Texas Tech University Men's Baseball

Tadlock was named head coach of his alma mater on June 8, 2012, becoming the ninth head coach in program history. Tadlock will enter his 24th year in collegiate baseball in 2016. He owns a collegiate career record of 537-202 in 12 years as a head coach with nine seasons at Grayson County College (435-127) and three at Texas Tech (102-75). Tadlock and the Red Raiders completed the biggest turnaround in school history and the second biggest turnaround in Big 12 history, going from 26 wins in 2013 to 45 wins in 2014. The season culminated with Texas Tech's first trip to the College World Series in Omaha. The Red Raiders' historic 2014 season included winning 45 games (fourth-most in school history), setting 10 school records, sweeping six series (three Big 12 series) and defeating 12 nationally-ranked programs, including six top-10 teams. Texas Tech spent 18-consecutive weeks in the national rankings, which spanned the entire season, before ending the year with a No. 8 national ranking in the final poll of the year. Tadlock was named the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year as well as the Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year while guiding the Red Raiders to their best season in school history with a 45-21 overall mark and 14-10 Big 12 record. Tech posted just the sixth 40-win regular season in school history while claiming its first-ever NCAA Regional title at the Coral Gables Regional hosted by No. 3 nationally-ranked Miami (Fla.). Tech won the regional with three wins, two of them coming against Miami on its home field. Tech returned to Lubbock the following week for its first-ever NCAA Super Regional where Red Raider fans sold-out Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park within 40 minutes of tickets going on sale. Tech responded with two thrilling 1-0 shutouts over No. 16 College of Charleston to punch its ticket to Omaha for the first time in school history. On the way, Tech became just the second team in NCAA Super Regional history (since 1999) to post back-to-back shutouts (2002 -- LSU) and is the first team to ever win back-to-back 1-0 games in a Super Regional. The Red Raider pitching staff shined during the postseason with a 0.76 ERA in eight games while posting 64 scoreless innings (72 innings played), including 27 consecutive scoreless frames in three straight shutouts. Tech tied the NCAA all-time record with four shutouts in a postseason, joining Cal State Fullerton (2004), Pepperdine (1992), Arizona State (1972), Florida State (1970), St. John's (1968) and Wake Forest (1955) as the only teams in college baseball history to tally four shutouts in a single NCAA postseason. In fact, it was the first time since 1976 that the Red Raiders had posted three straight shutouts at any point of the season. Also in 2014, Tadlock led Tech to 14 league wins -- the program's most since 2004 -- while picking up his 500th collegiate career win in a 3-2 victory over West Virginia in Lubbock on May 16, 2014. Tech tied a school record with 33 home wins (1993) and set a new school record by holding its opponent to two or fewer runs 30 times (25-5 record). Tech also set the following school records in 2014 -- shutouts (9), ERA during aluminum bat era (since 1974, 3.11), fielding percentage (.980), ERA in Big 12 games (4.09), games played (66), innings pitched (587.2), putouts (1,763) and assists (809). The Red Raiders were solid in all three phases during Tadlock's second season as head coach. Tech ranked among the Big 12's top three in 12 statistical categories while leading the league in slugging percentage and triples and finishing second in the conference in runs, hits, doubles, home runs and RBI. Outfielder Tyler Neslony became the first Red Raider to lead the Big 12 in batting (.375) while first baseman Eric Gutierrez led the league in home runs (12) and RBI (58), becoming just the second Red Raider to accomplish that feat in the Big 12 era and the first since 2004. Second baseman Bryant Burleson and outfielder/designated hitter Adam Kirsch tied for the Big 12 lead in doubles (21) while Kirsch, the 2014 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (second time a Red Raider to earn award), led the league in slugging percentage (.560), just ahead of Gutierrez (.539). Tech finished third in the country in triples (26) and ranked sixth in both double plays turned (65) and fielding percentage (.980). Overall, the Red Raiders ranked among the top-30 in the country in 10 different statistical categories. Tadlock guided the Red Raiders to a 16-game home win streak to end the 2014 season -- a new school record for consecutive home wins to complete the season. That streak was also the longest active home win streak in the nation to end the 2014 season. The accolades and honors poured in for the Red Raiders in 2014 with six players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft or signing a free agent contract with an MLB organization following the draft. A pair of players -- both whom had not been drafted previously in their careers -- were selected in the top-10 rounds with left-handed pitcher Chris Sadberry going in the sixth round (Miami Marlins) and catcher Hunter Redman taken in the eighth round (Los Angeles Dodgers). For the first time in school history the Red Raiders had a pair of Freshman All-America selections in consecutive seasons -- both under Tadlock as head coach -- as left-handed pitcher Dylan Dusek and Stephen Smith received the honor in 2014. The previous year, Eric Gutierrez and Jarrard Poteete were selected as two of the top freshmen in the country. The Red Raiders had six All-Big 12 selections in 2014, including three first-team picks -- a first for Tech since 2004. The Red Raiders also had three All-Big 12 second team selections, one Big 12 All-Freshman Team (Stephen Smith) member, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Kirsch), three Academic All-Big 12 honorees, two ABCA All-Midwest Regional selections and Tyler Neslony who was named a finalist for the Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award. Tech had three Big 12 Player of the Week picks and had three players named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. Tech finished 31-24 overall in Tadlock's third season in 2015, marking the first time since 2005-06 where the Red Raiders have posted consecutive 30-win seasons. The Red Raiders completed Big 12 play at 13-11 overall, securing a tie for third place in the conference standings, Tech's highest finish since the 2004 season. It was also the second-straight season where Tech has finished among the top four in the Big 12 standings, a first for the Red Raiders since the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Over the past two years alone (2014-15), Tech has combined for 76 victories -- its most over a two-year span since the 2001 and 2002 seasons (85 wins). In addition, the Red Raiders have also combined for 27 wins in Big 12 play, their most since those same two seasons. Tadlock picked up his 100th career win as Tech's head coach late in the 2015 season as the Red Raiders defeated Texas, 5-1, on May 3. Tadlock collected his 100th win in just his 171st game, making him the fastest head coach in school history to reach that mark. The Red Raiders once again were among the national leaders