Photo Credit: Texas Tech Athletics
The Round Rock Classic in Texas is the tournament to watch in the second weekend of the season. The tournament will host the Tennessee Volunteers, Houston Cougars, #3 Texas Tech, and #15 Stanford. The upstart Volunteers will have a big test this weekend in Texas, facing a plethora of talent on the diamond.
The Tennessee Volunteers open up the weekend vs #3 Texas Tech. Head coach Tony Vitello will send sophomore Chad Dallas from Orange, Texas to the mound for the start. Last week, Dallas went 5 innings, only giving up 1 hit and no earned runs in his start vs Western Illinois. Also, outfielder Zach Daniels is hitting .462 with 2 home runs, with 8 runs batted in. Preseason All-American Alerick Soularie went 0-13 at the plate to start the season and I would expect him to get some hits tonight against Texas Tech.
#3 Texas Tech got off to a hot start during Opening Weekend by going 4-0 and outscoring its opponents 65-11. Tim Taddlocks’ Red Raiders will send sophomore Clayton Beeter to the mound against the Vols. Beeter went 6 innings, only giving up 2 hits and 1 earned run against Houston Baptist. Outfielder Dylan Neuse has a batting average of .571 with 1 double, and 6 runs batted in after Opening Weekend.
Tonight’s game is going to be a good one to watch in this young season. For Tennessee to win tonight, the pitching is going to have to hold up against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders can win the game if they keep their bats alive, however. They are averaging 16 runs a game in the first four games. You can catch this rare non-conference clash at 8:00 PM ET.
