FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech head baseball coach Dan Spencer announced the Red Raiders 2012 baseball schedule Tuesday morning.
The Red Raiders 56-game schedule is highlighted by 33 games at the newly renovated Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park, playing 32 games against 13 opponents that advanced to NCAA Regionals last season and with three games at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
“I feel like our schedule is one of the best in the country,” Spencer said. “Over half of our games are against teams that made it to the (NCAA) tournament last season. It is going to be a tremendous challenge for our program. We are extremely excited for the upcoming season.”
Texas Tech opens the 2012 campaign with a nine-game homestand while hosting the Red Raider Classic.
Tech will face Missouri State on Friday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. for Opening Day at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. The Red Raiders will also host Tennessee Tech during the opening weekend tournament.
For the third consecutive season Tech will host the Brooks Wallace Memorial Classic (Feb. 24-27) as St. John’s and Northern Illinois make trips south to Lubbock for the second weekend of the season.
The Red Raiders first competition away from home will come against some of the country’s elite programs as they face three No. 1 seeds (Rice, Arizona State, TCU) from last year’s NCAA Tournament and one No. 2 seed (Arkansas) along with Houston.
Tech will play Arkansas (Mar. 2), Rice (Mar. 3) and Houston (Mar. 4) at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. The following week Tech remains on the road with a midweek showdown at Arizona State (Mar. 6) before taking on TCU at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth, Mar. 9-11.
Texas Tech opens Big 12 play for the second consecutive year with a three-game series at Baylor (Mar. 16-18).
Overall, the Red Raiders will play four league series on the road at Baylor, Kansas (Mar. 30-Apr. 1), Oklahoma State (Apr. 20-22) and Texas A&M (May 4-6).
Following a home midweek series against Florida Gulf Coast (Mar. 20-21), the Red Raiders will welcome Oklahoma (Mar. 23-25) for their Big 12 series home opener. Tech will host Big 12 series against OU, Texas (Apr. 5-7), Missouri (Apr. 27-29) and Kansas State (May 17-19).
Following a three-game series in Lawrence, Texas Tech will return home for a 10-game homestand – its longest of the season – while hosting Angelo State (Apr. 3), Texas (Apr. 5-7), Dallas Baptist (Apr. 11), Houston (Apr. 13-15) and Mountain West Conference champion New Mexico (Apr. 17-18).
Prior to wrapping up the regular season, Tech will play 10-of-13 games on the road with trips to Oklahoma State and New Mexico (Apr. 24-25) before returning home for a series with Missouri and then playing at New Mexico State (May 1), Texas A&M and at NCAA Super Regional qualifier Dallas Baptist (May 8).
Tech’s series with Kansas State (May 17-19) will conclude the regular season before the top eight teams in the league advance to the Big 12 Championships in Oklahoma City at RedHawks Field, home of the Houston Astros Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City RedHawks.
