Tim Tadlock and Texas Tech hope to prove that last season was an aberration.
To some extent, the NCAA tournament and the College World Series have become synonymous with Texas Tech Baseball over the years. The Red Raiders made trips to Omaha in 2014, ’16, ’18 and 19. They also had made seven straight NCAA postseason appearances.
That streak ended last season when the Red Raiders finished the season with a respectable 33-win total, but also went 12-17 in the Big 12 Conference, which torpedoed their postseason chances. Tech showed glimpses of a team with a ton of upside at times. But in the end, there were too many inconsistencies, and this is a team that ended the season with a pitching staff that was ranked 162nd nationally in staff ERA with a 6.19 clip.
The bad news is that Tech missed the postseason last year. The good news is that Tadlock and his coaching staff were cognizant enough about some of their issues that they went out and hit the portal hard — particularly by adding several arms to the roster.
Texas Tech has a much different look entering the 2025 campaign.
“We really liked our pitching depth during fall workouts — we’ve got more than enough high-quality arms to keep at a very high level,” Tadlock told D1Baseball. “I think we’re going to have the ability on the mound to go out there four or five days during the week and really dominate some teams from a pitching standpoint, and that’s not something I’ve always been able to say here.
“We’re going to be able to hang with anyone on the mound.”
Boy, is that music to the ears of Texas Tech baseball fans.
While the pitching staff looks much improved, the Red Raiders have some significant holes to fill from an offensive standpoint. Standout catcher Kevin Bazzell has moved on to the professional ranks, and hard-hitting first baseman Gavin Kash transferred to Texas A&M. The duo of Cade McGee and Austin Green must also be replaced. McGee hit 15 homers and knocked in 54 runs last season, while Green hit eight homers and knocked in 45 runs.
That is not an easy amount of production to replace. However, there’s a solid nucleus intact with TJ Pompey back in the saddle, Damian Bravo, who was Tech’s leading hitter from an average standpoint, also is back, and steady infielder Tracer Lopez also is back for another season.
“We’ve got some guys back, and we’ve got a lot of pretty good hitters that we’re going to have playing some different spots throughout the spring,” Tadlock said. “There’s still some competition out there for us — particularly at first base. But in terms of the offense, I feel pretty good about where we’re at right now.”
The nation will have a great idea of what to expect from the Red Raiders after the first few weeks of the 2025 campaign. Tech begins the season with a series on the road against likely Top-10 team North Carolina before facing UC Irvine at home, Illinois, Texas and Washington out in Las Vegas.
It’s natural to have questions about Texas Tech after a disappointing 2024 campaign. However, conventional wisdom suggests Tadlock will find a way to right the ship.
What should Tech fans expect in ’25? Let’s dive into its fall workouts.
We mentioned this above, but one of the key returning sluggers for Tech is Damian Bravo,who is for another season. Bravo is an intriguing contributor because he can play several positions, including the outfield. However, Tadlock will put him at second base in the spring — a position he excelled at during fall workouts. Additionally, Bravo is coming off a season where he led the Big 12 Conference with 21 doubles.
“Bravo, when he was healthy last season, was one of the premier sluggers in the Big 12, and probably the country,” Tadlock said. “He’s 100 percent now and is ready to have a strong season. He also looks like someone who will provide stability up the middle. He was really good at second in the fall.”
Joining Bravo up the middle will be the always-reliable Tracer Lopez, who hit six homers last season and looks to improve his offensive production even more in the spring. The most talented player on this roster is likely TJ Pompey, who arrived on campus last fall with very high acclaim. Pompey didn’t disappoint at times last season, hitting .279 with 11 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Behind the plate, replacing someone of Bazzell’s caliber won’t be easy, but Dylan Maxcey isn’t lacking experience. Maxcey hit four homers and knocked in 25 runs last season, and appeared in 29 games. It’ll be interesting to see what type of strides Maxcey also has made from a defensive standpoint.
