Texas Tech clinched the outright Big 12 Conference regular-season title Sunday afternoon after Oklahoma eliminated Oklahoma State from contention with a 3-1 victory at ONEOK Field in Tulsa.
Oklahoma State’s loss pushed Tech’s lead in the Big 12 standings to four games entering its final regular-season series of the year against West Virginia. The Red Raiders, who are in the midst of an open weekend on the conference schedule, clinched a share of the league title Friday night after Oklahoma defeated the Cowboys, 9-1, in Oklahoma City.
This is Tech’s third regular-season title in program history and fifth conference championship overall as the Red Raiders claimed the Southwest Conference regular-season and tournament crowns in 1995 as well as the 1997 Big 12 regular-season title and 1998 Big 12 Tournament trophy.
The regular-season title guarantees Tech the top seed at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship which will be held May 25-29 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.
The Red Raiders have won six of their seven Big 12 series this season as Tech clinched the title with a 17-4 record which marks its best mark through 21 games of league play since the conference’s inaugural 1997 campaign.
Tech has won all four of its road series as the Red Raiders took two-of-three games at Baylor (March 18-20) and No. 6 TCU (April 29-1) while also sweeping No. 16 Oklahoma State (April 8-10) and Kansas (May 6-8). The Red Raiders are one of 12 teams in conference history to win 10 or more league games away from home in a single season.
The Red Raiders, who were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll, raced out to a successful start to league play behind a school record 11-game conference winning streak that spanned an entire month (March 20-April 23). It marked the fifth-longest winning streak in conference history.
Tech will look to build on its 17-4 conference record this weekend when the Red Raiders close the regular season against West Virginia. The three-game series begins with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch Thursday evening inside Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.