Tim Tadlock breaks down Texas Tech baseball relief corps usage
When Texas Tech baseballcoach Tim Tadlock makes a call to the bullpen this year, he won't be short on experienced arms.
Seven of the Red Raiders' returning relief pitchers made more than 10 appearances last season, including lefthander Ryan Free (5-4, 4.11) and sidearming righthander Josh Sanders (3-1, 6.18), whose 27 and 19 appearances, respectively, came exclusively in relief.
Also back among that most-used group are lefthanders Taber Fast (1-0, 6.03), Derek Bridges (1-0, 7.71) and Brendan Lysik (0-1, 3.48) and righthanders Trendan Parish (3-2, 6.00) and Jacob Rogers (2-3, 5.48). Parish, Fast and Rogers all divided their time roughly equally last season between starting and the bullpen.
The Red Raiders need a lot of options because two of their high-leverage relievers from last season — righthanders Brandon Beckel and Ethan Coombes — are gone. Beckel, 5-2 with a 2.23 earned-run average and seven saves, signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a 12th-round draft choice. Coombes (4-0, 2.75) completed his eligibility.
What's the plan for Texas Tech baseball pitchers Trendan Parish and Taber Fast?
Parish has finished each of his first two seasons at Tech on the shelf, having come out of games in May and not returned. He started his career guns blazing with six saves, five by mid-March. Last year, his last eight appearances came as a starter, giving him 10 starts in 36 career games.
"Right now, we're going to go into the year with him in the bullpen," Tadlock said, "and he's fine with that, and we're going to pitch him out of there and see how things develop. Obviously, I think we've thought he could start before. We think he could do that again."
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Fast was one of Tech's prized freshmen last season, making seven starts in 12 appearances, including Big 12 starts against Oklahoma State and Texas. However, Tech coaches backed off Fast's ramp-up to this season, and Tadlock said this past week he had "a setback" with arm soreness.
"He's probably two outings behind everybody," in preseason preparation, Tadlock said. "That's probably why he's not in the discussion of starting right now. It's more about Taber going out and finding rhythm and timing, getting his work in and kind of figuring out where he lands. The pitch count's not built up enough."
Later, Tadlock said, "When they're sore this time of year, like early January, 'OK, take some time.' Or you go, 'Hey, throw more.' We chose to take some time."
Texas Tech baseball will have decisions to make at end of weekend
No. 22 Texas Tech's first five games are at Globe Life Field in Arlington, the first three against No. 8 Tennessee, Nebraska and Oregon in the Shriners Children's College Showdown. Tech plays Texas-Arlington at 6 p.m. Tuesday and Oregon State at noon Wednesday.
Subject to bullpen usage in the first three games, Tadlock said there were several options to start the early week games. Among them, lefthanders Max Huffling and Free and righthanders Sanders and three freshmen: Parker Hutyra from Birdville, Mac Heuer from Greensboro, Georgia, and Brady Trombello from Ridgefield, Washington.
"Any of those guys. All their pitch counts are built up," Tadlock said, adding that he and pitching coach Matt Gardner wouldn't decide Tuesday and Wednesday starters until the end of the weekend.
Huffling is a 6-foot-9 transfer from Abilene Christian University who pitched effectively against Tech each of the past two years. In three seasons at ACU, he was 14-2 with a 4.59 ERA, pitching mostly in relief.
Also coming out of the pen are lefthanders Carson Baugh, a junior transfer from Seminole State (Okla.), and sophomore returnee Zach Erdman (1-0, 3.21). Cole Kaase and Carson Priebe are other freshman righthanders.
"It's going to be fun to watch it come together," Tadlock said.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Digging into Texas Tech baseball bullpen plan with Tim Tadlock insight