Over at first base, there’s some intense competition between transfer portal additions Peyton Schulze and Robin Villeneuve. Schulze is as 6-foot-2, 222-pounder, who hit .323 with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs during an All-Pac 12 season at California last year. As for Villenueve, he is a 6-foot-2, 208-pounder, who arrived at Tennessee last fall with high acclaim. He tapped into some of that potential during fall workouts.
TJ Pompey, Texas Tech (Eddie Kelly/Pro Look)
“I don’t think Peyton really got going for us until October, but when he did, he showed signs of a guy who really swung the bat well last season,” Tadlock said. “He knows the zone, he has played three years of college baseball, and we look forward to seeing him in our lineup healthy each day.”
Tadlock loves the athleticism and potential of the outfield.
Galveston (TX) College product Kyler Thompson and Stetson transfer Logan Hughes are the headliners, while freshman Kendyl Johnson made a powerful impression this past fall. Thompson is a 6-foot, 183-pounder, who still has some work to do from a power standpoint, but who is a terrific table settler near the top of the lineup with a whopping 46 stolen bases last spring. Hughes is a 5-foot-11, 197-pounder, who hit eight homers and knocked in 34 runs for the Hatters last season, and Johnson is a hard-nosed 5-foot-8, 157-pounder, who has potential at the plate to go with a strong defensive skill set.
“I thought Kendyl had a great, great fall — particularly from a defensive standpoint. He can really play center field … a ball is just not dropping out there if he can get to it,” he said. “Kyler can really run, and frankly, he’s probably one of the best runners I’ve ever had. It’s an 80-grade run tool. He also swung the bat pretty well for us this fall. Then, there’s Hughes, who will be in our lineup. He’s kind of a throwback hitter for us. He’s a bat-to-ball guy who knows the zone and has a little bit of power. He’s just what I call a hitter.”
Other sluggers to watch for include Davis Rivers, Garet Boehm and freshman Jace Souza. Rivers hit .286 with two homers and 13 RBIs in limited action last season, and the Red Raiders loved his power potential — particularly near the end of fall workouts. Boehm hit .389 in minimal action and is expected to contribute significantly this season, and Souza is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound, Hawaii native who didn’t play this fall but started swinging the bat late during workouts. He’s a high-upside player who could enter the lineup as the season progresses.
Heuer appears ready to take another big step forward this spring. He was anywhere from 92-96 and up to 97 mph with his fastball this past summer and fall and showcased a decent slider at 85-86 mph. Heuer also attacks hitters with a changeup.
“I thought the command was better — it was good this fall,” Tadlock said. “I think the biggest thing with Mac, along with some of our other starting options, is that he can go out there and command three pitches for strikes. I thought Ray Hayward and Matt Gardner did a nice job of helping all of those guys refine their stuff.”
One thing I do like about Texas Tech’s new approach on the mound is that it actually hit the portal relatively hard on the mound this offseason. Two portal additions — Zach Crotchfelt and Jack Cebert — are expected to be in the weekend rotation.
Crotchfelt is a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, lefthanded pitcher who made seven appearances for Auburn last season. He was anywhere from 90-93 and up to 94 mph with his fastball this past fall, while also showcasing a power slider at 85-87 mph, a curveball at 77-78 mph and a changeup in the low-80s. Tadlock said the talented lefty made adjustments this fall and is commanding the zone much better with multiple pitches. As for Cebert, he’s a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder, who was a nice pickup for Tech. He had some very solid options from a transfer standpoint. Cebert has made 27 starts over the last two seasons, and most recently struck out 61 and walked 19 in 74 innings of work last season. Cebert is up to 93-94 mph with his fastball, a power slider in the upper-80s and a sweepy breaking ball in the 78-82 mph range.
“We really like developing our younger arms, but we also kind of bit the bullet a little bit and went out this past summer and got some really nice complementary pieces our of the portal,” Tadlock said. “A lot of those guys we added have experience and can really help us right away.”
Regarding the young arms, keep an eye on projectable 6-foot-4, 215-pound, righthander Jackson Burns. Burns made a strong impression this fall and was up to 94-95 mph with his fastball, along with a mid-80s slider, mid-70s curveball and mid-80s changeup. He showed excellent command and good mound presence and could find his way to the rotation sooner rather than later.
