantage over other schools in the nation. We are so grateful to

the Cash Family and the many donors who stepped up and partnered with us to make this project a reality.

Construction is still in progress on the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Center, slated to open

later this year. Our basketball programs will only continue to strengthen and grow nationally with this facility, and we are eager for its ribbon cutting this fall.

As many of you know, the months of February and March are particularly busy here at Texas

Tech with so many of our spring sports in play. Spring football is also underway as Coach Wells and

his staff will host their first of 15 allotted practices in early March leading up to the Spring Game in April. We hope you and your family will support our football program this fall by purchasing season tickets — WE NEED YOU.

I also hope you are able to make it out to both Rip Griffin Park and Rocky Johnson Field this

spring. Texas Tech was one of the few schools in the country this year to start both the baseball

and softball seasons ranked in the top 25 of each sport’s respective polls. It should be another fun

season for both programs as Coach Gregory is coming off of a Regional finals appearance last

year and Coach Tadlock has led the Red Raiders to the College World Series four times in the past six seasons.

As a reminder, 2020 football season ticket renewals are ongoing with an initial deadline of

February 28th. This is one of the best home schedules in school history, and I know Coach Wells

and his student-athletes are looking forward to a packed Jones AT&T Stadium each Saturday. If you haven’t locked in your seats for all seven home games, please call the ticket office at 806-742TECH during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday) to support.

In addition to your season tickets, Red Raider Club Excellence fund renewals are hitting your

mailboxes this month. The Excellence Fund helps provide additional resources to Red Raider student-athletes including scholarship support, academic resources, nutrition and much more! Please

take time to review all of our giving opportunities for the 2020 Drive Year which will come to a close August 15th.

Andrea Tirey Senior Associate Athletic Director — Development — 806.834.3270

Whether you support through seat contributions, premium contributions or the Excellence

Fund, you are truly making an impact for more than 400 student-athletes every year and we are grateful you a part of the Red Raider family!

We can’t thank you enough for being a Red Raider Club member. We welcome the opportunity

to meet with you personally to discuss your membership. Please don’t hesitate to contact our office

at 806-742-1196 and a member of our staff would be more than happy to set an appointment with us. Guns up!

andrea.tirey@ttu.edu Andrea

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Boosters may not communicate with recruits or their families on behalf of Texas Tech by phone, in-person or in writing (includes social media).

Free or discounted items or services may not be provided to student-athletes or recruits unless the benefit is available to the public or all Texas Tech students.

Boosters may not provide academic assistance of any kind to a student-athlete or recruit (e.g., test prep, SAT/ACT fees, academic expenses, tutoring, editing/completing coursework, etc.).

Student-athletes, recruits or their coaches, family or friends may not be invited to your suite or club seats as this constitutes special seating.

Game tickets, apparel, equipment or awards may not be traded for or purchased from student-athletes, and items autographed by current student-athletes may not be sold.

A student-athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, picture or appearance may not be used in a commercial advertisement, business promotion or product endorsement.

Student-athletes may be employed provided they are paid the going rate for work actually performed.

Help us PROTECT OUR FEARLESS CHAMPIONS (806)742-3355 RedRaiderSports.com @RedRaiderRules

b y TY P A R K E R

Texas Tech second baseman Brian Klein

stepped into a big role last season as the only Red Raider to start in all 66 games.

Fast-forward a year later. As Klein enters his

final semester at Texas Tech, he has proven him-

self on and off the baseball field. His dedication and hard work in the classroom have earned him the ti-

tle of Red Raider Club Scholar-Athlete of the Month.

The business management major from Keller,

Texas has become a seasoned veteran when bal-

ancing a baseball-filled spring semester and a full course load.

“Being here for the fourth year, I have a bet-

ter grasp on what it takes to do well on and off

the field,” Klein said. “Coach Tadlock talks a lot

about getting all of our work done every day. He makes sure we know what our bodies need but also wants us to get all of our schoolwork done.”

As a starting player, Klein has had to learn

how to divide his time between baseball and

academics. With long weekends and out of town games, it is not uncommon for players to miss

class. In order to be successful in both facets of his life, Klein prepares for travel by completing all

of his studies before leaving. Doing so gives him the opportunity to give both his school work and baseball his full attention.

Klein attributes much of his academic suc-

cess to the structure the baseball program has provided for him over the years. Although as a se-

nior he is no longer required to attend study hall

hours, he finds that attending still helps his time management.

“My freshman year really helped me figure

out how to balance playing ball and school, said Klein. “We had study hall hours, and it gave me

time to get my work done. Now that I don’t have

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to have those study hall hours, I still go over there

for Success Program. He also credits the faculty

Tech, and all the support amongst his fellow team-

and get my work done.”

