April 14, 2008

Complete Texas Tech Release in PDF Format

SETTING THE SCENE
Texas Tech heads west to Sin City this week as the Red Raiders open a two-game midweek series against the UNLV Rebels at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas. The two-game set gets underway on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. local time and 9 p.m. (CT). The series will conclude with a 1 p.m. local time first pitch on Wednesday (3 p.m. CT). The trip to UNLV will mark the second for the Red Raiders as the two schools began playing an annual two-game midweek series back in 2006.

The Red Raiders (17-19) hope to find some offense in Nevada this week because they certainly never found it in Kansas. Texas Tech suffered the first three-game sweep in program history to the Jayhawks over the weekend at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence. In that series, Texas Tech managed just a .176 team batting average and that included a one-hit performance on Saturday. Things didn't get much better for the Red Raiders on the mound as they tallied an 8.62 staff ERA while allowing 18 walks.

UNLV comes into the series struggling just like the Red Raiders as they suffered a three-game sweep on the road at TCU over the weekend. The Rebels are 14-19 on the season after dropping two one-run games against the Horned Frogs. UNLV tried to salvage the series finale on Sunday but fell 3-2 in 10 innings. UNLV owns a .311 team batting average but has struggled on the mound, posting a 6.60 team ERA.

Both games of the UNLV series will be carried live on the Texas Tech Sports Network (KKAM 1340 in Lubbock) with Robert Giovannetti and Blayne Beal calling the action live from Earl E. Wilson Stadium. Live audio will be available on the official website of Texas Tech Athletics, www.texastech.com.