Texas Tech Baseball opens 2026 season against Oklahoma
Texas Tech heads to Arlington, TX to face off against the Oklahoma Sooners to lead off the 2026 baseball season.
The Red Raiders struggled to open 2025, limping to a 3-11 start before finishing the year 20-33 and ninth in the Big XII. On the other side of the diamond, the Sooners experienced a far more successful season, finishing 38-22 before falling in the Chapel Hill Regional.
One of those 38 wins was against Texas Tech, as the Sooners swatted three homers en route to an 8-6 win on Apr. 1. In addition to leading the all-time series, OU holds a four-game win streak, but the Red Raiders will look to reverse the narrative on Friday.
Texas Tech has named sophomore Jackson Burns as the starter for Friday’s matchup. Burns only pitched in one game in 2025, allowing three walks and two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning against North Carolina. Burns started the Texas Tech Alumni Game on Jan. 31, allowing a three-run home run in the first inning but tossing scoreless second and third frames.
The Sooners will trot out junior southpaw Cameron Johnson. After starting his career at LSU, Johnson pitched 10 games for OU in 2025, surrendering 13 earned runs in 21 innings pitched but striking out 24.
Given Burns’ inexperience, Texas Tech will likely deploy multiple bullpen arms and need some serious offensive support. Robin Villeneuve, recently named the No. 9 first baseman in college baseball, leads the Texas Tech attack. He sported a 1.108 OPS in 2025 and will look to get out to a hot start in 2026.
Other promising returners in Head Coach Tim Tadlock’s lineup include star outfielder Logan Hughes (1.108 OPS, 19 HR) and second baseman Tracer Lopez (.299 AVG, .764 OPS), as well as sophomore TJ Pompey, who was off to an electric start in 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury against Kansas State.
The righty Burns will have to look out for the OU switch-hitters Jason Walk and Jaxon Willits, who both took 200+ at-bats last season at .409 and .386 on-base clips, respectively. Lefty Trey Gambill is a tough returner for the Sooners, and Drew Dickerson posted a .992 OPS in limited appearances in 2025.
The game will be played at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 at Globe Life Field. With two ranked games in the following days against No. 23 Vanderbilt and No. 7 Arkansas, the Red Raiders will want to jump out to a fast start to 2026.
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Tyler Welch is a reporter based in Dallas, TX. He has experience as a sports editor writing and editing for The Daily Campus at SMU, where he wrote about basketball, football, volleyball and other sports. He does color commentary for high school sporting events in the Dallas area with Champions Sports Radio. He contributed to the Desert Dwellers Sports Network covering college football, college and MLB baseball and the Olympics.
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