Iowa Baseball: Texas Tech Preview

WEEKEND SERIES: AT TEXAS TECH (12-2)

The Iowa Baseball team is off to a 10-1 start, which is their best start since 1942 when they started 12-1. They traveled to Mobile last weekend for the South Alabama Invitational and they swept the weekend defeating Southern, Pepperdine and the host South Alabama. The Hawkeyes followed that up with a win over Coe College on Tuesday.

Now, the Hawkeyes are ready for their first true road test of the season. A trip to Lubbock, Texas for a three-game weekend against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Tim Tadlock led squad comes into the weekend with a 12-2 record, including wins over Michigan, New Mexico and a four-game sweep of Gonzaga. Their two losses come against Rice and #15 Texas A&M.

THE NUMBERS

OFFENSE: IOWA: 8.6 runs (46th), 10.9 hits (36th), .305 AVG (54th) TECH: 10.1 runs (16th), 11.1 hits (26th), .314 AVG (35th)

PITCHING: IOWA: 3.2 runs (14th), 6.8 hits (22nd), 11.4 SO/9 (24th) TECH: 4.9 runs (56th), 7.9 hits (68th), 8.9 SO/9 (151st)

DEFENSE: IOWA: 0.6 errors per game (18th), .983 fielding (26th) TECH: 2.0 errors per game (274th), .951 fielding (253rd)

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY – RHP Jr Ty Langenberg vs RHP rSoph Brendan Girton

Ty Langenberg is not off to the start that most fans expected. He has allowed 5+ hits in all three starts and is allowing 1.36 hits per inning. This past weekend against Southern, Langenberg got through 5.0 innings, but allowed three earned runs on six hits, while walking six and striking out four. Against a tough Red Raiders lineup, the Hawkeyes will need Ty to be sharp. He struck out ten and walked just two in 5.0 innings last year when Texas Tech visited Iowa City.

Brendan Girton has pitched on all three Friday’s so far this season, including two starts. He has a 2.35 ERA over 15.1 innings, including 14 strikeouts to eight walks. In his last start against Rice, he was not incredibly sharp. Girton threw 91 pitches over 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on two hits. He struck out five, but walked four.

SATURDAY – RHP Soph Brody Brecht vs LHP Soph Mason Molina

After working really hard against LSU to limit eight walks to just two runs, Brody Brecht bounced back with a more complete performance against Pepperdine last Sunday. He got through 4.0 innings and after a solo home run in the first inning, the Waves were held silent. Brecht struck out six and walked three.

The preseason All-Big 12 selection Mason Molina has started on all three Saturday’s this year, so it is fair to assume that will not change. Molina comes into the weekend with a 2.93 ERA over 15.1 innings. He is averaging 14.12 strikeouts per nine innings. Last time out against Michigan, Molina allowed three runs on three hits over 6.0 innings. He struck out 11 and walked just one. Mason Molina will be a tough matchup on Saturday.

SUNDAY – RHP Soph Marcus Morgan vs TBD

Marcus Morgan, like Brecht, is working to gain some consistency on the mound. After a rough start against Kansas State, Marcus put up 4.0 solid innings against South Alabama last weekend. He allowed two runs, which were both walks that came around to score. Other than that, Morgan struck out seven and allowed just three hits. Rick Heller says he thinks Marcus is on the cusp of figuring things out.

True freshman Taber Fast has gotten the Sunday start the past two weekends. He has a 4.09 ERA over three appearances, but has just five strikeouts to seven walks. Last time out against Texas A&M, Fast allowed just one run on three hits over 4.0 innings, but had five walks to just two strikeouts. A pitcher that you have to take advantage of if they give you those chances.

Eight Red Raiders Players to Watch

1. 1B Gavin Kash- Kash transferred in from Texas after making just four starts for the Longhorns as a true freshman. So far, Kash has been swinging a hot bat. He is batting .464 with an impressive .536 on-base percentage. He has a team leading 26 hits, 11 extra base hits and four home runs, while also driving in 20 runs. Kash has a hit in 11 of 14 games, including eight multi-hit games. The hardest out in the Tech lineup to this point.

2. CF Dillon Carter- A mainstay in the lower half of the lineup last season, Dillon Carter is off to a good start this season. He batted ninth for the Red Raiders 30 times in 44 starts last season and put up a lackluster .199 batting average, with a 41.0% strikeout rate. So far this year, Carter is batting .400, including a .551 on-base percentage. He already has four multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games.

3. 3B Kevin Bazzell- The redshirt freshman transfer from Dallas Baptist has gotten off to a good start this season. He is batting .351 in 14 starts and has a team-leading 11 extra base hits. Bazzell has a hit in 13 of 14 games, including 7 multi-hit games.

4. 2B Austin Green- The Weatherford College transfer has started 13 games for the Red Raiders so far this season. He is batting .372 with a .476 on-base percentage. The impressive stat for him, is just four strikeouts in 57 plate appearances. Green has a pair of home runs and leads the team with 21 RBI’s.

5. DH Ty Coleman- Coleman was a preseason All-Big 12 selection this season after hitting .318 last season for the Red Raiders. He was fourth on the team with 71 hits, while also racking up 14 doubles, eight home runs and 59 RBI’s. Coleman has started just seven games this season, but had a five hit game against Gonzaga in the opening weekend. If he is in the lineup, he is a bat to watch.

7. RHP Brandon Beckel- Beckel made 18 relief appearances for Tech last season and put up a 5.32 ERA over 23.2 innings. He accumulated 29 strikeouts to 12 walks. He has been a shutdown arm in four appearances this season. Beckel has pitched 8.2 innings and has yet to allow an earned run, while racking up 12 strikeouts to four walks.

8. RHP Andrew Devine- Devine appeared in 16 games last season, including 12 appearances out of the bullpen. He posted a 4.30 ERA over 23.0 innings, with 26 strikeouts to 15 walks. He has been good in five appearances this season. Devine has a 1.42 ERA over 6.1 innings, including seven strikeouts.

WEDNESDAY MIDWEEK vs ST THOMAS (1-8)

Iowa will face St Thomas in a midweek contest on March 15th. The Tommies were 15-28 record last season and finished in fifth place in the Summit League. The Hawkeyes defeated them 6-5 in their only midweek matchup last year. St Thomas is off to a poor 1-8 start this season, and are scoring just 2.44 runs per game. This weekend, they face Illinois-Chicago in a four-game series.

Two Tommies Players to Watch

1. OF Ben Vujovich- Vujovich is a preseason All-Summit selection and arguably the best player on the St Thomas squad. He batted .287 last season with a .365 on-base percentage and led the team with 14 extra base hits. This season, Vujovich is batting .250 and is second on the team with nine hits.

2. OF Brigs Richartz- Richartz is off to a .297 start at the plate. He leads the team with 11 hits and has a hit in eight of nine games played. Richartz batted .260 last season and was second on the team with 11 extra base hits. He was tied for the team lead with 44 hits and had ten multi-hit games.

FINAL THOUGHT

Set the over/under for the week at 2.5 wins. St Thomas should be an easy one on Wednesday, which means the weekend O/U is set at 1.5 wins. The Red Raiders are 259-75 at Rip Griffin Park since it opened 2012, so it is not an easy place to win at. It is going to take really good efforts at the plate, on the mound and in the field, but the Hawkeyes are capable of winning the series. Limiting free bases will be the biggest key because Texas Tech will take advantage of them, unlike some other opponents Iowa has faced.

The weekend in Lubbock gets underway on Friday with a 6:30pm first pitch. The whole series will be streamed on ESPN+.