Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball

Infobox College baseball team
name = Texas Tech Red Raiders
founded = 1925

logo_size = 150px
university = Texas Tech University
conference = Big 12 Conference
conference_short = Big 12
division = South
city = Lubbock
stateabb = TX
state = Texas
coach = Dan Spencer
tenure = 1st
stadium = Dan Law Field
capacity = 5,050
nickname = Red Raiders
color1 = Scarlet
color2 = Black
color3 =
fontcolor = white
hex1 = CC0000
hex2 = 000000
hex3 =
national_champion =
cws =
ncaa_tourneys = 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
conference_tournament = 1996, 1998
conference_champion = 1995, 1997

The Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team represents Texas Tech University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference and plays at Dan Law Field.

History

Early years

Behind football and men's basketball, baseball is the third oldest sport at Texas Tech. The initial team organized in 1925 and the first game, an 18–9 victory over West Texas State Teachers College, was played in 1926.cite web|url=http://texastech.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/text/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2008mediaguide|title=2008 Baseball Media Guide|accessdate=2008-07-06|publisher=Texas Tech University Official Athletic Site] In the following game, the team suffered its first ever loss, 14–9 to the team it had previously defeated. The third game in the team's history—this one against Daniel Baker College—ended in a 3–3 tie after 11 innings.cite web|url=http://texastech.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/archive/text-m-basebl-scores.html|title=Texas Tech Year-by-Year Scores|accessdate=2008-07-06|publisher=Texas Tech University Official Athletic Site]

E. Y. Freeland was the first coach of the Red Raiders, though the team was known as the Matadors at the time. He remained in the position for three years before R. Grady Higginbotham took the role. Higginbotham coached for only two years. From 1930 to 1953, Tech did not field an intercollegiate baseball team. When the program returned in 1954, Beattie Feathers became the head coach of the Red Raiders and remained until 1960. He was followed by Berl Huffman (1961-1967), Kal Segrist (1968-1983), and Gary Ashby (1984-1986). Upon Ashby's departure, Larry Hays became the head coach of the team.

Larry Hays era

Larry Hays took over the Red Raiders baseball team in 1987. Under Hays, Texas Tech endured only two losing seasons, his first and last, and enjoyed their greatest success in baseball. Hays took Tech from having a losing tradition to being a national contender. When Hays started with the Red Raiders, the team's overall record stood at 550–576. By the time he left, he was the fourth-winningest coach is college baseball history and the team's record had improved to 1,365–1,054–9.cite web|url=http://media.www.dailytoreador.com/media/storage/paper870/news/2008/06/03/Sports/Larry.Hays.Steps.Down.As.Tech.Baseballs.Head.Coach-3377769.shtml|title=Larry Hays steps down as Tech baseball's head coach|accessdate=2008-07-04|publisher="The Daily Toreador"] The Red Raiders reached eight straight NCAA tournaments from 1995-2002 and again in 2004, three of which were held at Dan Law Field. [cite web|url=http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/060308/spo_285725492.shtml|title=Larry Hays ends 22-year love affair with Texas Tech baseball|accessdate=2008-07-04|publisher="Lubbock Avalanche-Journal"|author=George Watson] They also won two conference championships, in 1995 (while still in the Southwest Conference) and 1997, and two conference tournament championships, in 1996 and 1998.

Dan Spencer era

On June 2, 2008, Larry Hays announced his retirement, paving the way for assistant coach Dan Spencer to take over. Spencer, a former Tech player, one of which was during Hay's first year in 1987, has won back-to-back national championships as an assistant head coach for the Oregon State Beavers. [cite web|url=http://www.big12sports.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/061408aaa.html|title=Dan Spencer Named Head Baseball Coach at Texas Tech|accessdate=2008-07-04|publisher=Big 12 Conference]

Head Coaches

Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament

*The NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament started in 1947.
*The format of the tournament has changed through the years.

Red Raiders in the Major Leagues

At least 20 former Texas Tech Red Raiders went on to play Major League Baseball. [ [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/college/texas_tech_university_baseball_players.shtml Baseball Almanac: Texas Tech University Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues] ] Seven more Red Raiders were taken in the 2008 MLB Draft. [cite web|url=http://media.www.dailytoreador.com/media/storage/paper870/news/2008/06/10/Sports/Tech-Baseball.Draftees.Embark.Careers.As.Major.League.Hopefuls-3379993.shtml|title=Tech baseball draftees embark careers as Major League hopefuls|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher="The Daily Toreador"]

*Doug Ault
*Josh Bard
*Dallas Braden
*Mark Brandenburg
*Stubby Clapp
*Joe Dillon
*Travis Driskill
*Donald Harris
*Chuck Harrison
*Mike Humphreys
*Keith Ginter
*Jeff Karstens
*Brandon Kolb
*Trey Lunsford
*Matt Miller
*Ryan Nye
*Chris Sampson
*Travis Smith
*Moe Turner
*Steve Watkins

References

External links

* [http://texastech.cstv.com/ Texas Tech Athletics]
* [http://texastech.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/text-m-basebl-body.html Texas Tech Baseball]