Coach Tadlock’s emphasis on education

plays a large role in his coaching. He continuously

emphasizes academics in order to groom suc-

and staff that have touched his life while at Texas mates.

“Ryan Keesee and I are both Business Man-

cessful young men.

agement majors, so we do a lot of stuff together,”

our schoolwork done and to get our study hours

College of Business, so we have been able to help

“Coach Tadlock is always pushing us to get

in,” Klein said. “He pushes the no pass, no play

Klein said. “Braxton and Cody are also in the Rawls each other and hold one another accountable.”

ethic. He really wants us to know that our perfor-

portant than on the field.”

not selected for the MLB draft, he plans to stay in

mance in the classroom is just as, if not more, im

The All-American has also learned to ap-

preciate the work by the JT & Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy, specifically the Suited

Klein hopes to further his baseball career

professionally after his graduation in May. If he is

sports. Combining his love for the game and his faith, he would enjoy working for an organization like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

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b y T E R RY G R E E N B E R G

The Ed Whitacre Center for Athletic Administration

By late spring of next year, Texas Tech Athletics administration will move into offices in the new Ed Whitacre Center for Athletic Administration on the second and third floors of Jones AT&T Stadium’s East Side. It’s an important step – even though ESPN’s College Game Day won’t cover it live – because it has to happen for two other important projects to move forward.

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And those two will get lots of attention: •

Enlarging and improving the Football Training Facility – an investment in developing Red Raider football players. “It’s the last major piece for football,” said Matt Wells, Red Raider head coach. “We can’t do it soon enough.”

• Improvements to the South End Zone – completing Jones AT&T Stadium, adding more amenities for our fans, said Tony Hernandez, Deputy Director of Athletics, while making it clear no plans have been finalized. Plans and initial fundraising for the Football Training Facility are underway. “The football training facility is a part of the final phase of The Campaign for Fearless Champions and one of the most critical facilities to date” said Andrea Tirey, Senior Associate Athletics Director. “Coach Wells is focusing on recruiting and developing players and we are focusing on raising the funds to build a first-class facility so that this program has all of the resources it needs to be successful,” she said. “When we invest in facilities, it pays off,” she added. But first, it all starts with the Whitacre Center for Athletic Administration, named for the Texas Tech grad in industrial engineering and former Board of Regents chair who became an American business icon running General Motors and AT&T. What was the attraction to this project for Whitacre? “A first-class university needs to have firstclass accommodations. The goal is to give Texas Tech the facilities that everyone is proud of, we want to be the best,” said Whitacre, pointing out the Sports Performance Center as an example. Kirby Hocutt, Director of Athletics, said Red Raider supporters like Whitacre and others keep Texas Tech Athletics on an upward arc. “Ed Whitacre understands what Texas Tech needs to compete on the national stage and what our students need to become Fearless Champions. We appreciate his and others’ support and work hard to be good stewards of their generosity,” he said. Timing Once the offices are finished on the East Side, the athletics administration staff – including Hocutt – will move into their new space. After this move, and once fundraising is complete for the Football Training Facility, football will move into the South End Zone space. Once the Football Training Facility is finished, football will move back into its new home.

Second to None Everything in the new Football Training Facility will be bigger and better, said Wells, heading into his second season in Lubbock. “We need a training facility that’s second to none and puts an exclamation point on our vision in terms of player development. This is how we improve a player physically, mentally, emotionally and nutritionally.” said Wells by phone while on a recruiting trip “The flow has got to be right – flow for the day-to-day football operations, for recruits and current players,” he said. One of the challenges with the existing facility, for example, is players going from therapy to the locker room have to go through a public area. One of the goals is for all player areas to be separate from the public areas. More recruits want to know what kind of facilities a football program has before making a choice of where to play. “A lot of the great ones think about it in advance. Kids and parents get in a comparison mode. Recruits look at the locker room and bling. Parents want to know we’re investing in the program. The new Football Training Facility will give us a critical competitive advantage with a wow factor that every recruit is looking for,” said the coach. Wells is excited about the vibe he and his staff are building – the same vibe he said he sees across all Texas Tech sports program. “When we get recruits to Lubbock, we treat them right, we’re transparent, open and honest. They see and hear our vision of where we want to take this program. Then they get around our players and feel that vibe,” he said. “We’re recruiting at a high level and developing our players and this project will really increase the vision for what we’re doing,” said Wells. More Details The executive staff, compliance, facilities and operations, business office, athletics communication and more will move into the new offices, in what Hernandez called modest improvements. “It’ll be enhanced from what we have now – there will be better meeting space and it will be more efficient office space than we currently have in the South End Zone,” he said. Then comes the Football Training Facility, or the FTF as it’s known in Athletics. Plans are still being developed and fundraising is underway. The existing facility has more than 50,000 square feet but that will increase with the new renovation project. “This facility will be an attraction for recruits,” said Hernandez. In addition to the new facility we currently have four fields at their disposal right