defensively, ranking 10th in the country for double plays per game and 14th for double plays. Corey Taylor, meanwhile, led the country with a 0.31 ERA, the lowest in both Texas Tech and Big 12 Conference history, after allowing just two earned runs over 57.1 innings. He finished 4-0 in 19 appearances and held opponents to just a .186 batting average. Taylor became the first Red Raider to earn All-America honors in Tadlock's tenure as he was third team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). His selection marked the first time since John Neely in 2011 where a Red Raider pitcher garnered All-America accolades. Gutierrez joined Taylor in collecting national accolades as he was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Rawlings Gold Glove Team, becoming just the second Red Raider in program history to collect the honor. Gutierrez, one of six Red Raiders also on the All-Big 12 teams, ended his junior year with an impressive .992 fielding percentage. Texas Tech's success the past two seasons was built off the groundwork laid in Tadlock's first season in 2013. Faced with the youngest team in the country that featured a nation-leading 22 newcomers, Tadlock and his coaching staff developed their young roster throughout the season as the Red Raiders won eight of their final 14 games. The Red Raiders won their Big 12 Conference series opener in 2013 taking two of three games over Texas in Austin. It marked the first time Tech had won a series over the Longhorns in Austin since 2001 and was Tech's first series win over Texas since 2002. The Red Raiders knocked off five nationally-ranked opponents in Tadlock's first season, including defending national champion Arizona in Tucson. Tech also strung together three-consecutive wins over ranked opponents during the year -- a first by the Red Raiders in 11 years. Tech broke the all-time school record for fielding percentage and double plays turned in a season (68) during Tadlock's opening year alone as the Red Raiders finished 26-30 overall and 9-15 in Big 12 play, a two-win improvement against conference foes from the previous year. In 2013, Tadlock mentored four All-Big 12 selections (one All-Freshman team pick), four Academic All-Big 12 picks and three Major League Baseball Draft picks, including fifth rounder right-handed pitcher Trey Masek. Tech fans have packed Rip Griffin Park in Tadlock's three seasons, averaging over 2,500 fans per game during that time. Tech has consistently ranked among the national leaders in average attendance and total attendance in each of the past three seasons Fan support was at an all-time high prior to the 2014 Super Regional as fans sold out tickets within 40 minutes of going on sale. The series drew 4,811 fans at each of the two games, pushing Tech's total to 89,355 for the season which ranked 20th in the nation. The enthusiasm from the 2014 season carried over a year later when Tech sold out of season tickets for the first time in program history. Tech closed the year averaging 3,266 fans per game, its highest average since 2000, after 98,969 fans stepped foot in Rip Griffin Park during the season. Tech ranked 15th nationally in average attendance and 17th for total attendance. Tech's success on the diamond has stemmed from Tadlock and his coaching staff's work on the recruiting trail as the Red Raiders have received national recognition from each of its first three recruiting classes. Tadlock's ability to recruit top-notch players in the state of Texas and throughout the country -- both at the high school and junior college levels -- became apparent quickly in his time at Tech while in just his seventh month on the job, his first-full season recruiting class ranked 24th in the nation by Perfect Game. Tadlock and staff's first recruiting class (2013 graduates) received a No. 24 ranking by Perfect Game and a No. 27 national ranking by Collegiate Baseball. Tadlock and the Red Raider coaching staff had a 13th ranked recruiting class in 2014 by Collegiate Baseball -- a mark that tied the record for highest ranked class in school history. Tech's 2014 class was also ranked 23rd by Baseball America, marking the first-ever ranking for Tech by BA in its recruiting class rankings. Tech's 2015 class, meanwhile, was ranked as high as ninth after Tadlock and his staff signed three prospects who were selected within the first 50 picks of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Two of Tech's signees -- Josh Naylor and Trent Clark -- were selected 12th and 15th overall, marking the first time in program history where Tech has had multiple signees taken in the first round. Tadlock returned to his alma mater for the 2012 season as the program's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator following six successful seasons as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma. During his one season at Tech as the associate head coach/recruiting coordinator, the Red Raiders had a school-record nine MLB Draft picks, including first-round selection center fielder Barrett Barnes, who became the third highest draft pick in school history with the 45th overall pick. The nine MLB Draft picks in 2012 ranked second in the nation only behind Arizona State's 10 draft selections. The nine draft picks marked the fifth most in Big 12 history. Tadlock has coached 124 MLB Draft picks -- including 19 players who have advanced to the big leagues. He has mentored at least one draft pick during the last 21 seasons and has coached three first-round selections, 11 players taken in the top five rounds and 29 selections in the top-10 rounds of the draft during his coaching career. Tadlock's players have heard their names called a lot recently in the MLB Draft with 52 selections over the last six years (2010-15). Six years during his coaching career Tadlock has had at least nine players taken in the draft. Tadlock produced several of the nation's top recruiting classes while an assistant coach at Oklahoma, helping lead the Sooners back to the College World Series in 2010, the Sooners first trip to Omaha since 1995. It didn't take Tadlock long to make his mark on the recruiting trail at Oklahoma, as his 2006 recruiting class ranked fourth nationally by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The No. 4 ranking was the best for the Sooners since 1987. Tadlock also had top-25 nationally ranked recruiting classes by Baseball America in 2006 (11th), 2009 (16th), 2010 (21st) and 2012 (13th). In addition, OU's 2012 recruiting class received a No. 4 ranking by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. During his time at Oklahoma (2006-2011), the Sooners made five trips to the NCAA Tournament with two Super Regional appearances in 2006 and 2010 while making it back to the College World Series in Omaha in 2010. It marked OU's first time to make five post-season appearances in a six year span since 1987-1992. The Sooners had unparalleled success at the plate under Tadlock's guidance. Oklahoma batted over .300 during all six of his seasons -- first time for OU since 1995-2000 -- and his 2009 and 2010 clubs combined for 195 home runs, the most ever at Oklahoma in consecutive seasons while leading the Big 12 in homers both years. The Sooners 104 home runs in 2010 rank second all-time in Oklahoma history. In 2011, Tadlock coached 11 players at Oklahoma who were selected in the