On the Diamond

Softball beat Iowa State 10-9 to start the Big 12 Tournament, they clawed back after being down early. They then lost to Texas 13-4 and that’s not a bad thing, Texas is ridiculously good. Softball will find out if they make the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

Texas Tech baseball is in Stillwater to take on No. 19 Oklahoma State in the final Big 12 series for the year. Texas Tech lost their game 3 starter, Mac Heuer, due to a muscle injury and if it hasn’t been one thing it’s been another.

GAME ONE:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (30-17 12-12 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (32-16, 15-9 Big 12)
DATE: Friday, May 10, 2024
TIME: 6 p.m.
LOCATION: O’Brate Stadium (Stillwater, Okla.)
PITCHING MATCHUP: LHP Ryan Free (5-1, 4.79 ERA) vs. Sam Garcia (2-2, 4.12 ERA)

GAME TWO:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (30-17 12-12 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (32-16, 15-9 Big 12)
DATE: Saturday, May 11, 2024
TIME: 6 p.m.
LOCATION: O’Brate Stadium (Stillwater, Okla.)
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Kyle Robinson (4-6, 5.09 ERA) vs. Brain Holiday (3-2, 4.50 ERA)

GAME THREE:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (30-17 12-12 Big 12) at Oklahoma (26-17, 15-6 Big 12)
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 2024
TIME: 2 p.m.
LOCATION: O’Brate Stadium (Stillwater, Okla.)
PITCHING MATCHUP: TBA vs. Carson Benge (2-0, 1.47 ERA)

On the Court

ESPN’s Pete Thamel is reporting that Texas Tech and head coach Grant McCasland is set to hire Wyoming head coach jeff Linder as the assistant coach:

Linder’s arrival would mark a reunion for the two coaches. He spent two seasons as McCasland’s assistant at Midland Junior College, from 2004-06, when Midland won a combined 53 games.

Linder has been the head coach at Wyoming since 2020, leading the Cowboys to a 63-59 overall record and guiding them to the 2022 NCAA tournament. Led by stars Hunter Maldonado and Graham Ike, Wyoming went 25-9 in 2021-22 before losing in the First Four to Indiana. Maldonado returned the next season, but Ike missed the entire campaign with a foot injury, and the Cowboys struggled to sustain momentum.

Texas Tech made the signing of Leon Horner, III official:

At Dynamic Prep, Horner averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He helped lead the team to the Texas Christian Athletic League (T-CAL) 6A State Championship and was named T-CAL All-State Second Team. Horner was a 2024 McDonald’s All-American Nominee and earned Chick-Fil-A Classic MVP after leading his team to the tournament title. He was coached by Jermaine O’Neal and starred on the team that was ESPN Top-15 nationally.

Horner was a three-time all-district selection while playing at Frisco Memorial, contributing 889 points, 419 rebounds and 121 assists in three seasons. In the 2022-23 season, he earned UIL District 10-5A First Team and Offensive Player of the Year honors and helped lead the team to a regional quarterfinal championship. He was a TABC 5A All-Region selection after averaging 16.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists. As a sophomore, he helped Frisco Memorial win the district championship and was named a District 9-5A Second Team selection under head coach Quinton Gibson.

On the Gridiron

Texas Tech announced the themes to each game and it should be noted that season tickets are sold out and that’s great news.

CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah has his first Big 12 power rankings and they are shocking (not really) with Texas Tech sitting 9th. I’ll remind everyone that Texas Tech lost a ton of starters and has one of the lowest percentage of returning starters in the Big 12 (just think of the secondary alone where 4 starters were replaced and then add the defensive line and you sort of get the idea):

The Red Raiders failed to meet lofty expectations in Joey McGuire’s second season, but Texas Tech quietly finished with a winning Big 12 record in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Mike Leach was fired in 2009. The return of running back Tahj Brooks spurs what should be fun offense, electrified by the addition of five-star receiver Micah Hudson, the top recruit in program history. Defensively, the Red Raiders have been solid under Tim DeRuyter. Close-game luck flipped in 2023 but could flip again and get Texas Tech back into the Big 12 title conversation.

Lubbock Avalanche Journal’s Don Williams writes about the status of the adidas deal and basically, things won’t change until July 1st. Nothing official can come from Texas Tech until that date, so just relax. It is also mentioned that the contract isn’t quite signed just yet, but it is in the stage of ironing things out.