Fall camp for the Texas Tech baseball team has been underway for almost a month now, and there’s been plenty of high-level baseball being played during scrimmages for a program that is longing to get back to Omaha.

The Red Raiders have plenty of pieces and have what’s likely to be one of the best offenses in the nation.

Who’s Standing Out at the Plate?

When you hear Texas Tech baseball, you think of offense, and it should be no different this season with the number of pieces returning from last season, along with some of the newcomers, all swinging the bat at a high level.

-1B Gavin Kash: Kash just missed out on a Big 12 Player of the Year nod in his first season as a Red Raider after transferring from Texas. Kash in the fall has been his usual self, seeming to have focused on discipline and taking quality at bats in the offseason, obviously penciled in the heart of the lineup.

-3B Cade McGee: McGee is the transfer from Gonzaga who the Red Raiders saw in the opening weekend of the 2023 season. A gap-to-gap hitter, McGee has been really solid throughout the fall and seems to be the leader at third base.

-C Kevin Bazzell: You’ll remember Bazzell from last season where he started in 63 games at third base. After the departure of C Hudson White to Arkansas, Bazzell has moved back to his natural position behind the plate where he looks very comfortable. Bazzell has been a doubles machine in camp, while still getting the ball out of the yard quite a bit.

-OF Damian Bravo: Bravo is the two-way guy who flashed some really good power in limited playing time last season. I expect Bravo to take a jump in his sophomore campaign with what he has shown in the fall combined with a really strong summer in the CCL. Bravo seems to be taking the majority of his reps in LF, where there isn’t anyone that I have penciled in quite yet.

-SS Will Burns: Burns, the hot-topic quarterback with the current state across the street at the football facility, has looked really solid in his at bats. I think the time on the football nutrition and lifting plan has done him an immense amount of good. He seems to have a decent amount of pop that he didn’t have last spring.

-Austin Green, last year’s everyday second baseman, has been mixing in during scrimmages in right field. Tim Tadlock said before camp that there are a couple of middle infielders that could mix in out there, and he’s been one of them.

Who’s Standing Out on the Mound?

-RHP Zane Petty: Petty looked strong in his first outing of the fall, the only one I’ve seen this fall. He topped 94 mph with his fastball and commanded his breaking balls pretty well.

-LHP Brendan Lysik: Lysik has seemingly jumped a few ticks in velocity, paired with a strong sweeper that is a new addition to the arsenal. Lysik is working out of the stretch full time and has been a really tough matchup on left handers in camp.

-RHP Trendan Parish: After getting shut down in both of the last two seasons, the right-handed fireballer seems to have taken a tick or two off the fastball and has really improved on his control. His slider, a more of a power slider makeup, has generated quite a few whiffs throughout camp.

Tech signed the No. 11 2023 Class, Who’s Standing Out?

-INF Landon Stripling: Stripling has been far and away my favorite hitter in the freshman class and might be in the mix to see some playing time. This kid is legit, the left-handed swing has power to all fields and has handled matchups against LHP like Derek Bridges and Max Huffling well to this point in camp. I am extremely bullish on the young second baseman.

-SS TJ Pompey: As was covered back in June, Pompey wasn’t expected to be here with the MLB Draft going on and he’s looked really solid. His speed, fielding ability and athleticism jump off the page. His bat has been really solid contact wise but is lacking some pop at the moment, give him some time and he will be dangerous.

-RHP Mac Heuer: I’ve seen Heuer throw once this fall and the flamethrower out of Georgia didn’t seem to be throwing with max-intensity that day early on in camp. He sat around 90 mph on the fastball when he touched 96-97 before getting to school. I will be interested in seeing how he looks come springtime.

Texas Tech’s annual Red & Black series is getting close, usually slated near the end of October, we should see an official announcement sooner than later.

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