ARLINGTON – After a 268 day wait, Texas Tech Baseball is finally back, as the Red Raiders will head to the Metroplex this weekend for the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown hosted by Globe Life Field and REV Entertainment.
Looking to rebound from a tough 20-33 season in 2025, Tim Tadlock sports a new look roster in 2026 highlighted by the additions of new Pitching Coach Steve Foster and Director of Pitching Development Steve Merriman and an exciting crop of newcomers that includes former Top-100 Freshman Linkin Garcia, NCBWA Preseason All-American Matt Quintanar and former JUCO All-American Hollis Porter.
The Red Raiders open the weekend on Friday morning with an 11 a.m. contest against Oklahoma before returning Saturday morning for an 11 a.m. contest with No. 23 Vanderbilt. The Red Raider close the weekend with a 2:30 p.m. date with No. 7 Arkansas.
All three games will be streamed live on FloSports and the Texas Texas Sports Network and the Varisty App. The Red Raiders will be the home team on Friday morning and the visiting team on Saturday and Sunday.
INSIDE THE WEEKEND:
GAME ONE:
MATCHUP: Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech
DATE: Friday, Feb. 13, 2026
TIME: 11 a.m.
LOCATION: Arlington, Texas (Globe Life Field)
PITCHING MATCHUPS: LHP Cameron Johnson vs. RHP Jackson Burns
GAME TWO:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech vs. No. 23 Vanderbilt
DATE: Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026
TIME: 11 a.m.
LOCATION: Arlington, Texas (Globe Life Field)
PITCHING MATCHUPS: RHP Lukas Pirko vs. RHP Austin Nye
GAME THREE:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech vs. No. 7 Arkansas
DATE: Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026
TIME: 2:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Arlington, Texas (Globe Life Field)
PITCHING MATCHUPS: RHP Connor Mohan vs. LHP Colin Fisher
HEADLINES IN 1-2-3:
• Texas Tech hits the road for opening weekend of the 2026 season for the programs third appearance in Arlington at the Shriner’s Children’s College Showdown in the last five seasons. Tech opened the 2022 and 2024 seasons at the event. In 2022, Tech walked off Michigan on opening night before dropping a one-run game to Auburn and falling to then No. 15 Arizona. Tech will stay on the road following the opening weekend tournament at GLF and head south to Edenburg for a midweek Tuesday night contest at UTRGV.
• Highlighted by a pair of Power Four transfers in Connor Shouse and Hollis Porter, as well as key JUCO additions in Luke Orfi (Florida Southwestern), catcher Matt Quintanar (Blinn), OF/1B Caden Ferraro and RHP Donovan Becera (New Mexico JC), the Red Raiders also boast a roster that features Top-100 Freshman Linkin Garcia as well as Brock native and two-player Jesse Rusinek. On the coaching front, the Red Raiders have also added a pair of former MLB veterans in Steve Foster and Steve Merriman. Foster who served as the Rockies pitching coach amongst his two-decade career, tabbed Merriman to serve as the programs Director of Player Development.
• The Red Raiders will look to rebound in 2026 after a tough 2025 season that saw the Red Raiders go 20-33, tying the all-time program loss mark. Looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2023, Tech also returns a bunch of key contributors in Preseason All-Big 12 selection and NCBWA Preseason All-American Logan Hughes as well as Preseason All-Big 12 infielder Robin Villeneuve and four-year starter Tracer Lopez.
WEEKEND NOTES:
\TWO FORMER CONFERENCE FOES AND A NEW ONE
As part of the 2026 Shriner’s Children’s College Showdown, Texas Tech will face a pair of former conference foes in Oklahoma (Friday) and Arkansas (Saturday), as well as a brand new opponent in Vanderbilt (Sunday). The Red Raiders and Sooners shared a conference affiliation from 1956-1996 in the Southwest Conference before a nearly 30 year run (1996-2024) in the Big 12 Conference. The Red Raiders and Razorbacks were conference foes in the Southwest Conference from 1956 when the Red Raiders joined the SWC until Arkansas left for the SEC in 1992. The Apr. 6, 1991 matchup between Tech and Arkansas in Lubbock, was the final between the two schools as conference opponents. The Red Raiders third and final opponent of the weekend, Vanderbilt, will be a new opponent for Tech, as Tech and Vandy have not met before in program history.
