Texas Tech Baseball Controls Their Own Destiny Heading Into Final Two Weeks
Texas Tech Baseball has seen its share of ups and downs this season, all while maintaining a presence in the top 20 of college baseball's most important ranking services.
The Red Raiders' RPI hasn't been as steadfast, but the good news for head coach Tim Tadlock and the boys is that the team controls their own destiny for a Big 12 title that will rapidly improve the NCAA tournament projections.
As it stands today, May 9th, the Red Raiders have an RPI of 47. They also have a Big 12 record of 11-7. If the Red Raiders sweep Oklahoma State, a series win against Oklahoma would likely net at the very least a share of the Big 12 title. That would be a tall task, sweeping Oklahoma State in Stillwater, but it's not impossible.
The more likely scenario is going 4-2 or 3-3 across the same stretch. That won't get Texas Tech into the Big 12 title picture, but it absolutely would put the team firmly into the NCAA Tournament and let them travel to a lower seed instead of heading to a Top 8 seed's regional like what's been projected in the last few weeks.
With both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State's RPI ahead of Texas Tech's, it stands to reason that even playing the two teams won't hurt their RPI too bad, but a sweep at the hands of either team might put a 2-seed hope in serious peril. And if 2-seed hopes are in peril, all of a sudden so too are tournament hopes.
Not good.
Again, all Texas Tech has to do is win the two remaining series and they'd be sitting pretty and potentially getting a share of a Big 12 championship, depending on what the rest of the teams at the top of the conference do.
If Texas Tech sweeps both, Big 12 champs, baby! Let's dream big.