within a few steps of each other. That’s phenomenal. There are very few facilities in the country that can say that,” he said, adding the new Cash Family Nutrition Center and Marsha Sharp Academic Center for Student Athletes are all really close - two more resources within a short walking distance. The new FTF, he said, will be much like the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Center, being built across the street from United Supermarkets Arena – a place to develop student athletes and for them to call home. “We’re really going for a place where our student athletes go to work hard,” Hernandez said. “It will be a new facility that will welcome recruits. One where our current student athletes will feel at home, where they can be engaged with our coaches and staff and continue to develop as players and as leaders.” Plans for the South End Zone are being discussed but nothing has been finalized and fundraising has not begun. “We are a ways off but are looking at a lot of different options,” he said. “We will build a first-class facility that will include various fan amenities including premium seating that will be unlike anything currently in Jones AT&T Stadium. Because of the location and views it will be important for us to build spaces where all sports can bring recruits throughout the year.” New video boards on the south side of The Jones are also being discussed. Loving Texas Tech Whitacre’s happy to give to his alma mater and he’s given millions. “I love Texas Tech. My wife Linda, my kids and friends all love Texas Tech. It’s a great institution. It has the right objectives in mind, attracts and graduates the best and still to some extent is undiscovered,” he said. Texas Tech got a lot of nationwide attention when the men’s basketball team fought Virginia to the final seconds in the national title game last year. Whitacre and his wife Linda attended the Final Four in Minneapolis with former Texas Tech Chancellor John Montford and his wife Debbie. “That’s the kind of thing we need,” he said. “Athletics is important to draw attention. Athletics says ‘Hey ... this place is great’ even though Tech is so much more than just Athletics.” Recognition for the university is growing, said Whitacre, saying when he used to be asked where he went to school and said Texas Tech, he’d be asked “Where’s that?” “Now they know Lubbock. People are more aware,” he said. He’s pleased, not surprised when asked his thoughts on how Texas Tech’s fundraising has grown since he and then-Chancellor Montford

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worked on a capital campaign a couple of decades ago. “We accomplished a lot in terms of facilities,” he said, which included the West Side of Jones AT&T Stadium, United Supermarkets Arena and many other facilities. “We went from not having enough to making a really good start.” Whitacre matured while a student at Texas Tech in the early 1960s, he said, adding he saw potential in the world and thought he could do anything, even coming from the small Texas town of Ennis. Whitacre is pleased with what he’s seen of Wells after one season. “I think he’s an inspirational coach and will make the program better – make the same strides we’ve seen in basketball and baseball,” he said. “I really like him. I think he’s a first-class coach.” And he still bleeds Red and Black. “Before I die want to see us win a national championship. We’ve come a long way. Firstclass facilities attract first-class coaches and the future looks pretty bright,” he said, talking a few days after the men’s basketball team erased a 16-point deficit in Austin to beat Texas 62-57 on Feb. 8. “I was exhausted when the Texas game was over,” he said.

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Hocutt believes the east side renovation will be gin a chain reaction that will have a long lasting impact on Texas Tech Athletics. “This is a pivotal moment for us as a department. We have proven we will are investing in facilities that will attract the best student-athletes in the country. The Whitacre Center for Administration is an important first domino for a transformational investment in football. It will change the future of the program and help put Texas Tech football where we all want it to be,” said Hocutt. “Our future has never been brighter.”

