Track & Field
Red Raiders Record 18 First-Place Finishes at Texas Tech Open – https://t.co/gsIknBDwH5https://t.co/diiuv5xH4D
— Texas Tech Track & Field (@TexasTechTF) March 25, 2016
Tennis
Come join us tomorrow as our Lady Raiders take on Northwestern. We will also have our 2016 Easter Egg hunt. #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/sigF5yx2N3
— Texas Tech Women’s Tennis (@TexasTechWTEN) March 24, 2016
Softball
Check out this week's Player's Blog while you wait for tonight's game vs. ASU! https://t.co/3bcNXuc7bU#WreckEm pic.twitter.com/FQOmZ6FMdQ
— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) March 24, 2016
Red Raiders travel to No. 21 Arizona State for three-game series. https://t.co/4NXRxsON8e#WreckEm pic.twitter.com/KE3y9IzFKH
— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) March 24, 2016
Baseball
Red Raiders Shut Out Oklahoma. The Red Raiders shut out the Sooners, 5-0 last night to take the first game of the series. Freshman pitcher Davis Martin was terrific as a starter and the Red Raiders took advantage of a bunch of Sooner miscues.
Football
Possible Quarterback Shake-Up. LAJ’s Don Williams has a notebooky article with some quotes from head coach Kliff Kingsbury (we’ll cover this in a separate post) where Kingsbury talks about how Nik Shimonek’s injury could cause Jett Duffey to leapfrog Shimonek, but Shimonek isn’t going to be out an extended period of time:
The Red Raiders didn’t even make it through the first week of spring practice before the perfect world went off kilter. The hand injury that’s kept Shimonek out in March has given Duffey more chances in practice and raised the possibility that the Shimonek-as-backup/Duffey-redshirts scenario could change.
“It could. It really could,” Kingsbury said Thursday. “He’s picked it up fast. He’s doing a good job running the system.
“I have been very impressed with Nic’s progress on and off the field, and so we’ll see how he responds. He should be back next week and we’ll go from there, but I have been very pleased with the way Jett’s handled himself.”
Also discussed is that apparently with Nigel Bethel III out this spring, it’s not about eligibility, but Williams also asked if he has a roster spot and Kingsbury wasn’t committed to something like that. Also, Madison Akamnonu is at left tackle and Terence Steele is at right tackle, as well as some some notes on the running back and safety Payton Hendrix.
Recruiting Notebook. RRS’s Drew Kohnle has a weekly recruiting notebook and there are a couple of new offers as well as a note about how Xavier Martin performed in last week’s Rivals camp. Kohnle also looks at other quarterbacks in the 2017 class, but has this there:
Martin is a solid Tech pledge and has stated in the past that the coaches have told him that he will be their only signal caller taken for the 2017 class. Texas Tech is low on numbers for the QB position, however and could take a second quarterback in the 2017 class if they feel the need is there.
These things seem contradictory. I’d be fine with Texas Tech taking a second quarterback, but I do think that Martin is going to prove to be pretty special.
Fields is Ready to Run. RRS’s Kohnle also writes about how 2016 signee DeMarcus Fields is readying for track season and he likes to run as he participates in the 100m, 200m, 4×100, 4×400, long jump and triple jump. He’s already run a 10.5 in the 100 m and 21.3 in the 200m with a long jump of 24 feet. Here’s Fields on getting to know new cornerback coach Karl Scott:
Fields still keeps in contact with the Texas Tech coaching staff especially defensive coordinator David Gibbs. He likes the new defensive back hire, Karl Scott, and is excited to build a relationship with the coach.
“I need to know a little more about him, but from a person standpoint, he is great. I can’t wait to build that relationship and get to Lubbock and get on the field so he can coach me.”
With track taking up most of his time after school during weekdays, and with no real competition to practice against with football season being over, Fields could’ve easily hung up the cleats for a few months this spring. Fields has lofty goals as a lockdown corner for the next level and wasn’t going to let anything keep him off the field this spring.
Miscellaneous. The Texas Rangers will hold their Texas Tech University Day on May 13th against Toronto . . . 24/7 Sports’ Kevin Flaherty has three Big 12 storylines and it includes a portion of the sentence, “Texas coach Charlie Strong, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen and Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury have blazing hot seats, all face scenarios that could see them without jobs within the next season or two.” I can’t speak for Strong or Holgorsen, but saying that Kingsbury has a blazing hot seat seems highly in accurate at best . . .