MLB Draft, a total that matched the all-time Big 12 record (Texas, 2007). After beginning his college coaching career as an assistant at Hill College (1993-96) for four seasons, Tadlock became the head coach at Grayson County Junior College, where he led the Vikings to back-to-back National Junior College Athletic Association World Series titles in 1999 and 2000. During his nine seasons at Grayson, Tadlock posted a 435-127 (.774) overall record while being named National Coach of the Year following both title runs (1999-2000) He led the Vikings to five Region V championships which culminated in five trips to the JUCO World Series. Tadlock coached eight players at Grayson County that earned All-America honors. The Red Raiders have benefited from six players that transferred to Tech from Tadlock's program at Grayson while he was head coach. Included in those student-athletes are Texas Tech All-American shortstop Cameron Blair (2004-05) and former Major League catcher Trey Lunsford (1999-00). During his nine-year tenure at Grayson (1997-2005), Tadlock recorded the highest winning percentage of any collegiate baseball coach, including all two and four-year institutions, with a .774 winning percentage. While at Grayson, Tadlock also served as the school's director of athletics, a position he held during his final five years at the junior-college level. After a prep career at Denton High School and two years at Hill College, Tadlock was a two-year starting shortstop for the Red Raiders while helping Texas Tech to its first-ever 40-win season as a senior in 1991 (42-18). In his two-year career at Tech, Tadlock played in 120 games, batted .289 (120-for-415) with 96 runs scored, 19 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 68 RBI, 71 walks, 65 strikeouts and was 28-of-41 in stolen bases. Tadlock played for legendary coach Larry Hays while at Texas Tech. Tadlock graduated with his bachelor's degree in physical education from Texas Tech in May 1992. He also earned a master's degree in education in August 1994 from the University of Texas at Tyler. Tadlock and his wife, Kelly, have two children, daughter, Chloe (14), and son, Benjamin (12). Tadlock is originally from Denton, Texas and was born December 21, 1968. THE TADLOCK FILE: 2013-Present - Texas Tech (Head Coach) 2012 - Texas Tech (Associate Head Coach) 2006-2011 - Oklahoma (Assistant Coach) 1997-2005 - Grayson County College (Head Coach) 1993-1996 - Hill College (Assistant Coach) What those in the baseball community said about Texas Tech's hire of Tim Tadlock as its head baseball coach. Augie Garrido - Texas Head Baseball Coach "That is a smart move by Texas Tech. I think in a very short period of time he will bring back the glory days at Texas Tech. He is certainly one of the best recruiters in the country. He is a tireless worker and is very committed to the game of baseball and respects the game of baseball to the level that will allow that program to be a championship program in a short period of time. That hire is a very smart move by Texas Tech, a very smart move." Rob Childress - Texas A&M Head Baseball Coach "Tim is one of the great young coaches in the country. He has a proven track record for the last 15 years while winning at a very high level in junior college and at Oklahoma. I totally expect the same things in a short period of time at Texas Tech. He is an excellent recruiter. He is going to do great things for Texas Tech baseball." Jim Schlossnagle - TCU Head Baseball Coach "Tim has worked diligently throughout every level of college baseball to earn this opportunity. I'm sure that he will represent Texas Tech successfully on the field and with the highest amount of class and integrity in the community." John Lackey - RHP Boston Red Sox (Played for Tadlock in 1999 at Grayson College) "I think that is an awesome hire for Texas Tech. He is a quality baseball man. He is all about baseball. He is a player's coach. He is very easy to talk to. He does a great job conveying his message to his players and getting across to his players what he expects and what he wants done. He is easy to play for as long as you play hard. He never got too fired up unless he wasn't seeing the effort from his players that he expected. I think his players always appreciated that. This is a great hire also because of his ability to recruit. He can really recruit. Guys like him, players are drawn to him. I think he will do a great job at Texas Tech." Mark Lummus - Seattle Mariners Professional Scout "I have known Tim for a long time. He is a dynamite recruiter. He is a super game-manager. He is a good motivator. I think he is one of the best coaches out there, his record speaks for itself. I don't think you could hire a better guy. He is a star in the making. That is a great hire for Texas Tech." Gerald Turner - Atlanta Braves Professional Scout "I think you guys got a real steal. This guy knows what he is doing. He is a great recruiter. There will be some very good players who will go to Texas Tech because of Tim Tadlock. He has a great network and has a lot of friends in the game of baseball. One thing Tim always did when he was head coach at Grayson (College) was play very good competition. He didn't try and build his record by playing people who were weak. He wasn't afraid to play the big boys. He has always had good players and he has competed with the best of them. He had good players because he recruited well and they went there because of Tim Tadlock." Ray Crone, Jr. - Detroit Tigers National Scouting Director "I think that is a great hire. I have known Tim a long time. He has a lot of success in the state of Texas. I think he will do a great job at Texas Tech. First of all, he is a great guy. He has done a great job recruiting and gets a lot of good kids and baseball players. When you draft one of his players that he has recruited and worked with they usually go out and have success." Tim Tadlock, the 2014 College Baseball Hall of Fame National Coach of the Year, enters his fourth season as the head coach at Texas Tech after taking the Red Raiders to the College World Series in just his second season while winning over 100 games in his tenure. Tadlock was named head coach of his alma mater on June 8, 2012, becoming the ninth head coach in program history. Tadlock will enter his 24th year in collegiate baseball in 2016. He owns a collegiate career record of 537-202 in 12 years as a head coach with nine seasons at Grayson County College (435-127) and three at Texas Tech (102-75). Tadlock and the Red Raiders completed the biggest turnaround in school history and the second biggest turnaround in Big 12 history, going from 26 wins in 2013 to 45 wins in 2014. The season culminated with Texas Tech's first trip to the College World Series in Omaha. The Red Raiders' historic 2014 season included winning 45 games (fourth-most in school history), setting 10 school records, sweeping six series (three Big 12 series) and defeating 12 nationally-ranked programs, including six top-10 teams. Texas Tech spent 18-consecutive weeks in the national rankings, which spanned the entire season, before ending the year with a No. 8 national ranking in the final poll of the year. Tadlock was named the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year as well as the Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year while