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b y D O N NA O L M ST EA D

Donor Spotlight Barry & SuDe Street Linda & Terry Fuller Barry and SuDe Street have loved and supported each other, their family and Texas Tech University for more than 40 years – and it all started with a pig. They met showing pigs at a Texas Tech Block and Bridle Club event in the mid-1970s. “One of the things I had to do — that everybody had to do – was show a pig,” SuDe said. “And I had never been around a pig. I didn’t know anything about a pig.” Back then, SuDe, a city girl from Fort Worth, wanted to be a small-animal veterinarian. She loved animals as pets. So that’s how she treated her pig. SuDe and her roommate would visit and groom him everyday, so they’d be ready for the show. Barry, on the other hand, knew swine. Since he was 10 years old, he’d raised and sold pigs with his brother on their family farm in Kress, north of Lubbock, to save for college tuition. He was competing in the Block and Bridle event too. Each competitor was assigned to show a pig. Barry didn’t put in the prep SuDe did. “I never went out to the barns, except maybe once, before the day of the show,” he said. “On the day of the show, I showed up and said where’s my pig? So I showed the pig.” SuDe was eliminated in the first round, while Barry walked off with a first-place trophy. “I was eliminated, because I didn’t know what to do with a pig,” she said. But her brother, also a Tech student, had come for the event and wanted a photo to chronicle his sister’s efforts. “So I went over to him (Barry) and asked if I could borrow his trophy so my brother could take my picture with the trophy and my pig,” SuDe said. “So I got my picture and we started talking.” They went out with a group to the Cow Palace that used to be on 34th Street. Barry and SuDe hit it off, married in 1978

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when they were seniors and graduated in 1979. “So it was all over a pig,” SuDe said. SuDe’s father and grandfather were from West Texas and attended Texas Tech, so she always knew where she planned to go to college growing up in the Metroplex. Barry had the grit and persistence of the farming life to know he was going to college. Plus, he and his brother saved the money from raising pigs. “My mom and dad had a high school education and there were five of us kids. But we knew we were going to college,” he said. Now 20 members of his family – including spouses – have degrees from Texas Tech. They’ve had a successful life in farming and from owning a cotton gin – that success has allowed them to be generous with their alma mater. “For this university, I get emotional,” Barry said, clearing his throat. “We’ve received all of this,” SuDe said of their success. “And now it’s time, that if you can, you give back.” The Streets: • Started with season tickets to football, basketball — both men’s and women’s — and baseball. • Are members of the Victory Circle. • Have donated to the upcoming renova tions for the Red Raider baseball team at Rip Griffin Park. • Support a scholarship for a student studying agriculture and have given toward improvements for the Frazier Alumni Pavillion and the Merket Alumni Center. • Supported the Dairy Barn renovation. In addition, Barry’s been very active with the Texas Tech Alumni Association after being strongly encouraged by the late Nelda Laney – eventu-

ally serving as chair of its National Board. Through their Victory Circle membership, the Streets added to their favorite Red Raider sports moments during the men’s basketball team’s run to the NCAA Championship game last season. “That was fun and so was the first year the baseball team went to Omaha (for the College World Series),” said Barry. But Barry’s favorite sports memory goes back to 1976 when he was a student and a group drove to College Station for a Texas Tech-Texas A&M Southwest Conference game. “Rodney Allison’s heard me tell this story. Our starting quarterback got hurt and Rodney came in and we won the game. We stood that whole game – you know, the Aggies always stand – and we beat them,” he said of the 27-16 win. Barry had not planned to go back to the farm, but SuDe wanted to live on a farm. She thought a farm would be a place where she could enjoy the animals she loved so much. “I don’t know. I was thinking Green Acres,” she said, about the popular 1960s TV show. Barry talked to his dad and his uncle and leased some land. He and SuDe made the best of living in an abandoned two-bedroom farmhouse. Barry farmed and worked for his dad and uncle from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., while SuDe taught school. After almost 10 years of hard work, the couple bought a nearby cotton gin, now the Street Community Gin. In 2015 the Texas Cotton Ginners Association named Barry Street Ginner of the Year. They have three children – all Texas Tech alums. Colton, the eldest, is a dentist; Chase, the middle son, farms with the family; daughter CassiDe has a doctorate and works in research for Texas Tech’s Institutional Review Board, which monitors the human impact of research.

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2020 BASEBALL

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L TAILGATE DINNER

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President Lawrence Schovanec, Don Cash, Kay Cash, Clay Cash and Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt

