There’s been a Red Raider rising in college baseball over the past decade.

Texas Tech, in the baseball-mad Big 12 Conference, had good stretches in its history prior to 2014, having made the NCAA Tournament every season from 1995-2004. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders have little in the way of hardware to show for it.

Then, when Tech got a taste of Omaha 10 years ago for the very first time, the program hit another gear.

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TTU baseball is in a golden era. The four-time College World Series qualifiers while under the tutelage of Tim Tadlock have had players going on to succeed both in Lubbock and in the pros.

Now, 10 years after first making the CWS, can the Red Raiders get back to Omaha and finish the job once and for all?

That journey will begin against Tennessee on Feb. 16 at the 2024 Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington, Texas.

Here's everything you need to know about Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball going into the 2024 season. 

How Did Texas Tech Baseball Do In 2023?

Tech was back in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive season and hit the 40 wins mark for the first time since their run to the College World Series in 2019. The Red Raiders picked up series wins against a trio of ranked teams in the process—Iowa, Oklahoma State and Stanford (split). 

Sent to the Gainesville Regional as its No. 3 seed, the Red Raiders brought host and No. 2 national seed Florida to the brink, forcing the Gators to win two games to escape out of their own regional. That left Tech narrowly missing a sixth Super Regional appearance in program history. 

Right-handed reliever Brandon Beckel was selected in the MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies (12th round, 373rd overall), extending a streak in which at least one Red Raider has been drafted by a major-league organization every year since 1988, while the program later could see one of its own—former All-American Josh Jung—achieve the ultimate prize in the pros by winning the World Series with the Texas Rangers. 

Who Coaches Texas Tech Baseball?

Tim Tadlock played shortstop at Tech from 1990-1991, achieving what was then the most successful season in Red Raiders baseball history in his second year. He helped lead the program to its first 40-win campaign. 

Since being appointed the head coach of his alma mater in 2013, however, Tadlock has smashed expectations for what’s possible in Lubbock. 

A two-time junior college national championship coach at Grayson College in 1999 and 2000, Tadlock was hired at Oklahoma as an assistant in 2006, before being hired to Tech’s staff as an assistant in 2012. He became the program’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator under Dan Spencer. 

Tadlock then was given the keys to the program as head coach a year later, and the Red Raiders have set a new standard of success in the decade-plus he’s been at the helm. 

Three Big 12 Conference titles and more than 400 Division I wins in his tenure at Tech speaks to that.

Has Texas Tech Ever Won The College World Series?

No, Texas Tech has never won the Men’s College World Series. 

The Red Raiders’ biggest accomplishments in the sport all have come recently, having made the CWS four times in the past 10 years (2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019) and coming closest to the national title in their most recent appearance in Omaha, reaching the semifinals, before being eliminated by Michigan. 

Notable Returning Players

Kevin Bazzell, C

List as a top prospect by Baseball America and MLB.com, Bazzell played third base as a redshirt freshman last season, as former Big 12 Freshman of the Year Hudson White was manning the catcher spot for the Red Raiders. 

With White having transferred to Arkansas in the offseason, that leaves Bazzell (who previously was a high school catcher) sliding in as the man behind the plate for Tech.

Currently expected to be a first- or second-round pick in this year’s MLB Draft, Bazzell’s power (.348 average, 10 home runs, 62 RBIs, .572 slugging in 2023) is his best attribute. And he’s a disciplined hitter, having 45 walks to 32 strikeouts a season ago. 

Earning a spot on the All-Big 12 first team for his performances, Bazzell—who also tied the program record for doubles with 24—and his role in the Tech setup will change, but there’s little to no worry in the Red Raiders’ camp about how he’ll adjust. 

Gavin Kash, INF

Kash only made 16 appearances in his lone season at UT in 2022, then transferred to Lubbock for his sophomore season. That season, he became a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 pick and finished as the league’s home run champion (26), RBI champion (84) and its leader in total bases (182). 

He was the spark behind Tech’s upset win in the Gainesville Regional over Florida, smashing two homers, including the go-ahead shot that broke a tie in the eighth inning.

Kash will be tabbed to be a major part of Tech’s lineup once again as a Perfect Game Second Team Preseason All-American going into the 2024 season. 

There is serious potential for the powerful Kash to approach the 30-homers mark, making him and Bazzell one of the best 1-2 punches for extra-base hits in the country, once again. 

Notable Newcomers

Cade McGee, INF

A third baseman who transferred from Gonzaga, McGee is looking to make up for lost time, as he only played in 20 games during his sophomore season in 2023 due to injury. 

When he is on the field, however, the power and production certainly are there. 

McGee has 16 homers and 51 RBIs across 75 career games and was well on pace to set career highs in both categories during his sophomore season, before being sidelined. 

He’s gone out and made himself feel right at home in Lubbock, impressing in the fall Red/Black series of scrimmages when he went 4 for 6 across the first two games with two walks, three doubles and a home run.

Landon Stripling, INF

Stripling easily could have signed for a professional squad out of high school, batting .430 during his senior season with 13 homers and 45 RBIs, but the Georgia native kept his word and signed for the Red Raiders. 

He might be the next big bat in line to immediately make waves in Lubbock as a freshman. 

A top-100 national prospect in his class at second base by Perfect Game, Stripling has a sweet left-handed swing that should help him adjust well to the college game. 

Though Tech still is sorting out its 2024 roster and which freshman recruits will redshirt, it would be no surprise to see Stripling get some action in his first year with his skillset adding more oomph to a Tech lineup that’s already certain to have plenty of juice in it.

Texas Tech Baseball Schedule 2024

All times Central (unless otherwise noted)

2024 Texas Tech Baseball Roster

How To Watch The Shriners Children's College Showdown

Watch the 2024 Shriners Children's College Showdown on FloBaseball and the FloSports app.

FloBaseball will be streaming several season-opening college baseball tournaments, including the Sanderson Ford College Classic, Snowbird Baseball and the Kubota College Baseball Series.

2024 Shriners Children's College Showdown Schedule

All times Eastern

Friday, Feb. 16 

• Noon – Nebraska vs. Baylor 
• 4 p.m. – Oregon vs. Oklahoma 
• 8 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Texas Tech

Saturday, Feb. 17 

• Noon – Baylor vs. Oregon 
• 4 p.m. – Texas Tech vs. Nebraska 
• 8 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Tennessee

Sunday, Feb. 18 

• 11:30 a.m. – Nebraska vs. Oklahoma 
• 3:30 p.m. – Oregon vs. Texas Tech 
• 7:30 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Baylor

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