On July 4th, 2022, in the dog days of the summer in Santa Barbara, California, Gavin Kash committed to play baseball at Texas Tech after entering the transfer portal earlier in the summer.
The recruitment process of Gavin Kash to Texas Tech started in high school, where he was the No. 1 1B in the state for the 2021 class but heightened over the summer in Santa Barbara when he played with the now starting 3B for Tech, Kevin Bazzell.
“He was out in Santa Barbara over the summer on the west coast, and Bazzell and (Kyle) Robinson were out there and that’s how it all got started,” Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock said. “What I mean is, he was leaving. We’ve got most of our guys through relationships and I’d say that one is no different.”
That summer with the Foresters of the California Collegiate League helped Kash mature into the hitter that Tech fans have become accustomed to as he showed a preview of what he was capable of with nine home runs and 36 RBIs, a campaign that consummated in a decorated summer for the new Red Raider.
Kash, who spent a year at the University of Texas backing up the 2022 Golden Spikes winner in Ivan Melendez, decided to leave the 40 acres in Austin for Lubbock and Dan Law Field and settled into his new home quite nicely.
“Yea, J-Bob recruited me out of high school. I wouldn’t say there was anything too specific that made me come here, I just knew that it was my time to leave and start my journey,” Kash said. “Not every day you can come to a new group of guys, and everybody accepts you all the time.”
It all started on opening day where Kash’s first homer as a Red Raider went out against Gonzaga to take the lead, showing off the extreme power ability that was rumored all off-season long.
Kash’s power continued to show, eventually hitting 20 home runs by the end of April, good enough for the conference lead and tied for fourth in the Tech single season record books, only trailing Jace Jung (21, 2021), John Grimes (24, 1984), and Joe Dillon (33, 1997) with ten games left in the 2023 season for Kash.
“He just has power,” Tadlock said. “He’s very aggressive and when he hits it there it has a real chance to go out. A lot of guys can hit it on the barrel, and it does not go out of the ballpark, but every time he gets it on the barrel at the right angle, it has the chance to go out because he does have that power, for sure.”
Nationally, Kash is tied for second nationally with his 20 home runs, only trailing Florida’s Jac Caglianone with 23. Kash is sitting second nationally in RBI with 67, only one behind Virginia’s Jake Gelof. Along with slugging at a Big 12 leading clip of .824, Kash has built quite the resume as postseason awards loom.
The chase for the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year award at this point in time is a two-horse race between Kash and West Virginia’s JJ Weatherholt, one of the best contact hitters in the nation.
Kash and Weatherholt are a one and two in almost every offensive category, but the power numbers seemingly have Kash a step ahead of the Mountaineer standout with a few weeks left to play.
On top of mid-season All-America honors and a great chase for postseason honors, the sophomore has had one of the best seasons as a first baseman during the Tadlock era.
In 176 Tech at bats, Kash is trailing Eric Gutierrez (29 HR, 680 AB) by nine home runs and is currently sitting fourth in Tadlock’s first basemen career home run totals, with a fraction of the at bats. Kash’s OPS of 1.283 is over .200 points over Cam Warren’s career mark of 1.034, an impressive feat considering Kash carried 23 collegiate at bats prior to the 2023 season.
A season to remember for the sophomore that has provided plenty of memorable moments for the Texas Tech faithful including his walk-off double against Oklahoma State back in March.
With a recent slump, Kash and the Red Raiders will need to get hot as Tech heads down the stretch and towards a possible postseason birth to close a great first impression as a Red Raider for Kash.
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