guiding the Red Raiders to their best season in school history with a 45-21 overall mark and 14-10 Big 12 record. Tech posted just the sixth 40-win regular season in school history while claiming its first-ever NCAA Regional title at the Coral Gables Regional hosted by No. 3 nationally-ranked Miami (Fla.). Tech won the regional with three wins, two of them coming against Miami on its home field. Tech returned to Lubbock the following week for its first-ever NCAA Super Regional where Red Raider fans sold-out Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park within 40 minutes of tickets going on sale. Tech responded with two thrilling 1-0 shutouts over No. 16 College of Charleston to punch its ticket to Omaha for the first time in school history. On the way, Tech became just the second team in NCAA Super Regional history (since 1999) to post back-to-back shutouts (2002 -- LSU) and is the first team to ever win back-to-back 1-0 games in a Super Regional. The Red Raider pitching staff shined during the postseason with a 0.76 ERA in eight games while posting 64 scoreless innings (72 innings played), including 27 consecutive scoreless frames in three straight shutouts. Tech tied the NCAA all-time record with four shutouts in a postseason, joining Cal State Fullerton (2004), Pepperdine (1992), Arizona State (1972), Florida State (1970), St. John's (1968) and Wake Forest (1955) as the only teams in college baseball history to tally four shutouts in a single NCAA postseason. In fact, it was the first time since 1976 that the Red Raiders had posted three straight shutouts at any point of the season. Also in 2014, Tadlock led Tech to 14 league wins -- the program's most since 2004 -- while picking up his 500th collegiate career win in a 3-2 victory over West Virginia in Lubbock on May 16, 2014. Tech tied a school record with 33 home wins (1993) and set a new school record by holding its opponent to two or fewer runs 30 times (25-5 record). Tech also set the following school records in 2014 -- shutouts (9), ERA during aluminum bat era (since 1974, 3.11), fielding percentage (.980), ERA in Big 12 games (4.09), games played (66), innings pitched (587.2), putouts (1,763) and assists (809). The Red Raiders were solid in all three phases during Tadlock's second season as head coach. Tech ranked among the Big 12's top three in 12 statistical categories while leading the league in slugging percentage and triples and finishing second in the conference in runs, hits, doubles, home runs and RBI. Outfielder Tyler Neslony became the first Red Raider to lead the Big 12 in batting (.375) while first baseman Eric Gutierrez led the league in home runs (12) and RBI (58), becoming just the second Red Raider to accomplish that feat in the Big 12 era and the first since 2004. Second baseman Bryant Burleson and outfielder/designated hitter Adam Kirsch tied for the Big 12 lead in doubles (21) while Kirsch, the 2014 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (second time a Red Raider to earn award), led the league in slugging percentage (.560), just ahead of Gutierrez (.539). Tech finished third in the country in triples (26) and ranked sixth in both double plays turned (65) and fielding percentage (.980). Overall, the Red Raiders ranked among the top-30 in the country in 10 different statistical categories. Tadlock guided the Red Raiders to a 16-game home win streak to end the 2014 season -- a new school record for consecutive home wins to complete the season. That streak was also the longest active home win streak in the nation to end the 2014 season. The accolades and honors poured in for the Red Raiders in 2014 with six players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft or signing a free agent contract with an MLB organization following the draft. A pair of players -- both whom had not been drafted previously in their careers -- were selected in the top-10 rounds with left-handed pitcher Chris Sadberry going in the sixth round (Miami Marlins) and catcher Hunter Redman taken in the eighth round (Los Angeles Dodgers). For the first time in school history the Red Raiders had a pair of Freshman All-America selections in consecutive seasons -- both under Tadlock as head coach -- as left-handed pitcher Dylan Dusek and Stephen Smith received the honor in 2014. The previous year, Eric Gutierrez and Jarrard Poteete were selected as two of the top freshmen in the country. The Red Raiders had six All-Big 12 selections in 2014, including three first-team picks -- a first for Tech since 2004. The Red Raiders also had three All-Big 12 second team selections, one Big 12 All-Freshman Team (Stephen Smith) member, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Kirsch), three Academic All-Big 12 honorees, two ABCA All-Midwest Regional selections and Tyler Neslony who was named a finalist for the Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award. Tech had three Big 12 Player of the Week picks and had three players named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. Tech finished 31-24 overall in Tadlock's third season in 2015, marking the first time since 2005-06 where the Red Raiders have posted consecutive 30-win seasons. The Red Raiders completed Big 12 play at 13-11 overall, securing a tie for third place in the conference standings, Tech's highest finish since the 2004 season. It was also the second-straight season where Tech has finished among the top four in the Big 12 standings, a first for the Red Raiders since the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Over the past two years alone (2014-15), Tech has combined for 76 victories -- its most over a two-year span since the 2001 and 2002 seasons (85 wins). In addition, the Red Raiders have also combined for 27 wins in Big 12 play, their most since those same two seasons. Tadlock picked up his 100th career win as Tech's head coach late in the 2015 season as the Red Raiders defeated Texas, 5-1, on May 3. Tadlock collected his 100th win in just his 171st game, making him the fastest head coach in school history to reach that mark. The Red Raiders once again were among the national leaders defensively, ranking 10th in the country for double plays per game and 14th for double plays. Corey Taylor, meanwhile, led the country with a 0.31 ERA, the lowest in both Texas Tech and Big 12 Conference history, after allowing just two earned runs over 57.1 innings. He finished 4-0 in 19 appearances and held opponents to just a .186 batting average. Taylor became the first Red Raider to earn All-America honors in Tadlock's tenure as he was third team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). His selection marked the first time since John Neely in 2011 where a Red Raider pitcher garnered All-America accolades. Gutierrez joined Taylor in collecting national accolades as he was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Rawlings Gold Glove Team, becoming just the second Red Raider in program history to collect the honor. Gutierrez, one of six Red Raiders also on the All-Big 12 teams, ended his junior year with an impressive .992 fielding percentage. Texas Tech's success the past two seasons was built off the groundwork laid in Tadlock's first season in 2013. Faced with the youngest team in the country that featured a nation-leading 22 newcomers, Tadlock and his coaching staff developed