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grand

OPENING

Texas Tech student athletes can now use their own touch to guide their performance-enhancing nutrition at the new Cash Family Nutrition Center – but the human touch of the university’s sports nutrition program is not going away. The center opened February 17, with an official opening the following day. “Coach Wells and his staff walked in here and said, ‘game changer,’” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt told a crowd filling the sunny center just west of the Frazier Alumni Center. “And it will be a game changer for recruiting.” “This facility will impact and make more of an impression upon our student athletes – as much as anything we will do as an Athletics Department,” said Hocutt. The touch screen stations around the dining room done in Texas Tech colors with big-screen TVs tuned into sports channels and the Dean and Christi Quinn Education Kitchen create a facility “second to no one in the country,” said Hocutt. He also thanked the donors. “Time and time again the Cash family has stepped forward in such tremendous leadership ways. You go to the golf course and see the investment the Cash family has made there. So many things around our Athletic complex and in our day-to-day interactions that you don’t realize the Cash family has their fingerprints on. The Leadership Academy is also one of those they’ve invested in heavily,” he said. “Our family is proud to support such an outstanding facility that we truly believe will impact the lives of every student-athlete on this campus," said Clay Cash, the namesake for the nutrition center. “We would like to thank Kirby Hocutt and his team for their vision for this facility and their continued mission to enhance the student-athlete experience.” Touch-screen stations allow student athletes to evaluate their next meal with their long-term eating plan in mind as they order it, said Dayna McCutchin, Director of Sports Nutrition. “There are so many options that they can tailor their meal to their needs. You’re going to see fried fish and you’re going to see grilled fish. I have some athletes who need 7,000 calories a day and some who need 3,000 calories,” said McCutchin, who has been helping student-athletes fuel their bodies for peak performance for eight years, since starting Texas Tech’s sports nutrition program. 22

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Most student athletes are physically active three or four hours a day, so they need food for both long-lasting and quick energy. Their focus is usually on weight maintenance during their sport season, with added attention on long-term goals during the off season. Each student-athletic can work with McCutchin and her crew to develop an individual eating plan designed to bring the results they desire. The computer program begins with a pie chart reminding diners some foods tagged in black — like protein — enhance performance; those tagged red — think dessert — should be consumed with caution; while some food tagged in green — vegetables and fruit — support overall health. Each food has all its dietary information — vitamins, calories, carbs, protein and fat — just another click away. Matt Thompson, Director of Information Technology for Texas Tech Athletics, created the one-of-a-kind system, McCutchin said. The center can seat about 220 people at a time and can easily accommodate the 420 or so student-athletes during its open hours from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Along with the hot food line, diners can also choose from various stations — pasta, salad, sandwiches, soups, yogurt, fruit, breads and beverages. McCutchin or one of the other four dietitians on her staff will rotate through the dining room to answer questions and help diners evaluate their choices. The student-athletes will also be able to make smarter choices when they are on the road or at home after cooking lessons in the Quinn Education Kitchen. “Dean and Christi Quinn have had an interest in our nutrition program for a long time,” Hocutt said. The training kitchen has seven cooking stations to teach meal prep basics, McCutchin says. After students are familiar with the basic curriculum, local chefs will teach the students. The Quinns attended the official opening. “Here the nutritionists can impact a lot more athletes. This is a life-changing opportunity for them to learn healthy habits – how to buy food, how to cook food so they can teach their children the same thing,” Dean said. The Cash Nutrition Center was completely funded through philanthropic donations to The Campaign for Fearless Champions, which continues to pave the future of Texas Tech Athletics.

Dean and Christi Quinn

President Lawrence Schovanec and Kay Cash

Coach Matt Wells, Ashley and Clay Cash

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Reloaded & Ready Red Raider Baseball is

b y A L P I C K ETT

So how does Texas Tech head baseball coach Tim Tadlock replace shortstop/third baseman Josh Jung, who collected 15 AllAmerican awards in the last three years and led the Red Raiders to back-to-back trips to the College World Series? Jung, who was drafted No. 8 overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft, ranks among the all-time leaders at Texas Tech in at-bats (747), hits (260), doubles (54), home runs (33), runs scored (189), total bases (431), walks (1280) and games played (191). “It’s not just Josh,” replied Tadlock, who is entering his eighth season as the coach at Texas Tech. “Don’t forget Gabe (Holt), (Cameron) Warren, (Dane) Haveman and (Caleb) Killan. They did a lot for our program. The easiest answer to how we replace them is collectively. We need to collectively step up at the plate and then play good defense and get good pitching. It is not necessarily how talented you are, but how you learn and how you apply it.” While the departure of Jung and others who were key contributors to the Red Raiders finishing among the last four teams remaining at the College World Series last spring and posting a 46-20 record while winning their third Big 12 title in four years and earning their fourth trip to Omaha in six seasons, the cupboard isn’t bare. Far from it. 24

