The Texas Tech baseball team is off to a hot start in Big 12 play at 5-1. This weekend the Red Raiders completed a home sweep of the Oklahoma Sooners.

The No. 23 Texas Tech baseball team could not have asked for a much better start to Big 12 league play. After taking the first conference series of the year last weekend two games to one over Baylor, the Red Raiders came home to sweep the Oklahoma Sooners in a three-game set.

A 5-0 shutout got the series off to a great start on Thursday night. Freshman starting pitcher Davis Martin picked up his second win on the year after throwing six shutout innings. In nine appearances this year, Martin has put up an excellent 2.18 ERA over 20 innings pitched.

Offensively, five different Texas Tech hitters knocked in a run as Texas Tech took advantage of an Oklahoma pitching staff that struggled to find the plat all evening. At one point, the Sooners’ pitchers threw 17 consecutive balls to Texas Tech hitters.

Friday, saw another five run victory for the home team as yet another freshman starting pitcher, Steven Gingery picked up the win. The lefty from Huntington Beach, California tossed seven innings allowing only one run and striking out six.

For the second consecutive game, Texas Tech spread the wealth offensively with six different players picking up a RBI. Junior outfielder Stephen Smith hit his second home run of the season in the sixth inning to give the Red Raiders their final run of the evening. On the season, Smith is hitting .302 and has driven in 12.

Today, Texas Tech had to rely on its offense to dig out of an early five run hole. The team’s third freshman starter of the series, Ty Harpenau failed to get out of the second inning leaving with a 6-1 deficit.

But the Red Raiders had offensive fireworks in store for the Oklahoma pitching staff. Scoring five runs in the third inning, Texas Tech tied the game at 6-6.

Four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning put the Red Raiders up 10-6. Shortstop Orlando Garcia capped the inning with a two-out, two-run double to right field giving the home team breathing room.

Three extra runs in the fifth inning would give Texas Tech 13 runs on the day to secure a 13-7 win and a series sweep. The five run comeback was the largest for the Texas Tech baseball program since 2012.

Head coach Tim Tadlock’s team has taken care of business in the first two series of the year. The team is winning despite having to rely on a number of freshman pitchers.

Coming into the season, most expected the Texas Tech lineup featuring first baseman Eric Gutierrez, outfielders Stephen Smith and Tyler Neslony and designated hitter Corey Raley to put up plenty of runs. The question surrounding this team was whether or not the young pitching staff could hold up against Big 12 competition.

Thus far, the Texas Tech pitching staff has allowed an average of 2.66 runs per game in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders have the most conference wins in the league with five and sit at third in the Big 12 race.

After a two-game mid-week series in Las Vegas against UNLV, Texas Tech Baseball returns to Rip Griffin Park next weekend to host Kansas State for three games. Friday’s game will begin at 6:30 pm with first pitch on Saturday at 2 pm and on Sunday at noon.