No. 5 Red Raiders Set to Open 2015 Baseball Season With Weekend Series Against University of San Francisco

Coming off its most successful season in program history, including the first trip to the College World Series, the No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raider baseball program opens its 66th season this weekend, hosting San Francisco for a four-game series at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

Lubbock Cooper grad Ryan Mosley will take the hill for the Red Raiders in the opener 2 p.m. Friday. Right-hander junior transfer Quinn Carpenter will start game one of Saturday's double header while Dillon Dusek starts game two. Head Coach Tim Tadlock is undecided about the game four starter.

Tech returns five starters from last season and 22 overall letter winners. The Red Raiders welcome back 13 of 16 pitchers, including eight arms that started at least one game a year ago.

Among the Red Raiders' returning players are preseason All-American 1B Eric Gutierrez, All-Big 12 outfielder Tyler Neslony and All-Big 12 shortstop Tim Proudfoot.

San Francisco is coming off a 25-29 season - the 16th under head coach Nino Giarratano - while returning 17 players with six starting position players back and one starting pitcher while 18 newcomers make up the Dons' roster. San Francisco is making its first trip to Lubbock to face Tech since 2003 (Tech won 2 of those 3 games).

LEADING OFF

• Texas Tech is 41-24 all-time on Opening Day, including a 14-2 record since 1999.
• The Red Raiders are 28-6 all-time on Opening Day at home.
• Since 1986, Texas Tech is 20-2 on Opening Day in Lubbock and is 28-2 in home openers since 1985.
• Texas Tech and San Francisco meet for the fifth time while the series is tied, 2-2.
• San Francisco defeated Tech 2-1 in Palm Springs, Calif. in 2009 and Tech won 2-of-3 in Lubbock in 2003.
• Ryan Moseley becomes the sixth underclassmen to start for Tech on Opening Day since 1987.
• Tech has started a sophomore pitcher on Opening Day in 3 of the last 4 years.
• The Red Raiders open the season with a season-long nine-game homestand.
• Tech will play 14 of its first 15 games of the season at home from Feb. 13-March 2.
• Tech received 6 preseason national rankings, including a No. 5 ranking by Baseball America.