Sarah Cumming
The No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders look to lead off their 2022 campaign at a familiar site, as
they head to Arlington to face off against Michigan, Auburn, and No. 15 Arizona in the State
Farm College Showdown at Globe Life Field.
Tech was swept last year in the College Showdown, as they battled in three top ten matches
against then ranked No. 8 Arkansas, No. 6 Ole Miss, and No. 7 Mississippi State.
2021 Season Recap
Texas Tech finished the 2021 Season with a 39-17 record, and 3rd in the Big 12 at 14-10. The
Red Raiders faced tough competition in the Lubbock Super Regional, as Stanford stomped out
a 2-0 sweep to keep Tech from its 3rd-straight College World Series.
Despite missing the CWS, the Red Raiders still had notable accolades.
Jace Jung was tabbed the 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year after racking up a .337 batting
average with an insane 1.159 OPS, plus 21 home runs, and 67 RBI. He joined his brother, Josh,
as the only pair of brothers to ever win the award. Jace is favored to defend his title, as he was
selected as the 2022 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year.
Head Coach Tim Tadlock, entering his 10th season at the helm, became the 2nd winningest
coach in program history, and finished with a 340-172 record.
Cal Conley received the 2021 Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation’s best collegiate
shortstop. Conley was the first Red Raider to receive the award named after the late Red
Raider, Brooks Wallace.
Conley was among the eight players selected in the 2021 MLB draft, joined by Patrick
Monteverde, Braxton Fulford, Dru Baker, Mason Montgomery, Dylan Neuse, Hunter Dobbins,
and Ryan Sublette. Jakob Brustoski also punched his ticket to the Bigs by signing as a free
agent.
Revamped and Reloaded
The draft claimed a large chunk of the core players for Tech, but there’s still power in this
program.
Right-handed pitcher Brandon Birdsell is poised to be the go-to guy on the mound. The 4th-year
junior boosted a .306 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in seven starts in his eight appearances before his
2021 bid was cut short due to a shoulder injury. Birdsell showed great command over the ball by
notching 36 strikeouts while only issuing nine walks and allowing a .216 opponent batting
average.
Cole Stilwell (.288 BA, 8 HR, 33 RBI) comes into the season as the veteran behind the dish, as
he looks to fill Fulford’s spot, while also providing infield depth.
The human Swiss Army knife, Kurt Wilson (.274 BA, 3 HR, 16 RBI), returns for his final year of
eligibility in his utility role. Other favorites returning to the starting lineups include Dillon Carter,
Parker Kelly and Cody Masters.
Tadlock picked up three Power 5 transfers in true sophomore outfielder Dalton Porter (Texas),
4th-year junior infielder/outfielder Ty Coleman (Texas A&M), and 5th-year senior outfielder
Cooper Swanson (Florida State). Porter, Coleman and Swanson add to the 11 total transfers
vying for a role on this team.
13 true freshmen also make up the roster including catcher Trevor Conley, brother of Cal, which
leaves the question: Will we see another Josh to Jace situation, as one brother hands the baton
off to the other?
Know Your Foes
Tech will face Michigan, Friday at 7 CT to begin the tournament. The Red Raiders are 7-2
all-time against the Wolverines. The last time the two teams faced was on June 21, 2019 in
Omaha at the CWS in the semi-final elimination game. The Red Raiders used a record-tying
seven pitchers, thus falling 3-15.
Michigan essentially played situational baseball all season long in 2021, as they dealt with the
Big 10’s strict COVID protocols that only allowed conference games. The Wolverines finished
27-19, and ended their season by being swept 0-2 at the South Bend Regional with losses to
UConn and Central Michigan. Michigan is the 2022 preseason runner-up for the Big 10.
On Saturday, the Red Raiders take on the Auburn Tigers for the first time in program history at 3
CT. Auburn was also in the 2019 CWS, but did not face Tech.
The Tigers suffered from inconsistency last season, ending up 25-27 overall. Auburn has made
three NCAA tournament appearances in the last five years, but was voted to finish last in the
Western Division of the SEC in 2022.
The boys in the scarlet and black round out the tournament with a top 25 matchup on Sunday,
against No. 15 Arizona at 2:30 CT. Tech is 6-11 all-time against Arizona, and 2-1 in the Tadlock
era. The last game against the Wildcats was on March 7, 2017 in Lubbock, where TTU notched
a 13-1 win. The Wildcats visited Lubbock again that same year in early June for the NCAA
Regional, but were eliminated by Sam Houston State, who went on to win the Lubbock
Regional.
Arizona beared down in 2021 with a 45-18 record and a CWS appearance. In Omaha, the
Wildcats were swept 0-2 by Vanderbilt and Stanford. The club looks to continue their success
this season under new head coach, Chip Hale, and are favored to finish 3rd in the PAC-12.
Where to Watch/Listen
Broadcast coverage for all three games is available through FloBaseball with a $30 paid
subscription to FloSports to stream.
Radio coverage is available on Texas Tech Sports Network.
Looking Ahead
Texas Tech hosts the No. 23 Dallas Baptist Patriots for their 2022 home opener on Tuesday,
February 22 at 2 CT, with a stream feed available on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Then, the Red Raiders round out next week by hosting the Kent State Golden Flashes,
February 25-27, in a 3-game weekend series with full broadcast coverage on Big 12 Now on
ESPN+