NO SECRETS WITH OU
When the Red Raiders and Sooners kick-off the 2026 season it will mark the third time in less than a calendar year that the Red Raiders and Sooners are meeting on a baseball field. The former Big 12 rivals met a season ago in Frisco on the midweek before the two sides linked up for a fall scrimmage this past October. The Red Raiders and Sooners will play twice during the regular season in 2026, as in addition to the season opener, Tech and OU will meet in Frisco once again on April. 28. Off the field, Tech and OU have relationships as well, as Tech HC Tim Tadlock and OU HC Skip Johnson are extremely close as are Johnson and new pitching coach Steve Foster. Foster’s daughter, Lauren, also has a familiarity with the OU program as she served as a graduate assistant for Coach Patty Gasso and the OU Softball program as a graduate assistant. Lauren now serves as an assistant coach at UTA for Softball. Tech and Oklahoma have met every season (minus the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic season) since 1994. Tech and OU met in back-to-back seasons in the Big 12 Tournament with OU taking a 6-3 matchup in 2022 before the Red Raiders rebounded for a walk-off 10-9 win against the Sooners during the 2023 Big 12 Tournament.
FIRST WITH THE COMMODORES
On Saturday morning into afternoon, the Red Raiders and Vanderbilt will meet for the first time in program history. Tech and Vandy both made it to Omaha in 2014 and 2019 (Vandy won the National Title in both of those seasons) but the Red Raiders and Commodores did not meet in either of those two seasons.
ANOTHER BATTLE WITH THE RAZORBACKS
Arkansas and Texas Tech are meeting for the third time in three seasons on Sunday afternoon in Arlington and for the 10th-time as non-conference foes. Tech and Arkansas were both members of the Southwest Conference up until 1992 when Arkansas left for the SEC. As non-conference foes the Red Raiders and Razorbacks have met in 1995 at the Stanford Regional, twice in Houston first in 2012 and then in 2016 as part of the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. Arkansas took both of the neutral site meeting in Houston by 3-1 (2012) and 10-6 score lines, while the Red Raiders defeated Arkansas 14-10 in the Stanford Regional in 1995.
After a one year hiatus, Tech and Arkansas met twice in 2018, a midweek contest on Apr. 24 at Baum Walker before seeing each other in Omaha. The Red Raiders and Razorbacks were originally supposed to meet twice that week, but Wednesday’s (Apr. 25) game was canceled due to weather. Later that season, Tech and Arkansas met in Omaha, with Arkansas taking a 7-4 win in the Winners Bracket game. A year later, Tech would get its revenge, eliminating coach Dave Van Horn on a two-out RBI triple from Cody Masters. In 2021, Tech took a 9-8 lead into the ninth, before the Razorbacks struck for five runs to win 13-9.
In 2024, Tech and Arkansas met for a pair of games in Fayetteville, with Arkansas taking a pair of one-run wins. In the first game of the two-game midweek, the Red Raiders enjoyed leads of 7-0 and 8-7 before falling 9-8. Former Tech outfielder Austin Green homered twice finishing a triple shy of the cycle, while former third baseman Cade McGee be the ice on a two-run home run. In game two of the series, Tech took a 3-2 lead on a two-RBI double from catcher Kevin Bazzell before the Razorbacks raced out to a 5-3 lead heading into the ninth. The Red Raiders got a solo homer from McGee before Stone Hewlett closed out the game. Arkansas’ starter that afternoon, Colin Fisher, will once again face the Red Raiders on Sunday afternoon. Fisher tossed four innings and allowed three runs against Tech and earned a no-decision.