their young roster throughout the season as the Red Raiders won eight of their final 14 games. The Red Raiders won their Big 12 Conference series opener in 2013 taking two of three games over Texas in Austin. It marked the first time Tech had won a series over the Longhorns in Austin since 2001 and was Tech's first series win over Texas since 2002. The Red Raiders knocked off five nationally-ranked opponents in Tadlock's first season, including defending national champion Arizona in Tucson. Tech also strung together three-consecutive wins over ranked opponents during the year -- a first by the Red Raiders in 11 years. Tech broke the all-time school record for fielding percentage and double plays turned in a season (68) during Tadlock's opening year alone as the Red Raiders finished 26-30 overall and 9-15 in Big 12 play, a two-win improvement against conference foes from the previous year. In 2013, Tadlock mentored four All-Big 12 selections (one All-Freshman team pick), four Academic All-Big 12 picks and three Major League Baseball Draft picks, including fifth rounder right-handed pitcher Trey Masek. Tech fans have packed Rip Griffin Park in Tadlock's three seasons, averaging over 2,500 fans per game during that time. Tech has consistently ranked among the national leaders in average attendance and total attendance in each of the past three seasons Fan support was at an all-time high prior to the 2014 Super Regional as fans sold out tickets within 40 minutes of going on sale. The series drew 4,811 fans at each of the two games, pushing Tech's total to 89,355 for the season which ranked 20th in the nation. The enthusiasm from the 2014 season carried over a year later when Tech sold out of season tickets for the first time in program history. Tech closed the year averaging 3,266 fans per game, its highest average since 2000, after 98,969 fans stepped foot in Rip Griffin Park during the season. Tech ranked 15th nationally in average attendance and 17th for total attendance. Tech's success on the diamond has stemmed from Tadlock and his coaching staff's work on the recruiting trail as the Red Raiders have received national recognition from each of its first three recruiting classes. Tadlock's ability to recruit top-notch players in the state of Texas and throughout the country -- both at the high school and junior college levels -- became apparent quickly in his time at Tech while in just his seventh month on the job, his first-full season recruiting class ranked 24th in the nation by Perfect Game. Tadlock and staff's first recruiting class (2013 graduates) received a No. 24 ranking by Perfect Game and a No. 27 national ranking by Collegiate Baseball. Tadlock and the Red Raider coaching staff had a 13th ranked recruiting class in 2014 by Collegiate Baseball -- a mark that tied the record for highest ranked class in school history. Tech's 2014 class was also ranked 23rd by Baseball America, marking the first-ever ranking for Tech by BA in its recruiting class rankings. Tech's 2015 class, meanwhile, was ranked as high as ninth after Tadlock and his staff signed three prospects who were selected within the first 50 picks of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Two of Tech's signees -- Josh Naylor and Trent Clark -- were selected 12th and 15th overall, marking the first time in program history where Tech has had multiple signees taken in the first round. Tadlock returned to his alma mater for the 2012 season as the program's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator following six successful seasons as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma. During his one season at Tech as the associate head coach/recruiting coordinator, the Red Raiders had a school-record nine MLB Draft picks, including first-round selection center fielder Barrett Barnes, who became the third highest draft pick in school history with the 45th overall pick. The nine MLB Draft picks in 2012 ranked second in the nation only behind Arizona State's 10 draft selections. The nine draft picks marked the fifth most in Big 12 history. Tadlock has coached 124 MLB Draft picks -- including 19 players who have advanced to the big leagues. He has mentored at least one draft pick during the last 21 seasons and has coached three first-round selections, 11 players taken in the top five rounds and 29 selections in the top-10 rounds of the draft during his coaching career. Tadlock's players have heard their names called a lot recently in the MLB Draft with 52 selections over the last six years (2010-15). Six years during his coaching career Tadlock has had at least nine players taken in the draft. Tadlock produced several of the nation's top recruiting classes while an assistant coach at Oklahoma, helping lead the Sooners back to the College World Series in 2010, the Sooners first trip to Omaha since 1995. It didn't take Tadlock long to make his mark on the recruiting trail at Oklahoma, as his 2006 recruiting class ranked fourth nationally by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The No. 4 ranking was the best for the Sooners since 1987. Tadlock also had top-25 nationally ranked recruiting classes by Baseball America in 2006 (11th), 2009 (16th), 2010 (21st) and 2012 (13th). In addition, OU's 2012 recruiting class received a No. 4 ranking by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. During his time at Oklahoma (2006-2011), the Sooners made five trips to the NCAA Tournament with two Super Regional appearances in 2006 and 2010 while making it back to the College World Series in Omaha in 2010. It marked OU's first time to make five post-season appearances in a six year span since 1987-1992. The Sooners had unparalleled success at the plate under Tadlock's guidance. Oklahoma batted over .300 during all six of his seasons -- first time for OU since 1995-2000 -- and his 2009 and 2010 clubs combined for 195 home runs, the most ever at Oklahoma in consecutive seasons while leading the Big 12 in homers both years. The Sooners 104 home runs in 2010 rank second all-time in Oklahoma history. In 2011, Tadlock coached 11 players at Oklahoma who were selected in the MLB Draft, a total that matched the all-time Big 12 record (Texas, 2007). After beginning his college coaching career as an assistant at Hill College (1993-96) for four seasons, Tadlock became the head coach at Grayson County Junior College, where he led the Vikings to back-to-back National Junior College Athletic Association World Series titles in 1999 and 2000. During his nine seasons at Grayson, Tadlock posted a 435-127 (.774) overall record while being named National Coach of the Year following both title runs (1999-2000) He led the Vikings to five Region V championships which culminated in five trips to the JUCO World Series. Tadlock coached eight players at Grayson County that earned All-America honors. The Red Raiders have benefited from six players that transferred to Tech from Tadlock's program at Grayson while he was head coach. Included in those student-athletes are Texas Tech All-American shortstop Cameron Blair (2004-05) and former Major League catcher Trey Lunsford (1999-00). During his nine-year tenure at Grayson (1997-2005), Tadlock recorded the highest winning percentage of any collegiate baseball coach, including all two and four-year institutions, with a .774 winning percentage. While