Basketball

I usually don’t have time to post about the Lady Raiders, but think that this deserves mention. Vivian Gray signed a free agent deal with the Phoenix Mercury After not being drafted in the WNBA Draft, Gray was picked up. Gray averaged over 20 points and 5 rebounds a game.

Baseball

Texas Tech dropped a mid-week game to Oklahoma, 14-9 (box score) with Austin Becker taking the loss as he gave up 4 runs, only 1 earned, in 1 inning, but Jamie Hitt only went 0.2 innings with 2 hits, and 4 earned runs. Brandon Beckel and Kyle Robinsons were the only pitchers (other than Andrew Devine) who wasn’t scored on. There were 3 errors on the day, Jace Jung, Hudson White, and Parker Kelly. Owen Washburn went 2-3 with a dinger and Kurt Wilson went 1-3 with a homer. Texas Tech sent 9 pitchers to the mound

Texas Tech is on the road to face TCU this weekend. It would appear that mid-week and Sunday starters are still up for grabs for anyone that wants them.

Congrats to Kurt Wilson for being named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list, which is given to the top shortstop in the nation.

Football

Dallas Morning News’ Ryan Mainville takes an early look at the 2022 football schedule. Here’s a bit, but there’s more content there.

Biggest non-conference game: @ NC State, Sept. 17
Texas Tech and Houston have developed a non-conference rivalry of sorts in recent years, but no game in the front end of the Red Raiders’ schedule will present a challenge like the Wolfpack. NC State is garnering high expectations this spring after a 9-3 campaign in 2021. A likely top-25 opponent on the road will be an interesting measuring stick for the competitiveness of Texas Tech football in 2022. It will be a challenging game for the Red Raiders, but provides the opportunity for a big win.

Dallas Morning News’ chuck Carlton has some thoughts on who the idea that the Big 12 cannot afford to miss on the commissioner hire to replace Bob Bowlsby:

“I think as you go into this, it’s really somebody that has a pulse on what’s going on in college athletics right now,” West Virginia AD Shane Lyons told Big 12 Radio on SiriusXM. “I don’t think this is the time we need go out and search for a non-traditional hire. There’s just a lot of moving parts right now within college athletics, within the conference itself.

“For me personally, I think the new commissioner has to understand the world of college athletics, how it’s operating today and what it can potentially be in the future.”

Of course, there’s the TV angle, which might lead to a non-traditional candidate. Former TV executive Mike Aresco has done an excellent job guiding the American. But another out-of-the-box hire, Larry Scott with the Pac-12, eventually proved a major mistake.

Both Lyons and Baylor AD Mack Rhoades said that familiarity with TV is important while stressing consultants can do much of the heavy lifting in those talks.

Rhoades told SicEm365 Radio that he would like to see a commissioner with a mix of experience in and out of athletics. He also wants someone “that’s elite at building relationships” and an outstanding leader who will surround themselves with terrific talent.

“I’m hiring somebody with a familiarity and a strong sense of the issues we’re facing,” Rhoades said. “I think that’s really important. That curve is really steep if you don’t.”