FAMILIAR UNDER THE GLOBE
Back at the Shriner’s College Showdown for the third time in five seasons, the Red Raiders will also make their return to Globe Life Field, a place they have played at every season since the opening of the park. Dating back to the ballparks opening in 2020, the Red Raiders have played 23 games at Globe Life Field since 2021. After starting 2-7 all-time at GLF, the Red Raiders have won seven of their last 14 games in the ballpark including five games in 2024. The Red Raiders went 2-1 in their last appearance in the Shriner’s downing Nebraska (6-3) and Oregon (11-7) before splitting midweek matchups with UT Arlington (13-1) and Oregon State (4-10). In the Big 12 Championship, Tech defeated Texas (6-4) and Cincinnati (10-5) before dropping a pair of contests to Oklahoma (2-7/0-4). The Red Raiders have now played in the Shriner’s Children’s College Baseball Showdown in three of the last five seasons including both 2022 and 2024.
RANKED RIGHT AWAY
After a challenging 2025 schedule that finished inside the top-10 in overall strength of schedule (No. 6) and non-conference SOS (No. 8), Texas Tech will have a similarly difficult start to 2026 as it faced in 2025, with matchups against three schools ranked inside the top-25 of at least one of the major D1 polls. Tech opens with No. 19 (Baseball America) Oklahoma before facing consensus top-25 teams in Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Vandy ranks as high as No. 17 (Baseball America) in a poll while Arkansas was slotted at No. 4 by Perfect Game. All three of Tech’s contests in Arlington should meet Q1 criteria. In 2025, Tech played an astounding 24 Q1 games and 15 Q2 contests. The Red Raiders played 11 of 53 contests a season ago against ranked squads (D1Baseball Poll).
SOPHOMORE JUMP(s)
Three Texas Tech second year players will look to make a major jump in 2026 after making various impacts for the Red Raiders in 2025. The first of those underclassmen is 6-6 righty Jackson Burns. Entering the 2025 season as one of the Red Raiders three weekend starters, Burns will look to record a bounce-back 2026 season after being limited to just one appearance opening weekend at No. 6 North Carolina, Burns will look to anchor the Red Raider weekend rotation. A former top-10 righty in the State of Texas and top-400 prospect nationally, Burns joined the Red Raiders after a decorated career at Southwest Christian in Aledo and for the DFW Twins. A former 2023 PG National Showcase participant and 2024 PG First Team All-Texas Region selection, Burns was in the mix for the Red Raiders weekend rotation before missing the 2024 season due to injury. In 2023 at Southwest Christian, Burns led all private schools in the State of Texas in strikeouts (146) and earned the District Pitcher of the Year. Burns also pitched for the Rangers Area Code team in 2023. In his final tuneup start of the Spring last Friday afternoon, Burns whiffed seven batters in four strong innings of two run ball. The Red Raiders second sophomore hoping to take a jump in ’26 is true sophomore Connor Mohan. The Red Raiders midweek starter for a large portion of the 2025 campaign, Mohan made 12 appearances and six starts a season ago including mid weeks starts against Oklahoma, Abilene Christian and UTRGV. After starting his college career with a pair of scoreless outings out of the bullpen, Mohan again assumed the midweek starter role recording the best start of his young career at ACU (Apr. 21) when he went six innings of two-run ball. Mohan, who weighed 165 a season ago, is up to 191 pounds heading into the 2026 season and has reached 96 with his fastball during the preseason.
