Maybe there is something to this fried chicken business after all.
Tech pitcher James Leverton said the Texas Tech baseball team bought a bucket of KFC before Sunday's game and the Red Raiders have been rubbing their bats with the chicken, then refreezing the chicken for the next game.
In the three games since this experiment started, Tech has won all three games and has scored 41 runs. Outfielder Chris Richburg, who missed six weeks of the season with a broken leg, has caught fire recently, including hitting for the cycle Tuesday in the Red Raiders' 16-10 victory against New Mexico State. He said the night was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"It's one of those nights you only hope to experience throughout your baseball career," Richburg said. "Besides the fact of the cycle, it was a good win for us."
Tech coach Larry Hays said he does not understand the fried chicken superstition or recall the scene in the 1989 movie "Major League" where the Cleveland Indians used a similar technique to break out of a slump.
"I'm not even going to cover that," he said. "I don't understand what they're doing. I guess I don't remember that movie, (but) whatever they want to cook up, that's fine with me."
The Red Raiders (20-23, 5-13 in Big 12 Conference) will put the chicken to the test in a three-game series with Oklahoma (26-16-1, 4-10-1) starting at 6:05 p.m. today at Dan Law Field.
The Sooners are coming off a loss to Southern Nazarene, an NAIA school, 8-4. The Crimson Storm's victory of OU is the first against a Division I team since SNU reinstated baseball in 1997.
Tech closer Zach Stewart (2-1, 3.90 ERA) is scheduled to get the start today, his first of the season. He said he plans to pace himself more than when he is in the closer role.
"When I only throw one inning, I can come out and throw a little harder," Stewart said. "I'm gonna be on a pitch count, surely, so I'll probably have to take it easy as far as I've only thrown at most 40 pitches (in an outing) all year."
Leverton will move into the closer slot, and Hays said Leverton has what it takes to fill the void left by Stewart.
"James has got the mentality you want playing first, short, third, pitch, whatever," Hays said. "He's got the right mentality, and if he gets beat, it's because it's a physical situation for him, not a mental. He fits the role and he's kind of been that way. Our problem (is) our starting pitching hasn't been consistent enough to do everything coach (Dan) Spencer had set up Leverton and Cloud, left and right, giving the ball to Stewart, we just haven't had enough of those opportunities."
OU is scheduled to start with Andrew Doyle (5-3, 3.46 ERA), who has been one of the more consistent pitchers for the Sooners this season.
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