Texas Tech baseball will get their season rolling on Friday with a double header in Starkville against Western Illinois and Mississippi State. So, what are the Red Raiders looking like as they gear up for the journey back to Omaha? We preview their 2017 campaign.

With program all-timers such as left fielder Tyler Neslony, right fielder Stephen Smith, first baseman Eric Gutierrez, key pieces such as DH Cory Raley and catcher Tyler Floyd. and the bulk of the bullpen innings with Hayden Howard and Robert Dugger all gone, this 2017 Texas Tech baseball team is going to look quite different than it has over the past three seasons.

There are fresh faces all over the place, including both in the lineup and on the mound. Those faces will include the likes of a number of freshmen - Third baseman Josh Jung, outfielders John McMillon and Grant Little, catchers Michael Berglund and Clay Koelzer, and pitchers Jake McDonald and John Henry Gonzalez - and JUCO transfers - DH Zach Rheams and outfielders Cameron Warren and Connor Beck - who will be counted on as contributors or starters from day one.

How this team develops over the next few months will largely rely on those newcomers as they mesh with now-vets like outfielder Tanner Gardner, first baseman Hunter Hargrove, short stop Orlando Garcia, second baseman Michael Davis, and pitchers Davis Martin and Steven Gingery.

This team has a good mix of both old and new, and they're chemistry and progress as a group must start heading in the right direction right now.

So, let's take a look at the projected starting lineup for the Red Raiders...

No matter what happens, this lineup will pretty obviously have four mainstay holdovers from 2016: Gardner, who was arguably the hottest hitter in Big 12 play a year ago with the second-most doubles in the conference, Hargrove, who came on in the second half of the season and evolved into one of the most reliable bats in the lineup, Davis, who's been very solid at second and is a better hitter than many realize, and Garcia, who's both a great defensive short stop and arguably the most clutch hitter on the team.

The rest of the names this year will be new, either as a newcomer or bench player from 2016. It can be daunting task when you're replacing 56 percent of your lineup, specifically when an even higher percentage of your production from the bats of Gute, Nes, Smith, and Raley are all gone. Those are veteran power bats that had seen as many pitches as any core group in college baseball over the last three seasons, and you simply aren't going to replace that value overnight.

But, the Red Raiders certainly have some talented options that will slide in and try to fill those big shoes.

Rheams and Beck likely have the biggest bats of any of this year's newcomers, specifically Beck who turned heads with his power at the plate and ability in the outfield during both fall ball and early this spring. He's a little banged up with an undisclosed sprain right now, however, and will likely be limited early on in the season, meaning true freshman Grant Little or JUCO transfer Cameron Warren could start in right field this weekend. Rheams will be the DH out of the gates, though, and will provide some needed pop in the lineup.

Jung will be intriguing to watch early on as a true freshman, but he's certainly no slouch. The youngster has all the tools to excel at the hot corner defensively, and he's underrated as a hitter. Look for him to be the youngster on this roster that turns heads early and has seemingly already locked down a starting spot at third.

The other two battles in left field and at catcher are still up in the air, however. Senior Ryan Long - who's made the transition from the infield to the outfield - was penciled in as the starter but has been dealing with an undisclosed injury as well. That makes room for Cody Farhat, who could take the job and run with it while Long is on the mend.

At catcher, it sounds as if it's a two man race between Berglund and Clay Koelzer for now. Both are true freshmen with plus arms, but both are still adjusting to the rigors of catching duties at the collegiate level. I'd expect them to flip flop on a consistent basis early on in the season, and senior Kholeton Sanchez could very well stake his claim to the role if neither of these greenhorns can hit the ground running in quick order.

Overall, it's a group that will likely take some time to find consistency with so much youth and lack of power conference pitches seen, but there is plenty of talent both defensively and with the bat.

There's absolutely no question that this team's strength will lie in its starting pitching rotation in 2017. Davis Martin is arguably the best pitcher in the Big 12, Steven Gingery sneakily had a better Big 12 stat line than Martin in Big 12 play with a 1.85 ERA and 3-0 record, and the likes of Ryan Shetter and Erikson Lanning flashed their talent late in the season and showed that they had real potential to be some of the best end-of-weekend-rotation pitchers in the conference.

Coach Tadlock and pitching coach Ray Hayward have confidence in that foursome and have named them the starters for this opening weekend rotation in Starkville. Martin and Gingery are rock solid locks to be Tech's one and two weekend starters this season, but it could be interesting to see who ultimately claims that third spot when Big 12 play rolls around.

As previously noted, Shetter and Lanning were both shining down the stretch in 2016, but both will need to show consistency to hold of the likes of true freshman John Henry Gonzalez, who was very solid in fall ball.

It's also worth wondering where Dylan Dusek fits into all this. For now, he'll likely be a long reliever as Tech continues to monitor his elbow and brings him along, and depending on how his body reacts he could find himself back in the mix for a starting role.

