Red Raiders Baseball Rout U-Albany 16-8 in home opener
Texas Tech baseball claimed its home-opener 16-8 over the University at Albany Friday, Feb. 20, at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
The Red Raiders scored eight runs across the second and fourth innings along with a five-run seventh frame that marked consecutive games of at least 10 runs.
The bullpen answered the bell by pitching five shutout frames over the final six innings, something the Red Raiders failed to do over its first three games of the season.
Red-Hot Offense
After getting into a two-run deficit in the second frame, Tech found its stride scoring six runs off Great Danes starting pitcher Dylan Banner.
Catcher Davis Rivers plated two runs with a double in the second frame to tie it up, but three-run third inning put the Great Danes on top again. However, Tech third baseman Connor Shouse blasted a solo shot over the right field wall that kickstarted a four-run frame marred with defensive errors by the Great Danes.
Coke Bottle Power 🦾#WreckEm | @ShouseConnor pic.twitter.com/CnBTLdpFxV
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) February 20, 2026
“(Shouse) is a really good athlete,” said Tim Tadlock, head baseball coach. “(He) has a little bit of power as you saw today, but more than anything he’s just competitive.”
A fielding error by Great Danes’ third baseman Justin Hurd allowed two runs to score for Tech, and a single through the left side off the bat of Kyeler Thompson plated a run.
A fifth inning dropped fly ball allowed a run to score for Tech along with another run off a sacrifice fly to left field off the bat of Villeneuve.
Left fielder Logan Hughes connected on a three-run double to left field, part of a five-run seventh frame. Shortstop Linkin Garcia blasted a two-run homer in the eighth frame to reach 16 runs.
Clear 'em Hughes!
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) February 20, 2026
110 into the gap from Logan plates three more! #WreckEm | @loganhughes_10 pic.twitter.com/3ICd8znkWO
Bullpen Progress?
Tech’s first three games of the season last week at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown showed scars of a 2025 bullpen that cost the Red Raiders too many games en route to a 20-32 season.
However, Tech’s bullpen exhibited capable arms after starting righty Jackson Burns' shaky performance that allowed five runs in two and a third innings work.
Ryan Free, returning to Tech after a season at DII Angelo State, made his second appearance on the mound this season. The lefty posted a two and two thirds innings outing allowing zero hits, four walks and striking out four on 52 pitches.
Shut down inning ✅
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) February 20, 2026
Free sets down the Great Danes in order to send us to the bottom of the fourth! #WreckEm | @Ryanfree46 pic.twitter.com/PbckNDgrmm
“(Free) is a guy with some experience, a guy with a little bit of pitch ability and there shouldn’t be anything that fazes him,” Tadlock said.
Logan Bevis made his third appearance of the season and best so far as threw two scoreless innings with a strikeout on 35 pitches.
“Bevis just keeps coming,” Tadlock said. “It looks like to me he threw the ball really good.”
The Red Raiders will return at noon Saturday, Feb. 21, for a doubleheader with the Great Danes.
Andrew is a contributor for Texas Tech On SI. He has interned at Front Office Sports in New York and is now a freelance contributor for the outlet. Andrew got his start in sports covering Texas Tech teams with the student newspaper The Daily Toreador.