The Texas Tech baseball team will play a game apiece this season against Texas and Oklahoma, but as first-year members of the Southeastern Conference, neither will be around to help beef up the Big 12’s RPI rating.
Wanting to best position their team to make the postseason, Tech coach Tim Tadlock and staff were as conscientious in the offseason about solidifying the schedule as the roster. Six of the Red Raiders’ nonconference opponents made NCAA regional tournaments last year, including North Carolina, a 48-16 College World Series team.
Tadlock pointed to the season-opening series Feb. 14-16 at UNC and another March 7-9 at Grand Canyon as particularly important.
More:Texas Tech baseball great Josh Jung eyes first MLB series against his brother Jace
More:Texas Tech baseball’s Damian Bravo named to preseason All-Big 12 Conference team
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
“First and foremost, you try to put your team in position to be a national seed,” Tadlock said Tuesday. “We really felt like with (Texas and Oklahoma) leaving the league, you just didn’t know where the RPI was going to fall. The simplest way to build an RPI is to go on the road, because you get more points for games on the road. So that’s where we started.
“You’ve got North Carolina probably predicted to win the ACC. … Grand Canyon’s probably predicted to win their league. Anytime you can go play a three-game set against a team that’s the best in their league, that bodes well for you toward the end of the year.”
Tech will play only five of its first 14 games at home, the fewest in a 14-game stretch to start a season since 2008. Actually, it’s only five of the first 17, because Tech opens Big 12 play at Houston, but a team can’t set up its own conference schedule.
The game against Texas (36-24 last year) is March in 1 in the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic, where Tech also plays reigning Big Ten champion Illinois (35-21) and Washington (19-31-1). The game against Oklahoma is April 1 at Frisco.
Grand Canyon (36-25 last year), Oklahoma (40-21) and UC Irvine (45-14), Tech’s opponent in a three-game home series Feb. 21-23, advanced to NCAA regional finals.
In the USA TODAY coaches’ poll, North Carolina is No. 8, Texas No.13, Oklahoma No. 25 and UC Irvine just outside the top 25. The Big 12’s Oklahoma State, Arizona and TCU are Nos. 17, 20 and 21.
“We put that schedule together with the intent to host a regional and to host a super (regional),” Tadlock said, “and that’s’ what it does. It puts you in position to do that. Guys are excited about it. We really didn’t want to leave it to chance.
“An opportunity to go to Chapel Hill (North Carolina) came about last summer and we were like, ‘OK, yeah, why wouldn’t you?’ The last time we went to an ACC school was probably in ’16, went to Florida State and that set our RPI up pretty good that year.”
Infielder Jace Lopez is looking forward to the trips to North Carolina and Brigham Young.
“North Carolina’s going to be fun,” Lopez said. “They’re going to be great. They’re probably going to have a packed house. Another one I’m looking forward to is BYU. I’ve heard that field is really beautiful, and kind of excited to go (there) and see that scenery.”
Dylan Maxcey’s eager to renew a rivalry.
“I’m just super excited, really, to go to Vegas and play Texas,” the Tech catcher said. “I think all of us are really excited for that. We’re going to be kind of with a mentality that if we don’t run-rule ’em, then we lost. … And I would say Arizona coming here is going to be pretty cool, really cool and also a very good challenge for us.”