“We were pretty thrilled to get Jackson to school,” Tadlock said. “We expect him to really help us from the start, and he commands the ball well and has good overall stuff. He’s pretty mature out there when you put the ball in his hands.”
The Red Raiders have plenty of other front-line options. Midland (TX) College transfer righthanded pitcher Tyler Boudreau is coming off high-level accolades at the junior college level. He impressed the coaches in the fall with his stuff with a fastball up to 94 mph, a quality slider in the. Mid-80s and an upper-70s curveball. Another transfer, South Florida’s Logan Bevis, is also heavily in the mix for a big-time bullpen role. He could close to start the spring and has an electric arm, up to 95-96 mph with his fastball, along with a power slider in the upper-80s, a mid-80s changeup and a 78-81 mph curveball. His command will continue to evolve.
“Boudreau is very competitive and has a really good slider. He’s just the type of kid who wants the ball in big spots,” Tadlock said. “Bevis has a big arm and is going to be a front-line bullpen option — that’s for sure.”
Returning arms Parker Hutyra and Trendan Parish had strong falls, and Hutyra continues to show good velocity with a heater up to 95 mph. Jacob Rogers has a big arm and has a chance to once again really help the Red Raiders out of the bullpen, and a wild card could be righthanded pitcher Zane Petty, who should be healthy again in the spring.
Three more names to watch include freshman righthander Connor Mohan, Lukas Pirko and Johnny Lowe. Mohan could be an instant impact arm for this team with his fastball up to 93-95 mph, while Lowe showed the ability to dominate a lineup in the fall. As for Pirko, he a good breaking ball and changeup, and will sit in the low-90s with his fastball.
To some extent, the NCAA tournament and the College World Series have become synonymous with Texas Tech Baseball over the years. The Red Raiders made trips to Omaha in 2014, ’16, ’18 and 19. They also had made seven straight NCAA postseason appearances.
That streak ended last season when the Red Raiders finished the season with a respectable 33-win total, but also went 12-17 in the Big 12 Conference, which torpedoed their postseason chances. Tech showed glimpses of a team with a ton of upside at times. But in the end, there were too many inconsistencies, and this is a team that ended the season with a pitching staff that was ranked 162nd nationally in staff ERA with a 6.19 clip.
The bad news is that Tech missed the postseason last year. The good news is that Tadlock and his coaching staff were cognizant enough about some of their issues that they went out and hit the portal hard — particularly by adding several arms to the roster.
Texas Tech has a much different look entering the 2025 campaign.
“We really liked our pitching depth during fall workouts — we’ve got more than enough high-quality arms to keep at a very high level,” Tadlock told D1Baseball. “I think we’re going to have the ability on the mound to go out there four or five days during the week and really dominate some teams from a pitching standpoint, and that’s not something I’ve always been able to say here.
“We’re going to be able to hang with anyone on the mound.”
Boy, is that music to the ears of Texas Tech baseball fans.
While the pitching staff looks much improved, the Red Raiders have some significant holes to fill from an offensive standpoint. Standout catcher Kevin Bazzell has moved on to the professional ranks, and hard-hitting first baseman Gavin Kash transferred to Texas A&M. The duo of Cade McGee and Austin Green must also be replaced. McGee hit 15 homers and knocked in 54 runs last season, while Green hit eight homers and knocked in 45 runs.
That is not an easy amount of production to replace. However, there’s a solid nucleus intact with TJ Pompey back in the saddle, Damian Bravo, who was Tech’s leading hitter from an average standpoint, also is back, and steady infielder Tracer Lopez also is back for another season.
“We’ve got some guys back, and we’ve got a lot of pretty good hitters that we’re going to have playing some different spots throughout the spring,” Tadlock said. “There’s still some competition out there for us — particularly at first base. But in terms of the offense, I feel pretty good about where we’re at right now.”