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The Red Raiders have been picked to finish atop the Big 12 Conference standings for the third-straight year and are ranked No. 3 in the nation in preseason rankings by the USA Today Coaches Poll, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game and No. 6 by D1 Baseball and Baseball America. Junior centerfielder/third baseman Dylan Neuse, senior second baseman Brian Klein, junior catcher Braxton Fulford and veteran pitchers John McMillon, Micah Dallas and Clayton Beeter were all named to the preseason AllBig 12 team. So how does Tadlock plan to fill in the spots previously occupied by Jung and others? Cal Conley, a switch-hitting redshirt freshman, is expected to take over at shortstop. Tadlock said Neuse may move from center field to third base. If Neuse stays in center field, junior Parker Kelly or San Antonio freshman Jace Jung, Josh’s younger brother, could get the nod at third base. “Jace can play every position on the infield,” Tadlock said. “We need to find a place for him to stand.” Tadlock said Cole Stillwell has “the ability to hit,” so he will try to find a way to get Stillwell in the middle of the lineup, whether it is at first base, designated hitter or backup catcher. If Neuse starts at third base, Tadlock predicts freshman Dillon Carter from Argyle will

man center field. But if Neuse stays in center, Carter will likely slide over to left field. And what about left field? “That could be interesting,” Tadlock explained, listing Tanner O’Tremba, Kurt Wilson, Dru Baker and Cody Masters, along with Carter, as possible starters in left field. “It depends on who hits and who is healthy,” Tadlock stated. “I would like it to be the same guy, but that may not be the case.” Sophomore Max Marusak from Amarillo is the leading candidate to replace Holt in right field. “He will be fun to watch,” Tadlock said of Marusak. Freshman Nate Rombach from Mansfield could emerge as the backup to Fulford behind the plate. “I know one thing,” Tadlock said, laughing. “It never works out the way you think it will. The game will often tell you who should be out there, whether it is performance or analytics. By no means are we a finished product. It will be a challenge with so many players we lost from last year. But each year is its own deal.” Indeed, that is the challenge each year for a college coach. But with experienced pitchers Dallas, McMillon, Beeter, and Bryce Bonnin among 20 returnees from last year’s squad, Tadlock and the Red Raiders believe they can be back in Omaha in June.

Brian Klein

John McMillon

Braxton Fulford

Dylan Neuse

Micah Dallas

Clayton Beeter RedRaiderSports.com

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STACKED Bryce Bonnin headlines a rotation for Texas Tech

Bryce Bonnin became one of the Red Raiders’ key starting pitchers a year ago and, in doing so, helped lead Texas Tech to a 46-20 record, its third Big 12 title in four years and its fourth College World Series appearance in six seasons. He went 7-1 a year ago with a 4.08 earned run average, recording 65 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched. Pretty impressive numbers for someone who never intended to become a pitcher. Bonnin, a 6-1 junior from Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu near Houston, was a shortstop in high school. “I didn’t pitch until my senior year,” he recalled. “I went to the Area Code (a scouting tryout conducted by Major League Baseball) the summer between my junior and senior year. Normally, my strength was ‘infield velo’ (velocity throwing the ball across the infield). They weren’t testing infield velo that day, and I saw the pitchers throwing. I told my dad that I was going to pitch. He said, ‘Don’t do it. You’ve never pitched,’ but I did it anyhow. I threw six pitches and hit 92-94 miles per hour. Then they called me and said I had been selected to the (2016) Area Code Games. I said, ‘As a shortstop?’ They said, “No, as a pitcher.’” So Bonnin pitched and played shortstop for his high school team as a senior and was drafted in the 26th round of the 2017 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs. Instead of signing with the Cubs, he inked with Arkansas, appearing in 11 games as a freshman pitcher with the Razorbacks before transferring to Texas Tech. He emerged as the Sunday starter in the Red Raiders’ rotation last season. “My first outing was not too good,” Bonnin said. “I couldn’t find the strike zone. When I throw strikes, things go well. I then found the zone and let the defense make plays. It is pretty cool where my season started to where it ended. I thank the coaches for believing in me.” He finished the regular season with five innings in a victory over TCU, allowing just two runs on four hits. The win clinched the Big 12 title for the Red Raiders.

