21-05-2025
What's ahead after Zane Petty's 5 no-hit innings leads Texas Tech baseball to win at BYU
With the regular season complete, the Texas Tech baseball team knows its Big 12 tournament assignment — and the Red Raiders will go to Arlington coming off a victory, at least.
Zane Petty carried a no-hitter through five innings, Logan Hughes hit his Big 12-leading 19th home run and the Red Raiders beat Brigham Young 7-4 in a regular-season finale on Saturday, May 17, in Provo, Utah.
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Petty (2-4) struck out nine, a career-high for the junior righthander, and didn't give up a hit until Tate Gambill's leadoff single in the sixth at Miller Park. He finished six innings, allowing only the one hit and three walks.
By that time, the Red Raiders were comfortably ahead. They scored four runs in the second inning, getting an RBI apiece from a Peyton Schulze single, a Davis Rivers double, a Coleman Ryan groundout and a Tracer Lopez infield single.
Robin Villeneuve's RBI double in the third made it 5-0.
More: Damian Bravo hits fourth homer in five games, but Texas Tech baseball loses at BYU
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More: Big 12 baseball power rankings: West Virginia closes in on a title
Tech (20-32, 13-17) will be the No. 9 seed in the Big 12 tournament and will face No. 8 seed Cincinnati (31-23, 16-14) at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, at Globe Life Field. On the last day of the regular season, Tech moved ahead of Houston (29-24, 12-17), which lost to Arizona, and tied Baylor (33-21, 13-17), which lost at Central Florida. Tech's two victories in a three-games series against Baylor gave the Red Raiders the tiebreaker for the No. 9 seed.
Ryder Robinson had a two-run single for BYU (27-26, 10-20), which clinched a Big 12 tournament berth with its victory over Tech on Friday, May 16.
Here's what's ahead.
Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock sits in the dugout in game one of their Big 12 conference baseball series against Houston, Friday, April 5, 2024, at Rip Griffin Park.
How well will Texas Tech baseball power play in Arlington?
The Red Raiders have been hitting the long ball lately. Logan Hughes has five home runs in the past eight games, overtaking Kansas right fielder Jackson Hauge for most in the Big 12. Damian Bravo homered four times in the past six games. Robin Villeneuve had a three-homer game on Tuesday, May 13 against Abilene Christian and just missed another one on Saturday, rocketing one high off the wall at Miller Park.
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The ball carries better in Lubbock and Provo than at Globe Life Field, so the homers might come less easily. But the Red Raiders' top hitters are swinging the bats well.
What's the tournament road look like?
Well, the 12-team bracket in Arlington is single-elimination, so the Red Raiders are one loss away from the season ending. But the Tech-Cincinnati winner will play Big 12 champion West Virginia (40-13, 19-9) in a quarterfinal at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 22.
Cincinnati and West Virginia both took two of three from Tech during the regular season. For whomever survives among the three teams, the semifinal opponent at 4 p.m. Friday, May 23, would come from among the teams seeded Nos. 4, 5 and 12: Arizona (36-18, 18-12), Arizona State (35-21, 18-12) and BYU.
How bad has this Texas Tech baseball season been historically?
Texas Tech's last losing season came in 2013, Tim Tadlock's first year as head coach, when the Red Raiders finished 26-30. Barring some kind of a run, though, this season constitutes a four-decade low.
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If the Red Raiders lose their conference tournament opener and end on 20 wins, it would be the program's fewest since Gary Ashby's next-to-last team in 1985 went 18-33. If the Red Raiders win one in Arlington and end on 21 wins, it would be the fewest since Larry Hays' first team in 1987 went 21-28. Kal Segrist's next-to-last team in 1982 finished 21-22, and his last team in 1983 went 18-23.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball's Big 12 tournament opener set after win at BYU
