Photo from the TTU Baseball Facebook page
By Chance Chambers
Texas Tech finished their season with a home series loss to Stanford earlier this month, being out-scored 24-3 in the final two games of the 2021 campaign.
While it was a tough series for the Red Raiders, Texas Tech pitcher Brandon Birdsell said the team will only come back stronger.
“I believe we’re nothing short of a championship,” Birdsell said. “You just need a clubhouse full of guys who are willing to give everything they have for each other.”
Early in June, the Red Raiders swept the Lubbock Regional defeating UCLA, Army, and North Carolina. Texas Tech would then matchup with No. 9 ranked Stanford in Lubbock.
Stanford won their regional, where the Cardinals defeated North Dakota State, Nevada, and UC Irvine, according to the NCAA website.
In Game 1, Stanford starter Brandon Beck threw 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out a career high 13 batters. Stanford right fielder Christian Robinson added four RBIs on two hits. Beck and Robinson led Stanford to a 15-3 win in Game 1 of the series.
Brandon Birdsell (TexasTech.com)
Game 2 was led by Stanford center fielder Brock Jones, as he mashed two home runs and added six RBIs. The Texas Tech offense could not get anything going, only tallying two hits throughout the game. Stanford took Game 2 by a score of 9-0, and moved on to the College World Series for the first time since 2009.
Birdsell, a junior at Texas Tech, said the loss to Stanford at home was unexpected.
“We didn’t play to our full potential,” Birdsell said. “Stanford had a really good series. They were hot at the right time, and we weren’t.”
With an injury-ridden pitching staff early in the season, Birdsell said if the Red Raiders had all of the talent available it would have been a different ending.
“We made it to the Super Regional, and we lost,” Birdsell said, “but with four of the top arms out on the team and a couple of big bats out on the team–I’d say we did pretty well.”
The Red Raiders finished the season with a 39-17 record, according to the Texas Tech athletics web page.
Hunter Dobbins, a junior pitcher on the Tech staff, said this season taught him many lessons.
Hunter Dobbins (TexasTech.com)
“I think the biggest lesson it taught me was to focus on the process,” Dobbins said, “not the end goal.”
According to Dobbins, he tore his UCL one week prior to opening day. This required Tommy John surgery for Dobbins, taking him away from the team for the entire season.
Dobbins said this season took more persistence than years past, as the team dealt with many obstacles along the way. He said he looks forward to next season.
“Overall, we did a really good job,” Dobbins said. “We had some key guys step and fill some holes, and it makes you excited for next season.”
Tadlock managed to make a run to the Super Regional despite many injuries, Dobbins said. The junior pitcher said he believes in Tadlock’s ability to put together a talented team.
“We’ve basically turned it into kind of like a brotherhood, a family in the locker room,” Dobbins said. “Not only with us players, but with the coaching staff.”
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