PREVIEW: No.11 Texas Tech Looks to Re-Enter Big 12 Title Race on the Road vs No. 3 Texas

Lubbock, Texas– No. 11 Texas Tech (28-10, 8-7) will be on the road this weekend as they will face the no. 3 Texas Longhorns (34-9, 12-3) at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Game times will be 2 p.m. CST on April 30th, and 2:30 p.m. CST on May 1st and May 2nd. Games 2 and 3 will be streamed to the Longhorn Network (game 1 is TBD).

Texas is coming off of a close series win against Oklahoma State. They took the first two matchups, before dropping the series finale in Stilwater. On Tuesday they hosted Incarnate Word and were able to come away with a 5-3 win.

Big 12 Implications

Texas is currently tied for the lead in the Big 12 with TCU as both teams have a conference record of 12-3. This series holds a lot at stake for the Big 12 title race.

A series win for Texas would all but cement a two-team race down the stretch for UT and TCU, but if the Red Raiders can come away with the series then it would keep the door open for a potential Texas Tech run towards the back half of the schedule.

Texas Pitching

On the mound for the Longhorns, they have been led by a duo of elite starting pitchers. Tristen Stevens (7-1, 2.74 ERA, 62.1 IP) and Ty Madden (6-1, 1.68, 64.1). The duo is first and second in the Big 12 in wins and both are top 10 in ERA and innings pitched.

Other starting pitchers for Texas include Kolby Kubichek and Pete Hanson. Both players have started nine or more games as they have alternated roles as being midweek pitchers and Sunday pitchers. They have served as very crucial depth guys for Texas (both of these pitchers have an ERA below 3.5).

In the Texas bullpen, the elite pitching continues. Five guys have pitched for at least 14 games. Their numbers are listed below.

Texas Hitting

At the plate, the Longhorns are a fairly average team. Three key names to look out for are Ivan Melendez, Zach Zubia, and Cam Williams. Each of these players are right around the 1.000 mark for OPS to go along with 9, 6, and 8 home runs respectively. Their stats are below.

Game Notes

The last matchup between these two teams was a 2019 series that saw the Longhorns take 2 out of 3 at Disch-Falk Field (the matchup last year was cancelled due to COVID-19)

Texas is currently first in the Big 12 standings

Texas Tech is currently third in the Big 12 standings

This is a strength on strength matchup (Texas has the best pitching staff in the conference and Texas Tech has one of the best hitting lineups in the conference)

Up Next

No. 11 Texas Tech will head to Amarillo to face off against the Oklahoma Sooners for what is being coined as the Red Dirt Rivalry. The game will be held at Hodgetown and first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. CST.

The radio call will be on the TTSN, but there is no confirmation of what TV network the game will be streaming from at this time.