The nation will have a great idea of what to expect from the Red Raiders after the first few weeks of the 2025 campaign. Tech begins the season with a series on the road against likely Top-10 team North Carolina before facing UC Irvine at home, Illinois, Texas and Washington out in Las Vegas.
It’s natural to have questions about Texas Tech after a disappointing 2024 campaign. However, conventional wisdom suggests Tadlock will find a way to right the ship.
What should Tech fans expect in ’25? Let’s dive into its fall workouts.
Texas Tech’s offense still giving off good vibes
Even without several key components to last year’s offensive lineup, the Red Raiders look like a team that should be on solid footing from an offensive standpoint.We mentioned this above, but one of the key returning sluggers for Tech is Damian Bravo,who is for another season. Bravo is an intriguing contributor because he can play several positions, including the outfield. However, Tadlock will put him at second base in the spring — a position he excelled at during fall workouts. Additionally, Bravo is coming off a season where he led the Big 12 Conference with 21 doubles.
“Bravo, when he was healthy last season, was one of the premier sluggers in the Big 12, and probably the country,” Tadlock said. “He’s 100 percent now and is ready to have a strong season. He also looks like someone who will provide stability up the middle. He was really good at second in the fall.”
Joining Bravo up the middle will be the always-reliable Tracer Lopez, who hit six homers last season and looks to improve his offensive production even more in the spring. The most talented player on this roster is likely TJ Pompey, who arrived on campus last fall with very high acclaim. Pompey didn’t disappoint at times last season, hitting .279 with 11 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Behind the plate, replacing someone of Bazzell’s caliber won’t be easy, but Dylan Maxcey isn’t lacking experience. Maxcey hit four homers and knocked in 25 runs last season, and appeared in 29 games. It’ll be interesting to see what type of strides Maxcey also has made from a defensive standpoint.
Over at first base, there’s some intense competition between transfer portal additions Peyton Schulze and Robin Villeneuve. Schulze is as 6-foot-2, 222-pounder, who hit .323 with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs during an All-Pac 12 season at California last year. As for Villenueve, he is a 6-foot-2, 208-pounder, who arrived at Tennessee last fall with high acclaim. He tapped into some of that potential during fall workouts.
“I don’t think Peyton really got going for us until October, but when he did, he showed signs of a guy who really swung the bat well last season,” Tadlock said. “He knows the zone, he has played three years of college baseball, and we look forward to seeing him in our lineup healthy each day.”
Tadlock loves the athleticism and potential of the outfield.
Galveston (TX) College product Kyler Thompson and Stetson transfer Logan Hughes are the headliners, while freshman Kendyl Johnson made a powerful impression this past fall. Thompson is a 6-foot, 183-pounder, who still has some work to do from a power standpoint, but who is a terrific table settler near the top of the lineup with a whopping 46 stolen bases last spring. Hughes is a 5-foot-11, 197-pounder, who hit eight homers and knocked in 34 runs for the Hatters last season, and Johnson is a hard-nosed 5-foot-8, 157-pounder, who has potential at the plate to go with a strong defensive skill set.
“I thought Kendyl had a great, great fall — particularly from a defensive standpoint. He can really play center field … a ball is just not dropping out there if he can get to it,” he said. “Kyler can really run, and frankly, he’s probably one of the best runners I’ve ever had. It’s an 80-grade run tool. He also swung the bat pretty well for us this fall. Then, there’s Hughes, who will be in our lineup. He’s kind of a throwback hitter for us. He’s a bat-to-ball guy who knows the zone and has a little bit of power. He’s just what I call a hitter.”
Other sluggers to watch for include Davis Rivers, Garet Boehm and freshman Jace Souza. Rivers hit .286 with two homers and 13 RBIs in limited action last season, and the Red Raiders loved his power potential — particularly near the end of fall workouts. Boehm hit .389 in minimal action and is expected to contribute significantly this season, and Souza is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound, Hawaii native who didn’t play this fall but started swinging the bat late during workouts. He’s a high-upside player who could enter the lineup as the season progresses.