Shetter could possibly switch from a starter role to a long relief role as well if he's needed on the back end more than in the rotation.

Regardless, this is a confident, talented group that could be one of the best in college baseball.

With Hayden Howard and Robert Dugger off to the big leagues, there will be an abundance of new faces and situational returners that will have to replace the production of that workhorse duo from 2016. This team will likely do things differently in the bullpen this spring as well, relying on shorter stints from a larger collection of arms instead of riding the backs of Dugger and Howard with the occasional inning or two from a handful of others.

One player that's seemingly taken a big step forward over the offseason is junior righty Jacob Patterson, who will likely be counted on as the team's primary long reliever in key contests this spring. Again, Shetter and Dusek could fit into this category as well, but the most intriguing youngster in this group is true freshman Jake McDonald, who's now throwing in the mid-90s. If Tech can simply find two reliable long relievers to make up this group, they'll be in good shape.

Now as for short relief, that duty will fall on a handful of shoulders, including Parker Mushinski. Mushinski quietly had a very solid second half to 2016 as a short reliever, going an inning or so for most outings and finding his location to match his talented stuff. He's reportedly taken a step forward as well, and if youngsters such as true freshman Caleb Freeman and John McMillon - who will both play outfield and pitch - and JUCO transer Jose Quezada can develop their game here through the non-con, this group could be solid as well, though it's a riskier proposition than the long relievers due to the sheer amount of unknown.

Now we come to our closer. Tech didn't have a true closer in 2016, but they seem to have one now in true freshman Josh Jung, who will both start at third and have a huge opportunity to finish out close games on the mound in the closing innings for the Red Raiders. In fact, Coach Tadlock and Coach Hayward were so confident in the freshman's pitching ability that they didn't even have him pitch during fall ball, opting to have him work exclusively at third. As a true freshman, there will likely be bumps along the way as he gets a feel for power conference hitters and their tendencies, but Jung has real talent as a two-way player.

Overall, this group is very talented, but it's much less proven than the starting rotation. Their development or lack thereof will be huge for this team as the lineup tries to develop as well.

Top Hitter- Tanner Gardner

As we sit here before the season begins, this is a no-brainer. Gardner was the best hitter on last year's team not named Eric Gutierrez, and he was batting .363 in Big 12 play with a league best three triples, second-best 10 doubles, and fifth best 33 hits overall. Gardner consistently pops the ball, knocking loopers into the outfield on a regular basis, and if he can keep up his consistency while cutting down on stirkeouts, he could be one of the best on-base batters in the conference.

Top Pitcher- Davis Martin

Again, a no-brainer. Martin is already a team leader as a sophomore, and he's got onions on the mound. He's never too high, never too low, and he always brings it. Going 6-0 in Big 12 play as a true freshman was an incredible feat, and I expect him to do nothing but get better as he improves in behind-in-the-count situations. Martin should be one of the best pitchers in college baseball. Period.

Top Newcomer - OF Connor Beck

Again, if he can get healthy and stay healthy, I think Beck will be the newcomer that really explodes onto the scene here for the Red Raiders. He's a power hitter that has real tools defensively as an outfielder as well, and as a JUCO transfer and former TCU player, Beck has the most day one potential to be really good.

Most Progress - LHP Parker Mushinski

Mushinski has always had some talent. He's just been erratic with his command at times, walking too many players specifically. He came on strong down the stretch as a short reliever for Tech in 2016, and I expect him to take that next big step forward to be a real gem for Tech this spring.

Most Clutch - SS Orlando Garcia

Some guys just have a sense for playmaking in the moment. That guy for this team is Orlando Garcia. He's always had a knack for the big hit in key moments, including during the postseason run for the Red Raiders after a regular season at the plate that weren't up to his standards.

Garcia has a big bat and can make plays at short. I expect him to be this team's most clutch player.

Big 12 finish - 3rd

After winning the regular season crown in 2016 with a loaded veteran roster, I expect the Red Raiders to take a slight step back in Big 12 play this season. Much of that has to do with the fact that TCU is the hands-down preseason number one team in the country and will likely be the most daunting squad the Red Raiders face all year. Oklahoma State will be plenty good again, too. So, I have this Tech team, who will have to do some real reloading, to finish in third ahead of West Virginia and Texas.

Postseason fate - Regional visitor

Again, there is so much unknown and youth with this team that it's VERY hard to project how they'll develop as the year goes on. There are just so many green, young players across the board in the lineup and in the bullpen that this team likely won't be as consistent as its predecessor. They just lack a lot of experience with adversity and big moments, which the 2016 team had in spaces.

However, there is plenty of talent on this team to make the post season, which I think they'll do. I see them making a regional as a visitor and falling to a more experienced foe.

The talent is there. The starting pitching is there. It's up to the rest of the team to develop and find consistency if they want to make it any further than that.