at Grayson, Tadlock also served as the school's director of athletics, a position he held during his final five years at the junior-college level. After a prep career at Denton High School and two years at Hill College, Tadlock was a two-year starting shortstop for the Red Raiders while helping Texas Tech to its first-ever 40-win season as a senior in 1991 (42-18). In his two-year career at Tech, Tadlock played in 120 games, batted .289 (120-for-415) with 96 runs scored, 19 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 68 RBI, 71 walks, 65 strikeouts and was 28-of-41 in stolen bases. Tadlock played for legendary coach Larry Hays while at Texas Tech. Tadlock graduated with his bachelor's degree in physical education from Texas Tech in May 1992. He also earned a master's degree in education in August 1994 from the University of Texas at Tyler. Tadlock and his wife, Kelly, have two children, daughter, Chloe (14), and son, Benjamin (12). Tadlock is originally from Denton, Texas and was born December 21, 1968. THE TADLOCK FILE: 2013-Present - Texas Tech (Head Coach) 2012 - Texas Tech (Associate Head Coach) 2006-2011 - Oklahoma (Assistant Coach) 1997-2005 - Grayson County College (Head Coach) 1993-1996 - Hill College (Assistant Coach) What those in the baseball community said about Texas Tech's hire of Tim Tadlock as its head baseball coach. Augie Garrido - Texas Head Baseball Coach "That is a smart move by Texas Tech. I think in a very short period of time he will bring back the glory days at Texas Tech. He is certainly one of the best recruiters in the country. He is a tireless worker and is very committed to the game of baseball and respects the game of baseball to the level that will allow that program to be a championship program in a short period of time. That hire is a very smart move by Texas Tech, a very smart move." Rob Childress - Texas A&M Head Baseball Coach "Tim is one of the great young coaches in the country. He has a proven track record for the last 15 years while winning at a very high level in junior college and at Oklahoma. I totally expect the same things in a short period of time at Texas Tech. He is an excellent recruiter. He is going to do great things for Texas Tech baseball." Jim Schlossnagle - TCU Head Baseball Coach "Tim has worked diligently throughout every level of college baseball to earn this opportunity. I'm sure that he will represent Texas Tech successfully on the field and with the highest amount of class and integrity in the community." John Lackey - RHP Boston Red Sox (Played for Tadlock in 1999 at Grayson College) "I think that is an awesome hire for Texas Tech. He is a quality baseball man. He is all about baseball. He is a player's coach. He is very easy to talk to. He does a great job conveying his message to his players and getting across to his players what he expects and what he wants done. He is easy to play for as long as you play hard. He never got too fired up unless he wasn't seeing the effort from his players that he expected. I think his players always appreciated that. This is a great hire also because of his ability to recruit. He can really recruit. Guys like him, players are drawn to him. I think he will do a great job at Texas Tech." Mark Lummus - Seattle Mariners Professional Scout "I have known Tim for a long time. He is a dynamite recruiter. He is a super game-manager. He is a good motivator. I think he is one of the best coaches out there, his record speaks for itself. I don't think you could hire a better guy. He is a star in the making. That is a great hire for Texas Tech." Gerald Turner - Atlanta Braves Professional Scout "I think you guys got a real steal. This guy knows what he is doing. He is a great recruiter. There will be some very good players who will go to Texas Tech because of Tim Tadlock. He has a great network and has a lot of friends in the game of baseball. One thing Tim always did when he was head coach at Grayson (College) was play very good competition. He didn't try and build his record by playing people who were weak. He wasn't afraid to play the big boys. He has always had good players and he has competed with the best of them. He had good players because he recruited well and they went there because of Tim Tadlock." Ray Crone, Jr. - Detroit Tigers National Scouting Director "I think that is a great hire. I have known Tim a long time. He has a lot of success in the state of Texas. I think he will do a great job at Texas Tech. First of all, he is a great guy. He has done a great job recruiting and gets a lot of good kids and baseball players. When you draft one of his players that he has recruited and worked with they usually go out and have success." Tim Tadlock, the 2014 College Baseball Hall of Fame National Coach of the Year, enters his fourth season as the head coach at Texas Tech after taking the Red Raiders to the College World Series in just his second season while winning over 100 games in his tenure. Tadlock was named head coach of his alma mater on June 8, 2012, becoming the ninth head coach in program history. Tadlock will enter his 24th year in collegiate baseball in 2016. He owns a collegiate career record of 537-202 in 12 years as a head coach with nine seasons at Grayson County College (435-127) and three at Texas Tech (102-75). Tadlock and the Red Raiders completed the biggest turnaround in school history and the second biggest turnaround in Big 12 history, going from 26 wins in 2013 to 45 wins in 2014. The season culminated with Texas Tech's first trip to the College World Series in Omaha. The Red Raiders' historic 2014 season included winning 45 games (fourth-most in school history), setting 10 school records, sweeping six series (three Big 12 series) and defeating 12 nationally-ranked programs, including six top-10 teams. Texas Tech spent 18-consecutive weeks in the national rankings, which spanned the entire season, before ending the year with a No. 8 national ranking in the final poll of the year. Tadlock was named the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year as well as the Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year while guiding the Red Raiders to their best season in school history with a 45-21 overall mark and 14-10 Big 12 record. Tech posted just the sixth 40-win regular season in school history while claiming its first-ever NCAA Regional title at the Coral Gables Regional hosted by No. 3 nationally-ranked Miami (Fla.). Tech won the regional with three wins, two of them coming against Miami on its home field. Tech returned to Lubbock the following week for its first-ever NCAA Super Regional where Red Raider fans sold-out Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park within 40 minutes of tickets going on sale. Tech responded with two thrilling 1-0 shutouts over No. 16 College of Charleston to punch its ticket to Omaha for the first time in school history. On the way, Tech became just the second team in NCAA Super Regional history (since 1999) to post back-to-back shutouts (2002 -- LSU) and is the first team to ever win back-to-back 1-0 games in a Super Regional. The Red Raider pitching staff shined during the postseason with a 0.76 ERA in eight games while posting 64 scoreless innings (72 innings played), including 27 consecutive scoreless frames in three straight shutouts. Tech tied the NCAA all-time record