“It was awesome,” he said. “It was a packed house. The fans were energized, and we are amped up. TCU had no shot at the title, so it was between us, Baylor and Oklahoma State. There were a lot of nerves.” Bonnin also picked up a win over Florida State in the College World Series, giving up one unearned run on two hits in five innings. He had pitched one-third of an inning in the CWS with Arkansas a year earlier, an experience he said helped him last year. “You don’t realize how big a stage it is,” he said. “Even though I threw only a third of an inning, it helped knowing what Omaha is like. You learn how to handle the emotions. The game is so quick because you are playing against the best of the best. I think it helped prepare me.” Texas Tech has another pitcher, like Bonnin, who has transferred from another major program in Austin Becker from national champion Vanderbilt. What advice does Bonnin have for Becker? “Be Austin Becker, don’t be somebody else,” Bonnin replied. “Sure, you are starting over, but our coaches are so good at getting you ready. You won’t find a better program. That is a big loss for Vanderbilt. His stuff is unreal. I think Austin will be a big-time prospect.” Returning catcher Braxton Fulford is also impressed with Becker. “He has an effortless throwing motion,” Fulford said. “His stuff moves differently than other guys.” With Becker joining an experienced pitching staff that includes Bonnin, as well as Micah Dallas, John McMillon, Clayton Beeter and Mason Montgomery, pitching should be a strength for the Red Raiders. “I don’t know how it will evolve,” Tech head coach Tim Tadlock said of his pitching staff, “but we have six or seven who could be starters.” “Our pitching staff could be one of the best in the country,” Bonnin added. “I have set a few personal goals like walks down, strikeouts up and innings up. But I am a team guy. I want to win. That’s what I came here for. I want to help us win a national championship.”

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goals b y A L P I C K ETT

When asked the goal for this year’s Texas Tech softball team, Adrian Gregory, entering her sixth season as the Red Raider head coach, doesn’t hesitate. “To host a regional,” said Gregory. “Fifteen of the 16 teams that hosted a regional went to the super regional, and seven of the eight super regional hosts advanced to the Women’s College World Series. We want to finish among the top 16 and then see what happens.” Gregory’s team is right there as the season begins, ranked as No. 16 in the nation in the inaugural D1 Softball Top 25 Poll. The Red Raiders are coming off one of the best seasons in school history, going 42-16 and making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012. They received their first top-10 ranking in program history and spent a record 14 straight weeks ranked in the top 25. In softball, it all begins in the circle, and Tech returns its top two pitchers from a year ago. “We rode our two pitchers pretty hard,” Gregory acknowledged. Senior right-hander Missy Zoch was 18-10 with a 2.71 earned run average last season, while junior lefty Erin Edmoundson went 20-5 with a 2.89 ERA. They combined to throw all but 35 innings for the Raiders last spring. Despite that returning experience, Gregory says pitching depth is the key for her team this year. “We need more depth,” she explained. “You can learn so much with technology, with video

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and analytics on ball movement and spin rotation. When I first started, using analytics wasn’t that prevalent. Now, more and more teams are using it. There is so much data on each hitter.” Gregory said Texas Tech uses several different services, whether it is relying simply on statistics or using programs that identify spin rotation and exit velocity off the barrel of the bat. Sophomore Morgan Hornback, who was the only pitcher besides Zoch and Edmondson to throw last season, and senior transfer Gigi Wall from Oklahoma City University will provide that pitching depth this year, according to Gregory. Offensively, Tech is led by senior centerfielder Karli Hamilton, who was named to the Softball America 2020 NCAA Preseason All-America Third Team. Hamilton led the Big 12 Conference with 73 hits and a school-record eight triples and finished second in the league with a .427 batting average during the regular season a year ago. “Karli is a very intelligent player,” Gregory said. “She really works hard and has an elite swing. She does her due diligence and is a student of her at-bats watching video. She knows how to adjust at the plate. She doesn’t miss many pitches.” In addition to its 1-2 punch in the circle, Tech returns its entire outfield and most of its solid infield, including junior third baseman Breanna Russell and sophomore second baseman Zoe Jones. “We did lose three key positions, including shortstop Jessica Hartwell,” Gregory noted. “We

have to fill those spots.” Among those battling for playing time on the infield are sophomore Miranda Padilla, sophomore Myamie Thompson, senior Shelby Henderson, senior Yvonne Whaley and freshman Alanna Barraza. Hamilton, junior Heaven Burton and sophomore Peyton Blythe return in the outfield, and Kelcy Leach, who started 56 games behind the plate last year, is back at catcher. Freshman Kamryn Caldwell and Maddie Westmoreland, a junior transfer from Indiana, will provide depth at catcher. Hornback and Michaela Cochran, who missed last season with an injury after starting more than 50 games in center field as a freshman, are among those competing to be the team’s designated player. Gregory called her newest recruits “a talented class,” that includes seven freshmen and transfers Westmoreland and Wall. She listed left-handed first baseman Chloe Cobb from Katy and League City’s Brianna Cantu, who can play either first or third base, as two freshmen who could play right away for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech has games this spring against 16 opponents who reached the 1029 NCAA Tournament, including half of the field at the Women’s College World Series. “We are excited for the challenge,” Gregory said. “You can’t simulate pressure without facing that kind of competition. We are not afraid to put our team in the pressure cooker.”

