in 2018. (TTU photo)

As tough as it might have been throughout the spring, the Red Raiders picked up the pieces and did big things when it mattered most. Down the stretch of the Big 12 regular season campaign, the Red Raiders lost a home series to Texas and played a rough brand of baseball in a series loss at TCU. But they finished the regular season with a bang, sweeping Oklahoma State on the road to knock the Cowboys out of the conference title, while also putting all their ducks in a row for a strong NCAA tournament run. They were where they needed to be to meet expectations.

Some call it the usual ‘Tadlock Magic’.

“You know, after Selection Monday this year, I congratulated him on hearing our namewere to Tim.”

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Kirby Hocutt had just passed the one-year mark from his arrival to Lubbock from Miami, and he was tasked with a difficult decision about the baseball program.

Dan Spencer was hired to turn the program around after the 2008 season, but for whatever reason, that didn’t happen. The Red Raiders hired Tadlock as the associate head coach prior to the 2012 campaign. That season, the Raiders went 29-26 overall, 7-17 in the Big 12 and failed to make the conference tournament.

Hocutt knew something had to be done.

Would he look outside of Lubbock for the next coach? Conventional wisdom suggested yes. But when Hocutt went to meet with Texas Tech’s players following Spencer’s removal, several players, particularly pitcher Duke von Schamann, spoke up.

Hocutt was well aware of Tadlock’s