Tech’s third neophyte that will look to take the “Sophomore Stride” is California native and former top-20 LHP and Top-5 pitcher in the State of California, Jorden Espinoza. A short-stint reliever a season ago, Espinoza made eight appearances in 2025 striking out eight batters in 6.2 innings. Like Mohan and Burns, Espinoza has also seen an up-tick in Velo this offseason into preseason as the southpaw has touched 94 from his three-quarter lefty angle. Espinoza was ranked a top-150 prospect in the Class of 2024 in addition to being a top-20 player in California and a top-five LHP in the state. Another sophomore that was limited in 2025 and will look to make a big jump in 2026 is former Top-100 signee and Hawai’i native Jace Souza. One of the toolsiest Red Raiders on the 2026 squad, Souza has flashed all five of his tools in spades during the preseason as he has shown an ability to hit gap-to-gap as well run and defend at a high level. Souza who suffered multiple leg injuries a year ago was limited to just nine total games and did not make his season debut until the 34th game of the season (Game Three at Arizona State). Souza hit just .222 in 27 at-bats in 2025.
The Red Raiders will also look to a pair of key contributors from a season ago to take a year two leap as middle infielder Coleman Ryan and righty Will Jordan are also back for Texas Tech in 2026. Ryan who started 37 games for the Red Raiders at 2025, primarily at shortstop hit .248 as a freshman and drove in 11 runs in his 113 total at-bats, while Jordan made 14 total appearances pitching to a 4.19 ERA over his 19.1 innings pitched. Jordan whiffed 24 and held batters to a salty .224 batting average against. Jordan is one of three returners from 2025 with 10 or more appearances and ranks fourth amongst returners in total innings pitched from a year ago (only Mohan, Pirko and Bevis have more).
MAKINGS OF A GOOD LINEUP
With two of the best hitters in the Big 12 in 2025 back in the fold for 2026 in first baseman Robin Villeneuve and outfielder Logan Hughes as well as the addition of Hollis Porter (Maryland) in the transfer portal, the Tech lineup will feature three guys that hit 10 or more home runs in 2025 in a Power Four Conference. When combined with one of the nation’s top freshman in Linkin Garcia as well as JUCO transfers Matt Quintanar, AJ Goytia and Caden Ferraro, the Red Raiders project to have one of their deeper and more complete lineups in recent memory. Also back for Tech in 2026 are veterans Tracer Lopez and Davis Rivers, as well as speedster Kyeler Thompson, who projects as the Red Raiders opening day center fielder. In 2025, Thompson stole all 29 bases he attempted and made just three errors all season in center field. Thompson arrived at Tech a season ago after spending his first season of college at Galveston College where he stole 46 of 49 total bases.
THREE RETURNERS GET THE BALL TO START IT OFF
Despite bringing multiple JUCO and freshman options who are stretched out and able to start, as well as former Red Raider and D-II transfer Ryan Free, Tim Tadlock and the Red Raider coaching staff will turn to three returners on the hill this weekend in rising sophomore Jackson Burns (RHP, Aledo Texas), former 2024 Freshman All-American Lukas Pirko and rising sophomore Connor Mohan. Originally scheduled to be a key cog in the Red Raider rotation plans in 2025, Burns pitched just once in 2025 at No. 6 North Carolina on a cold and rainy day in Chapel Hill. One of the Red Raiders most consistent arms a season ago during the 2025 spring ramp up, Burns came down with mononucleoses after his appearance against the Tar Heels and did not see action the rest of the season. The back two-thirds of the Red Raider rotation did have a fair amount of experience in 2025 starting ballgames as of Pirko’s 18 total appearances four did come as weekend starts. In his first appearance as a Red Raider Pirko ironically replaced Burns in the first inning of the series finale against the Heels and tossed 5.1 one-run innings where he whiffed seven. The bullpen stint combined with Burns illness earned Pirko starts against UC Irvin, Texas and at GCU before he also went down with an injury and missed three-straight weekends. Pirko made his return as season ago against Tarleton State. Tech’s third starting option was also no stranger to pitching as starter, as Mohan will make his seventh career start in his 13th appearance on the hill on Sunday. Mohan who started most of the midweek contests down the stretch for the Red Raiders will however be making his first career weekend start on Sunday. Both Burns and Mohan are DFW natives as Burns grew up in nearby Aledo and attended Southwest Christian HS, just under 30 miles from Globe Life Field. Burns’ classmate and fellow weekend starter Mohan grew up on the otherside of the Metroplex (SW of Arlington) in nearby Burleson.
