OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Top-seeded Texas Tech will face No. 8 seed Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Devon Park.
The Red Raiders (42-12, 20-4 Big 12) enter the tournament after claiming their first-ever Big 12 regular season title and sweeping all eight of their conference series, including four series sweeps. Baylor (27-26, 11-13) advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-3 win over No. 9 Kansas on Wednesday.
Texas Tech, led by first-year head coach Gerry Glasco, posted a program-record 20 Big 12 wins this season and reached 40 overall wins for just the fourth time in school history. Glasco was named Big 12 Coach of the Year, while freshman ace NiJaree Canady earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors after going 23-5 with a 0.89 ERA, including a 16-2 record in league play.
Ten Red Raiders were named to All-Big 12 teams earlier Wednesday, including Canady, Mihyia Davis, Alana Johnson, and Bailey Lindemuth on the First Team. Second Team selections included Alexa Langeliers, Lauren Allre,d and Demi Elder. Davis and Victoria Valdez earned All-Defensive Team honors, while Lindemuth and Hailey Toney were named to the All-Freshman Team.
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in conference batting average (.322), ERA (1.68), and fielding percentage (.982). Elder, a senior outfielder, has provided a spark since returning to the lineup, reaching base in 21 of the last 22 games as Tech has gone 19-3 in that stretch.
The winner of Thursday’s game will advance to face the winner of No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 5 Arizona State in Friday’s semifinal at 3 p.m. The championship game is set for Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN.
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