Overall pitching depth looks much improved
The Red Raiders will enter the 2025 campaign without at least 24 starts from last year’s club between the departures of Kyle Robinson and Ryan Free. Still, this group as a whole is in much better standing with 6-foot-5, 265-pound, sophomore righthanded pitcher Mac Heuer leading the charge. Heuer arrived in Lubbock with lofty expectations and had some high-level moments last season with 47 innings of work.Heuer appears ready to take another big step forward this spring. He was anywhere from 92-96 and up to 97 mph with his fastball this past summer and fall and showcased a decent slider at 85-86 mph. Heuer also attacks hitters with a changeup.
“I thought the command was better — it was good this fall,” Tadlock said. “I think the biggest thing with Mac, along with some of our other starting options, is that he can go out there and command three pitches for strikes. I thought Ray Hayward and Matt Gardner did a nice job of helping all of those guys refine their stuff.”
One thing I do like about Texas Tech’s new approach on the mound is that it actually hit the portal relatively hard on the mound this offseason. Two portal additions — Zach Crotchfelt and Jack Cebert — are expected to be in the weekend rotation.
Crotchfelt is a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, lefthanded pitcher who made seven appearances for Auburn last season. He was anywhere from 90-93 and up to 94 mph with his fastball this past fall, while also showcasing a power slider at 85-87 mph, a curveball at 77-78 mph and a changeup in the low-80s. Tadlock said the talented lefty made adjustments this fall and is commanding the zone much better with multiple pitches. As for Cebert, he’s a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder, who was a nice pickup for Tech. He had some very solid options from a transfer standpoint. Cebert has made 27 starts over the last two seasons, and most recently struck out 61 and walked 19 in 74 innings of work last season. Cebert is up to 93-94 mph with his fastball, a power slider in the upper-80s and a sweepy breaking ball in the 78-82 mph range.
“We really like developing our younger arms, but we also kind of bit the bullet a little bit and went out this past summer and got some really nice complementary pieces our of the portal,” Tadlock said. “A lot of those guys we added have experience and can really help us right away.”
Regarding the young arms, keep an eye on projectable 6-foot-4, 215-pound, righthander Jackson Burns. Burns made a strong impression this fall and was up to 94-95 mph with his fastball, along with a mid-80s slider, mid-70s curveball and mid-80s changeup. He showed excellent command and good mound presence and could find his way to the rotation sooner rather than later.
“We were pretty thrilled to get Jackson to school,” Tadlock said. “We expect him to really help us from the start, and he commands the ball well and has good overall stuff. He’s pretty mature out there when you put the ball in his hands.”
The Red Raiders have plenty of other front-line options. Midland (TX) College transfer righthanded pitcher Tyler Boudreau is coming off high-level accolades at the junior college level. He impressed the coaches in the fall with his stuff with a fastball up to 94 mph, a quality slider in the. Mid-80s and an upper-70s curveball. Another transfer, South Florida’s Logan Bevis, is also heavily in the mix for a big-time bullpen role. He could close to start the spring and has an electric arm, up to 95-96 mph with his fastball, along with a power slider in the upper-80s, a mid-80s changeup and a 78-81 mph curveball. His command will continue to evolve.
“Boudreau is very competitive and has a really good slider. He’s just the type of kid who wants the ball in big spots,” Tadlock said. “Bevis has a big arm and is going to be a front-line bullpen option — that’s for sure.”
Returning arms Parker Hutyra and Trendan Parish had strong falls, and Hutyra continues to show good velocity with a heater up to 95 mph. Jacob Rogers has a big arm and has a chance to once again really help the Red Raiders out of the bullpen, and a wild card could be righthanded pitcher Zane Petty, who should be healthy again in the spring.
Three more names to watch include freshman righthander Connor Mohan, Lukas Pirko and Johnny Lowe. Mohan could be an instant impact arm for this team with his fastball up to 93-95 mph, while Lowe showed the ability to dominate a lineup in the fall. As for Pirko, he a good breaking ball and changeup, and will sit in the low-90s with his fastball.