INNINGS TO FILL
With a pair of new pitching minds in Steve Foster and Steve Merriman in 2026, the Red Raiders will feature a new look this season that features eight pitchers that were in different places in 2025. In total the Red Raiders lost 313.1 of its 462 innings pitched in 2025 including its top-four in innings pitched from a season ago and all three weekend starters in Mac Heuer who signed with the Yankees after being drafted in the 8th Round by the Yankees, Tyler Boudreau who signed with the Yankees as a free agent and Zane Petty who was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians in the 2025 draft. Also gone from the roster in 2026 is senior Jack Cebert who after going 7-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 60 total innings pitched was also drafted by the Yankees. In addition to the sophomores listed above (Burns, Espinoza, Jordan and Mohan), Tech will also lean heavily on former Freshman All-American (at California Baptist) Lukas Pirko, Logan Bevis as well as Parker Hutyra. Hutyra, who missed most of the 2025 season due to injury was limited to just nine total innings pitched after a strong 2024 freshman campaign that saw the DFW native go 4-3 with a 4.72 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. Hutyra was a 2024 Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection. Also “back” after a one-year stop at D-II Angelo State will be southpaw Ryan Free who enters 2026 with 102.0 career innings and a 16-7 all-time record in three seasons. Free has made 56 career appearances at the NCAA level including 44 in a Red Raider uniform. After spending the 2024 season as one of the Red Raiders top relievers, Free transitioned from the bullpen into the starting rotation at the tail end of 2025. Free who made nine starts including a strong start in the Big 12 Tournament against Cincinnati where he pitched 6.2 innings of three run ball to propel the Red Raiders into the Big 12 Quarterfinals.
Also potentially part of the solution for the Red Raiders on the bump will be a pair of Freshmen in Adam Hayes (Former No. 1 rated pitcher in the State of Colorado) and Jesse Rusinek (Top-50 lefty in the country) as well as JUCO arms Bryce Suiter (Fort Scott), Heeryun Han (Los Medanos/New Mexico Military) and Donovan Beccera (New Mexico JC). A native of Arkansas, Suiter was one of the final pieces to the Red Raider 2026 roster, joining the squad late in July after pitching one season at Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas. In 19 total appearances at Fort Scott, Suiter went 2-2 tossing 23.2 innings and recording an ERA of 3.42. Suiter whiffed 27 in those 23.2 innings and also recorded two saves. One of the better pitching prospects at the Junior College level, the Red Raiders could also lean on Beccera. A transfer from New Mexico Junior College, Beccera went 15-3 in 30 career appearances at NMJC striking out 148 batters in 119.2 career innings. After going 9-1 with a save in 2024, Beccera went 6-2 in 2025 recording his second-straight 70 punchout seasons. An option for the Red Raiders out of the bullpen, Han brings a different approach to the art of pitching as the South Korea native can pitch from multiple different arm angles and features a breaking ball that routinely will be less than 70 MPH and a fastball that sits in the mid 80s. Another potential option for the Red Raiders on the mound in 2026 will be Hawai’i transfer Kaysen Raineri who transferred to Texas Tech after a strong summer ball stint in the Northwoods League with the Rockford Rivets where he made five starts and pitched to a 3.16 ERA in 25.2 innings pitched. Raineri did not allow a run (earned or unearned) over the first 15.2 inning of his stint in the midwest and did not allow an earned run over his first 18.2 innings pitched.
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders stay on the road and will head to UTRGV for a Tuesday night clash with the Vaqueros. First pitch from Edinburg is set for 6:35 p.m.