Texas Tech baseball coach Tim Tadlock juggled the team’s pitching plan last week, moving high-leverage reliever Ryan Free to the front of the rotation. It worked well enough the Red Raiders are doing it again.
Free is scheduled to start when Tech (21-9, 5-7) hosts Houston (16-12, 4-8) in a Big 12 series opener at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Rotation regulars Kyle Robinson and Mac Heuer will go in the other games at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Free, a senior lefthander from Frisco, has made only one start in 36 career appearances at Tech. That came last week at Central Florida, when the Red Raiders didn’t arrive in Orlando until the day of the game because of travel delays. Free pitched four-plus innings, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out six.
Tadlock couched the move last week as adjusting to the circumstances and, “really, for the best interest of everybody on the staff.”
“Thought Free could go out and kind of be an opener for us, and thought he handled it just fine,” Tadlock said Thursday. “He’s started a lot of college baseball games in junior college, think he’s plenty comfortable in that role, and we’re looking forward to watching him.”
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Tech, which lost two of three in the series at UCF, will try to take advantage of a Houston team that’s lost its past eight Big 12 games. The Cougars were swept the past two weekends at home against Kansas State and at TCU.
Houston sports the Big 12’s second-best earned-run average at 3.90. The Cougars have had some of the conference’s most reliable starters this season in Alabama transfer Antoine Jean (2-2, 2.32 earned-run average), Jaxon Jelkin (0-0, 3.41) and Presbyterian transfer Duncan Howard (2-0, 3.05).
Jelkin, however, isn’t listed in the rotation this weekend. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted the 6-foot-5 righthander in the 14th round last summer, and Jelkin has struck out 46 in 34 1/3 innings this season.
Howard, who has zero walks in 20 2/3 innings, last pitched on March 16 but is listed as the Cougars’ Sunday starter.
Tech center fielder Damian Bravo (.436, two home runs, 32 runs batted in) is the Big 12 leader in average. The Red Raiders also look to second baseman T.J. Pompey (.364-4-31) and home run co-leaders Gavin Kash (.286-7-24) and Drew Woodcox (.365-7-21).
How to watch Texas Tech baseball vs. Houston
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park
Records: Houston 16-12, 4-8 in the Big 12; Texas Tech 21-9, 5-7
Ranking in USA TODAY Sports Top 25 coaches poll: Both teams unranked.
Starting pitchers: Friday, Texas Tech LHP Ryan Free (3-0, 5.74 earned-run average) vs. Houston LHP Antoine Jean (2-2, 2.32). Saturday, Texas Tech RHP Kyle Robinson (3-3, 4.38) vs. Houston LHP Kyle LaCalameto (2-1, 4.15). Sunday, Texas Tech RHP Mac Heuer (3-2, 4.50) vs. Houston RHP Duncan Howard (2-0, 3.05).
Online streaming: All three games on ESPN+
Texas Tech baseball recent results, upcoming schedule
Home games in ALL CAPS. Asterisk (*) denotes Big 12 game.
March 20: at Central Florida*, L 5-4
Friday: at Central Florida*, L 2-1
Saturday: at Central Florida*, W 3-2
Monday: STANFORD, W 10-9
Tuesday: STANFORD, W 15-12
Friday: HOUSTON*, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday: HOUSTON*, 2 p.m.
Sunday: HOUSTON*, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: at Abilene Christian, 6:05 p.m.
April 12: at TCU*, 6:30 p.m.
April 13: at TCU*, 3 p.m.
April 14: at TCU*, 1 p.m.
April 16: at Arkansas, 7 p.m.
April 17: at Arkansas, 4 p.m.
April 19: WEST VIRGINIA*, 6:30 p.m.
April 20: WEST VIRGINIA*, 2 p.m.
April 21: WEST VIRGINIA*, 1 p.m.
