Red Raider softball remains in Top 20 of national polls

LUBBOCK, Texas – This is a press release from Texas Tech athletics.

Heading into week two with a spotless 5-0 record, the Texas Tech softball team received four Top-20 nods on Tuesday, Feb. 11, after opening weekend of the 2020 season.

The Red Raiders earned a No. 15 ranking from Softball America, a No. 17 nod from D1Softball and the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and a No. 19 ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll.

Tech posted a 6-0 shutout over Houston Baptist to start the season and followed up with a 5-1 win over Jackson State on Friday, Feb. 7. The next day, Tech rallied for a 9-5 victory against host Louisiana Tech and finished the day with a 1-0 win against the Central Arkansas Bears. The Red Raiders went the distance on Sunday and ground out a thrilling 2-1 victory over Montana in 10 innings to close out the tournament.

Junior pitcher Erin Edmoundson barely missed Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors after she finished the week as the only pitcher in the league with a 3-0 record. Edmoundson limited opponents to five hits and a minuscule .088 batting average through 17.1 innings pitched. She tallied 22 strikeouts, one complete-game shutout, one combined shutout and was the only Big 12 pitcher ranked in the top 10 to come out of the weekend with a perfect, 0.00 ERA. Edmoundson allowed just two walks, finishing the week with an 11/1 strikeout ratio.

At the plate, the Red Raiders out-hit their opponents 43-24 and Kelcy Leach led the squad with a pair of home runs – both coming against Louisiana Tech. Zoe Jones was the other Red Raider to belt a homer, doing so against Jackson State. Karli Hamilton ranked among the league’s top 10 as she finished the weekend with a 7-for-14 (.500) effort at the plate with three doubles and five RBI.

Helping Edmoundson in the circle, senior Missy Zoch finished the weekend with 20 strikeouts en route to a 2-0 record. She tossed 14.2 innings and finished the weekend with a 1.43 ERA.

Tech is set to travel to Clearwater, Fla., for the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational on Feb. 13-16. For all the latest information on the Texas Tech softball team, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechSB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.