Young Guns: Tech Baseball Implements New Key Players

By Everett Corder

The Texas Tech baseball team finished its fall schedule Tuesday with the Red team defeating the Black team three games to two in the Red & Black Series.

Dividing the overall roster creates some holes on each team, Tech coach Tim Tadlock said, but having 11 total freshmen bodes well for the future of a program that went to the College World Series just two years into Tadlock’s tenure.

“Those guys all have a chance to be really as good as we’ve had,” Tadlock said. “You know, you really like your options as far as one time through the lineup, definitely. If they develop into more than that this year, that’d be great, and I kind of think some of them will. We just don’t know which ones of them will right now.”

Most of these freshmen, as well as several junior college transfers, are on the pitching staff, and Tadlock said the team will need a few of them or returning players to make a big impact.

Tech lost two key pitching staff members last year in Dominic Moreno and Corey Taylor. Both Moreno and Taylor contributed in various roles during their time with the Red Raiders, and Taylor finished last season with the lowest ERA in the NCAA.

Tadlock said no one in particular stood out in the fall camp, but everybody had the opportunity to throw a lot of innings, which will definitely help once they get to spring preseason preparation.

“We have had a lot of young guys, and a few junior college guys do a good job throwing strikes and attacking the zone,” Tadlock said. “I wouldn’t say there is a clear-cut guy on our pitching staff right now. We like our depth and our numbers.”

One young player who stood out the most of the pitching staff was infielder Trey Ochoa, Tadlock said.

Ochoa went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in game five of the Red & Black Series. Tadlock said his speed on the base paths and versatility in the field make him an incredibly valuable asset to the team.

“Ochoa’s got a chance to play all three (infield) spots,” Tadlock said.  “It’s just a matter of figuring out which one. He really came on and swung the bat well in the last month. He started off a little slow, but he got on base as much as anybody.”

Ochoa and several other freshmen even impressed some upperclassmen, senior pitcher Ryan Moseley said.

The Red Raiders already had a good group of returning players, Moseley said, and the new additions for the fall have made everybody work hard and get better.

“It’s going to be really tough to make that opening day lineup,”Moseley said. “I would hate to be coach Tadlock because that’s stressful. We have a lot of depth, and we have a lot of guys coming back that have played really well this fall and a lot of newcomers that look great, too.”