with four shutouts in a postseason, joining Cal State Fullerton (2004), Pepperdine (1992), Arizona State (1972), Florida State (1970), St. John's (1968) and Wake Forest (1955) as the only teams in college baseball history to tally four shutouts in a single NCAA postseason. In fact, it was the first time since 1976 that the Red Raiders had posted three straight shutouts at any point of the season. Also in 2014, Tadlock led Tech to 14 league wins -- the program's most since 2004 -- while picking up his 500th collegiate career win in a 3-2 victory over West Virginia in Lubbock on May 16, 2014. Tech tied a school record with 33 home wins (1993) and set a new school record by holding its opponent to two or fewer runs 30 times (25-5 record). Tech also set the following school records in 2014 -- shutouts (9), ERA during aluminum bat era (since 1974, 3.11), fielding percentage (.980), ERA in Big 12 games (4.09), games played (66), innings pitched (587.2), putouts (1,763) and assists (809). The Red Raiders were solid in all three phases during Tadlock's second season as head coach. Tech ranked among the Big 12's top three in 12 statistical categories while leading the league in slugging percentage and triples and finishing second in the conference in runs, hits, doubles, home runs and RBI. Outfielder Tyler Neslony became the first Red Raider to lead the Big 12 in batting (.375) while first baseman Eric Gutierrez led the league in home runs (12) and RBI (58), becoming just the second Red Raider to accomplish that feat in the Big 12 era and the first since 2004. Second baseman Bryant Burleson and outfielder/designated hitter Adam Kirsch tied for the Big 12 lead in doubles (21) while Kirsch, the 2014 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (second time a Red Raider to earn award), led the league in slugging percentage (.560), just ahead of Gutierrez (.539). Tech finished third in the country in triples (26) and ranked sixth in both double plays turned (65) and fielding percentage (.980). Overall, the Red Raiders ranked among the top-30 in the country in 10 different statistical categories. Tadlock guided the Red Raiders to a 16-game home win streak to end the 2014 season -- a new school record for consecutive home wins to complete the season. That streak was also the longest active home win streak in the nation to end the 2014 season. The accolades and honors poured in for the Red Raiders in 2014 with six players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft or signing a free agent contract with an MLB organization following the draft. A pair of players -- both whom had not been drafted previously in their careers -- were selected in the top-10 rounds with left-handed pitcher Chris Sadberry going in the sixth round (Miami Marlins) and catcher Hunter Redman taken in the eighth round (Los Angeles Dodgers). For the first time in school history the Red Raiders had a pair of Freshman All-America selections in consecutive seasons -- both under Tadlock as head coach -- as left-handed pitcher Dylan Dusek and Stephen Smith received the honor in 2014. The previous year, Eric Gutierrez and Jarrard Poteete were selected as two of the top freshmen in the country. The Red Raiders had six All-Big 12 selections in 2014, including three first-team picks -- a first for Tech since 2004. The Red Raiders also had three All-Big 12 second team selections, one Big 12 All-Freshman Team (Stephen Smith) member, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Kirsch), three Academic All-Big 12 honorees, two ABCA All-Midwest Regional selections and Tyler Neslony who was named a finalist for the Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award. Tech had three Big 12 Player of the Week picks and had three players named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. Tech finished 31-24 overall in Tadlock's third season in 2015, marking the first time since 2005-06 where the Red Raiders have posted consecutive 30-win seasons. The Red Raiders completed Big 12 play at 13-11 overall, securing a tie for third place in the conference standings, Tech's highest finish since the 2004 season. It was also the second-straight season where Tech has finished among the top four in the Big 12 standings, a first for the Red Raiders since the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Over the past two years alone (2014-15), Tech has combined for 76 victories -- its most over a two-year span since the 2001 and 2002 seasons (85 wins). In addition, the Red Raiders have also combined for 27 wins in Big 12 play, their most since those same two seasons. Tadlock picked up his 100th career win as Tech's head coach late in the 2015 season as the Red Raiders defeated Texas, 5-1, on May 3. Tadlock collected his 100th win in just his 171st game, making him the fastest head coach in school history to reach that mark. The Red Raiders once again were among the national leaders defensively, ranking 10th in the country for double plays per game and 14th for double plays. Corey Taylor, meanwhile, led the country with a 0.31 ERA, the lowest in both Texas Tech and Big 12 Conference history, after allowing just two earned runs over 57.1 innings. He finished 4-0 in 19 appearances and held opponents to just a .186 batting average. Taylor became the first Red Raider to earn All-America honors in Tadlock's tenure as he was third team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). His selection marked the first time since John Neely in 2011 where a Red Raider pitcher garnered All-America accolades. Gutierrez joined Taylor in collecting national accolades as he was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Rawlings Gold Glove Team, becoming just the second Red Raider in program history to collect the honor. Gutierrez, one of six Red Raiders also on the All-Big 12 teams, ended his junior year with an impressive .992 fielding percentage. Texas Tech's success the past two seasons was built off the groundwork laid in Tadlock's first season in 2013. Faced with the youngest team in the country that featured a nation-leading 22 newcomers, Tadlock and his coaching staff developed their young roster throughout the season as the Red Raiders won eight of their final 14 games. The Red Raiders won their Big 12 Conference series opener in 2013 taking two of three games over Texas in Austin. It marked the first time Tech had won a series over the Longhorns in Austin since 2001 and was Tech's first series win over Texas since 2002. The Red Raiders knocked off five nationally-ranked opponents in Tadlock's first season, including defending national champion Arizona in Tucson. Tech also strung together three-consecutive wins over ranked opponents during the year -- a first by the Red Raiders in 11 years. Tech broke the all-time school record for fielding percentage and double plays turned in a season (68) during Tadlock's opening year alone as the Red Raiders finished 26-30 overall and 9-15 in Big 12 play, a two-win improvement against conference foes from the previous year. In 2013, Tadlock mentored four All-Big 12 selections (one All-Freshman team pick), four Academic All-Big 12 picks and three Major League Baseball Draft picks, including fifth rounder right-handed pitcher Trey Masek. Tech fans have packed Rip Griffin Park in Tadlock's three seasons, averaging over 2,500 fans per game during