Moving up the ladder for the fourth straight week, the Texas Tech softball team (24-1) broke into the top-10 for the first time in program history with a No. 10 ranking in theESPN.com./USA Softball Top-25 Poll. The Red Raiders were also recognized as No. 13 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches To-25 Poll on Tuesday, March 12.

The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 for the fifth consecutive week and rank second in the nation with a .960 winning percentage. Tech is one of two teams to have suffered just one loss this season. The Red Raiders also ranked No. 11 in Softball America’s Top-25 Poll, which is in its first year of existence.

Riding an 11-game win streak into the weekend, the Red Raiders have posted double-digit hits in their last five games and run-ruled their opponents in six out of seven games last week. Junior Karli Hamilton played a huge role in Tech’s offensive efforts and was rewarded with her second Big 12 Player of the Week award this season. Hamilton now ties for first in the NCAA with six triples on the season.

The Houston native led the league last week with four home runs, 15 RBI, 30 total bases and became Tech’s all-time leader in triples after hitting three in seven games. After the week, Hamilton ties for 10th overall in the Big 12 record books with 11 career triples in her three seasons as a Red Raider. She finished the week with five putouts and now leads the league with six triples, 30 runs scored and 62 total bases while ranking in the top-five in hits (36), steals (9) and RBI (21).

The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 and rank third in the nation with an impressive .363 batting average and .448 on-base percentage, fifth in scoring with 7.48 runs per game, sixth with a .593 slugging percentage and rank seventh overall with a .980 fielding percentage.

The Red Raiders will continue action this weekend at the Tiger Classic in Memphis, Tenn. Tech will face North Alabama and Murray State on Friday, March 15, before facing host Memphis on Saturday. The Red Raiders will wrap up the Tiger Classic against Maine on Sunday. Live stats will be available for all games. For all the latest information on the Texas Tech softball team, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechSB on Twitter and Instagram.

 (Courtesy: Texas Tech Sports Communications Department)