LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech baseball checked in at No. 25 in Baseball America’s Preseason College Top 25, the publication announced today.
It is the third poll the Red Raiders have appeared in over the preseason. Tech posted a No. 14 spot by D1 Baseball on Jan. 16, while being slotted at No. 29 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper on Dec. 20. The Red Raiders have posted a preseason top 25 ranking for three consecutive years. Four of Tech’s 2017 opponents appear in this week’s Baseball America poll.
Last season, the Red Raiders navigated through their slate to their third-straight 30+ win season behind a 47-20 record, including a 19-5 conference mark en route to a No. 5 national seed and a final ranking of No. 4. Tech earned their fifth conference title and returned to the College World Series for the second time in three years last season. Their 47 wins were the third-most in school history and was the second 45+ win season under head coach Tim Tadlock.
The Red Raiders return 17 letterwinners from last year’s championship squad, including All-American outfielder Tanner Gardner and Freshman All-Americans Steven Gingery and Davis Martin.
Gardner became the 34th All-America honoree in school history with his nod from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) after producing a team-high .379 batting average with 89 hits, including 19 doubles, six triples and three home runs, along with 35 RBI and 55 runs scored. He was also a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection.
Gingery and Martin both earned Freshman All-America accolades after a strong debut season in the scarlet & black. Gingery led the Red Raiders with 63 strikeouts after putting together a 4-2 record overall, including a spotless 3-0 conference record and a 1.85 ERA. Martin also had a clean Big 12 mark going 6-0 in league play on his way to a 10-1 overall record.
Martin earned a total of four Freshman All-America honors in 2016 and garnered 2017 Preseason All-America accolades from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper on Dec. 19.
The Red Raiders open this year’s slate on the road with a pair of two-game series against Mississippi State and Western Illinois beginning Feb. 17 in Starkville, Mississippi.