The taste of defeat at the hands of the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday left many with a grimace on their face. Couple that with the only team in the NCAA with at least 50 wins ahead of the tournament, given the No. 11 seed. Texas Tech was dominant all season, but the RPI metric dropped them down to that No. 11 seed and is on pace for a collision with the No. 6-seeded Florida Gators.
The Lady Raiders have changed the perception of a program that was shut down for 10 years prior to joining the Big 12 in 1996.
Texas Tech Lady Raiders Softball History
Texas Tech began playing softball in 1981 under then-head coach Cindy Carleton. The team finished 12-37 after two seasons. After three seasons under the guidance of Kathy Welter and a 64-51-3 record, the program was shut down due to low funding, and the school wouldn’t field a team for the next 10 years.
It wasn’t until the Red Raiders joined the newly formed Big 12 Conference that the sport would return to the Hub City to compete in the NCAA. The early years were tough, but under head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie, the team earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history during the 1999 season. After returning the regionals in the 2001 season, Tech would have to wait until Shanon Hays took over in 2010 to see any sustained success for the Lady Raiders on the diamond.
Hays would lead the team to the NCAA Regionals three times (2010, 2011, 2012), but that would be his ceiling for the team, never able to quite get over the hump. Under Adrian Gregory in the 2019 season, the Lady Raiders came close to a Super Regional berth but fell to the LSU Tigers in a pivotal third game after splitting the first two matchups in the Baton Rouge Regional that season. Gregory was removed after the pandemic-shortened season in 2020.
Over the next four seasons of Texas Tech Softball, the Lady Raiders were relatively unremarkable on the field. Under Sami Ward and Craig Snider, the team would win 103 games and lose 95 games. The Lady Raiders finished 21-57 in Big 12 play during that span. The school needed a new plan, and that began with the hiring of Gerry Glasco, who changed the entire trajectory of Lady Raiders softball.
In two seasons at the helm, Glasco has won more games (106) than the last four years (103), while also dominating Big 12 play with a combined 41-7 conference record. The team advanced to the Super Regionals and Women’s College World Series for the first time in school history. They were just one game away from a national championship. In the Big 12 Tournament alone, the team outscored opponents 47-4 under Glasco’s watch.
Texas Tech Softball year-by-year results
*denotes season still underway
Texas Tech Softball Expectations Reset
Given how Glasco and the infusion of NIL have changed the landscape at Tracy Sellers Field, you can believe that the expectations changed right along with it. A team that finished 52-6 heading into the NCAA Regionals would be a welcome sight for any team. However, after falling in the Big 12 Tournament championship game, it could feel like a gut punch for the fanbase.
All of the disappointment felt on Saturday afternoon will be wiped away once the regionals begin, especially if the team finishes what they started last year and wins the national title.
Texas Tech will begin postseason play against Marist at Tracy Sellers Field on Friday, May 15, at 3:30 p.m. CT.
This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Expectations have been reset for Texas Tech Lady Raiders softball
Reporting by Patrick Conn, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