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Texas Tech

NOTEBOOK b y B RA N D O N S O L I Z

First McDonald’s All-American

A Leader

Nimari Burnett hasn’t stepped foot on campus as a full-time student-athlete but has already made history for the Red Raiders. Burnett was selected to participate in the McDonald’s All-American Game, a first for any Red Raider basketball signee. The fivestar standout, who signed with Texas Tech in November, was one of 24 players selected for the event. Burnett is the highest-ranked recruit in Texas Tech men’s basketball history. He ranks within the top-30 players in the nation in his 2020 signing class according to Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports.

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Kyler Edwards has had to develop on and off the court faster than most of his peers. The true sophomore, one of three returners from Texas Tech’s national runner-up team from a season ago, has shouldered a heavy load from a production and leadership standpoint this season. Edwards, according to head coach Chris Beard, bought into being a leader with Moretti as the Red Raiders introduced 10 new players to the roster, including five true freshmen and graduate transfers TJ Holyfield and Chris Clarke. It was a gradual process for Edwards, but his performance really began to pick-up as the team entered the heart of its Big 12 schedule. Edwards posted more than 20 points in backto-back games starting with a road victory against Kansas State. He notched 24 points in Manhattan and then followed it up with 22 at home against Iowa State, shooting 8-of-10 from 3-point range combined. “It’s his process. It’s what he does,” Beard said. “There hasn’t been some kind of magical moment. He hasn’t, like, come out to practice and had a certain kind of headband on or a new pair of shoes. He just works. It’s two back-toback games. Let’s try to get to three, four, five, six. You know, when he finds that next plateau of his game where he’s six out of seven or seven out of eight doing these things then he won’t be here much longer. That wouldn’t be a bad thing because that means he’s reached his goal to become a pro.”

It’s 2020 Texas Tech football coach Matt Wells and his coaching staff wrapped up their first full calendar year in Lubbock by adding 20 new players to the team during the December and February signing periods. Ethan Carde, a Florida native, is one of four transfers to the program and he is classified as a sophomore after playing football at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. Carde played tackle on the offensive line for Coffeyville and will have three years of eligibility as a Red Raider. Three juniors round out the transfer group for Wells. Linebackers Brandon Bouyer-Randle, a Michigan State grad transfer, and Krishon Merriweather, who played JUCO ball at Garden City Community College, are joining the program to bolster Keith Patterson’s defense. Devin Drew joins Texas Tech after a stint at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was one of the nation’s top junior college defensive ends and chose to play for Texas Tech over the likes of Maryland, Nebraska, North Texas, SMU and UNLV. Out of the 16 freshmen signed by the Red Raiders, several could have an immediate impact. Wide receiver Loic Fouonji was the Red Raiders’ highest-ranked signee, and the 6-foot-4 standout could see immediate playing time at one of the team’s two outside receiver positions. Myles Price was viewed as an athlete coming out of high school as he played both receiver and running back. His versatility will be a strength with the Red Raiders, as he can be a threat out of the backfield and at slot receiver. Philip Blidi, the top-ranked recruit in the state of New Mexico, signed with Texas Tech in February after recording 160 tackles, including 32 for a loss and 15 sacks in his last two seasons at Portales High School. In total, the Red Raiders added a balanced class to their roster, with 10 players on offense and 10 on defense.

Jones (pictured, below) arrives on the South Plains after spending the past 12 seasons coaching at Duke. He has 22 years of experience coaching defensive backs and has coached with both Wells and defensive coordinator Keith Patterson before. “Coach Jones has long been one of the top defensive backs coaches in the country, and we couldn’t be happier for him to join our staff,” Wells said in a Texas Tech Athletics release. “Our players will love playing for coach Jones. He has a knack for getting the most out of his players and pushing them to be their best on and off the field. He is an elite recruiter who will have an immediate impact here in that area.”

The Shuffle Matt Wells’ defensive coaching staff will have two new faces on it when Texas Tech opens up spring football in March. Kerry Cooks and Julius Brown, who both coached defensive backs for the Red Raiders last season, will not return to Lubbock for the 2020 season. In their place will be new linebackers coach Kevin Cosgrove and new secondary coach Derek Jones. Cosgrove (pictured, above) was the lead defensive analyst for LSU in 2019, and he brings almost 40 years of coaching experience to Lubbock. His previous stops include stints coordinating defenses at Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota. Most recently, before LSU, he spent seven seasons at New Mexico. “We are pleased to welcome a coach to our staff with such significant experience like coach Cosgrove,” Wells said in a Texas Tech Athletics release. “His defenses have always been wellprepared and aggressive over his career, which fits the culture we are looking to build here at Texas Tech.”

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