Florida Baseball: 2023 Gainesville Regional preview, prediction
By Matt Melton
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Speaking of the Red Raiders, Texas Tech of the Big 12 enters the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the 2023 Gainesville Regional.
Led by head coach Tim Tadlock, the Red Raiders enter the postseason at 39-21 overall, as well as 12-12 in Big 12 play, and have struggled at times on the road this season, owning a 6-10 record. Texas Tech is also coming off a strong showing at the Big 12 Tournament this past week in which the Red Raiders advanced to the semifinals.
Yet another impressive offensive team in this regional, Texas Tech is currently batting for a .309 AVG as a team, and are led by one of the Big 12’s top power hitters in Gavin Kash at a .333 AVG with 24 HR and 81 RBI. The Red Raiders also have four additional .300+ hitters in Nolen Hester, Kevin Bazzell, Gage Harrelson, and Hudson White, while Austin Green is another prominent name to know.
Texas Tech’s pitching staff owns a combined 5.01 ERA, with a constant in their starting rotation this season having been left-hander Mason Molina, who owns a 3.72 ERA and 98:33 K:BB ratio across 15 starts. Zane Petty and Trendan Parish have also started games for Texas Tech so far this season, while the Red Raiders bullpen features the likes of Ryan Free, Brandon Beckel, Brendan Girton, and more.
As mentioned previously, Texas Tech will begin play at the 2023 Gainesville Regional on Friday afternoon against UConn.