Gardner Steps Up For Retooled Red Raiders

Led by an experienced, veteran lineup, Texas Tech won the Big 12 Conference last season and reached the College World Series for the second time in three years.

- Teddy Cahill

Half of last year’s regulars are now gone, including All American first baseman Eric Gutierrez, leaving a hole in the lineup for new Red Raiders to step up and fill.

Texas Tech hasn’t missed a beat this spring, however, starting the season 17-4 and rising to No. 8 in the Top 25 after five weekends. Along with senior first baseman Hunter Hargrove (.329/.387/.553), junior outfielder Tanner Gardner (.294/.344/.376) has been at the heart of the Red Raiders’ new-look offense.

After leading Texas Tech in batting last season (.379/.484/.549), Gardner got off to a slow start this spring. Ten games into the season, he was hitting .150/.222/.150. He has since broken out of that slump, and hit .422/.458/.578 in the next 11 games to raise his season line to .294/.344/.376.

Gardner said he was confident he would break out of his slump.

“Just play through it has been my mentality,” he said. “I have a bunch of positive guys in the locker room that have kept my spirits up. It’s just the grind of the game we play and the game that we love.”

Coach Tim Tadlock said he thought Gardner’s start to the season was probably the worst stretch of his baseball career. But for a player with his ability to impact the game in several ways, it was only a matter of time before his bat came around.