 "Photo: Brad Tollefson")
It’s only been two games, but one team in the Texas Tech baseball Red-Black Series already is getting the upper hand.
The Tech men’s baseball Black team defeated the Red team 7-6 Friday and 11-3 Sunday in the intrasquad scrimmage. The annual series began at 5 p.m. Friday and continued at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Dan Law Field. The Red Raiders have three more scheduled scrimmages at 4 p.m. Tuesday, 5 p.m. Wednesday and 5 p.m. Thursday.
This is one of the few times the Red Raiders get a chance to play in front of fans, as the Red-Black Series usually indicates the end of fall practice.
“Hopefully there is some game day pressure and we want to see how guys are going to respond and get a feel for who will respond in the spring,” said Tech coach Dan Spencer, who begins his second season as head coach. “The mental thing of playing every day, of playing games regularly and getting guys to pitch out of the bullpen, pitch in roles.”
“We also had a lot of competition at some different positions so that has been good in fostering some depth.”
With a chance to play in front of a crowd for the first time this fall, Tech pointed out some strengths this year’s squad has and the weaknesses as well.
Spencer has said he hopes to use the Red-Black Series to see who will make the most strides in earning a starting role before the season approaches.
Despite a 25-32 record last season and a seventh-place finish in the Big 12 Conference, the Red Raiders reached the Big 12 Tournament after missing it the previous two seasons.
Tech was one win away from reaching the championship game of the tournament.
Returning to the roster for the Red Raiders this season are Honorable Mention All-Big 12 players, Chad Bettis, Joey Kenworthy, Taylor Ashby and Scott LeJeune.
Kenworthy said playing in a competitive atmosphere is vital to the growth of the team and its chemistry.
“The fall gets really long,” said Kenworthy, who led the team last season with 77 hits. “We are just playing in front of nobody but as soon as we get people in the stands and get games to actually mean something and you’re actually playing from something. It’s a little more intense and guys play a little harder and what not and it puts a better feeling out there for us.”
There may be something on the line for the players. Bettis said before the series started that the losing team might have to do extra conditioning.
Although fall practice is coming to an end, the start of the 2009-2010 season still is a few months away.
The Red Raiders, who posted a 15-7 record at home last season, begin with the Red Raider Classic hosting Jacksonville State and Michigan Feb. 19 at Dan Law Field. Tech’s first 14 games are at home.
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