that time. Tech has consistently ranked among the national leaders in average attendance and total attendance in each of the past three seasons Fan support was at an all-time high prior to the 2014 Super Regional as fans sold out tickets within 40 minutes of going on sale. The series drew 4,811 fans at each of the two games, pushing Tech's total to 89,355 for the season which ranked 20th in the nation. The enthusiasm from the 2014 season carried over a year later when Tech sold out of season tickets for the first time in program history. Tech closed the year averaging 3,266 fans per game, its highest average since 2000, after 98,969 fans stepped foot in Rip Griffin Park during the season. Tech ranked 15th nationally in average attendance and 17th for total attendance. Tech's success on the diamond has stemmed from Tadlock and his coaching staff's work on the recruiting trail as the Red Raiders have received national recognition from each of its first three recruiting classes. Tadlock's ability to recruit top-notch players in the state of Texas and throughout the country -- both at the high school and junior college levels -- became apparent quickly in his time at Tech while in just his seventh month on the job, his first-full season recruiting class ranked 24th in the nation by Perfect Game. Tadlock and staff's first recruiting class (2013 graduates) received a No. 24 ranking by Perfect Game and a No. 27 national ranking by Collegiate Baseball. Tadlock and the Red Raider coaching staff had a 13th ranked recruiting class in 2014 by Collegiate Baseball -- a mark that tied the record for highest ranked class in school history. Tech's 2014 class was also ranked 23rd by Baseball America, marking the first-ever ranking for Tech by BA in its recruiting class rankings. Tech's 2015 class, meanwhile, was ranked as high as ninth after Tadlock and his staff signed three prospects who were selected within the first 50 picks of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Two of Tech's signees -- Josh Naylor and Trent Clark -- were selected 12th and 15th overall, marking the first time in program history where Tech has had multiple signees taken in the first round. Tadlock returned to his alma mater for the 2012 season as the program's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator following six successful seasons as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma. During his one season at Tech as the associate head coach/recruiting coordinator, the Red Raiders had a school-record nine MLB Draft picks, including first-round selection center fielder Barrett Barnes, who became the third highest draft pick in school history with the 45th overall pick. The nine MLB Draft picks in 2012 ranked second in the nation only behind Arizona State's 10 draft selections. The nine draft picks marked the fifth most in Big 12 history. Tadlock has coached 124 MLB Draft picks -- including 19 players who have advanced to the big leagues. He has mentored at least one draft pick during the last 21 seasons and has coached three first-round selections, 11 players taken in the top five rounds and 29 selections in the top-10 rounds of the draft during his coaching career. Tadlock's players have heard their names called a lot recently in the MLB Draft with 52 selections over the last six years (2010-15). Six years during his coaching career Tadlock has had at least nine players taken in the draft. Tadlock produced several of the nation's top recruiting classes while an assistant coach at Oklahoma, helping lead the Sooners back to the College World Series in 2010, the Sooners first trip to Omaha since 1995. It didn't take Tadlock long to make his mark on the recruiting trail at Oklahoma, as his 2006 recruiting class ranked fourth nationally by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The No. 4 ranking was the best for the Sooners since 1987. Tadlock also had top-25 nationally ranked recruiting classes by Baseball America in 2006 (11th), 2009 (16th), 2010 (21st) and 2012 (13th). In addition, OU's 2012 recruiting class received a No. 4 ranking by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. During his time at Oklahoma (2006-2011), the Sooners made five trips to the NCAA Tournament with two Super Regional appearances in 2006 and 2010 while making it back to the College World Series in Omaha in 2010. It marked OU's first time to make five post-season appearances in a six year span since 1987-1992. The Sooners had unparalleled success at the plate under Tadlock's guidance. Oklahoma batted over .300 during all six of his seasons -- first time for OU since 1995-2000 -- and his 2009 and 2010 clubs combined for 195 home runs, the most ever at Oklahoma in consecutive seasons while leading the Big 12 in homers both years. The Sooners 104 home runs in 2010 rank second all-time in Oklahoma history. In 2011, Tadlock coached 11 players at Oklahoma who were selected in the MLB Draft, a total that matched the all-time Big 12 record (Texas, 2007). After beginning his college coaching career as an assistant at Hill College (1993-96) for four seasons, Tadlock became the head coach at Grayson County Junior College, where he led the Vikings to back-to-back National Junior College Athletic Association World Series titles in 1999 and 2000. During his nine seasons at Grayson, Tadlock posted a 435-127 (.774) overall record while being named National Coach of the Year following both title runs (1999-2000) He led the Vikings to five Region V championships which culminated in five trips to the JUCO World Series. Tadlock coached eight players at Grayson County that earned All-America honors. The Red Raiders have benefited from six players that transferred to Tech from Tadlock's program at Grayson while he was head coach. Included in those student-athletes are Texas Tech All-American shortstop Cameron Blair (2004-05) and former Major League catcher Trey Lunsford (1999-00). During his nine-year tenure at Grayson (1997-2005), Tadlock recorded the highest winning percentage of any collegiate baseball coach, including all two and four-year institutions, with a .774 winning percentage. While at Grayson, Tadlock also served as the school's director of athletics, a position he held during his final five years at the junior-college level. After a prep career at Denton High School and two years at Hill College, Tadlock was a two-year starting shortstop for the Red Raiders while helping Texas Tech to its first-ever 40-win season as a senior in 1991 (42-18). In his two-year career at Tech, Tadlock played in 120 games, batted .289 (120-for-415) with 96 runs scored, 19 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 68 RBI, 71 walks, 65 strikeouts and was 28-of-41 in stolen bases. Tadlock played for legendary coach Larry Hays while at Texas Tech. Tadlock graduated with his bachelor's degree in physical education from Texas Tech in May 1992. He also earned a master's degree in education in August 1994 from the University of Texas at Tyler. Tadlock and his wife, Kelly, have two children, daughter, Chloe (14), and son, Benjamin (12). Tadlock is originally from Denton, Texas and was born December 21, 1968. THE TADLOCK FILE: 2013-Present - Texas Tech (Head Coach) 2012 - Texas Tech (Associate Head Coach) 2006-2011 - Oklahoma (Assistant Coach) 1997-2005 - Grayson County College (Head Coach) 1993-1996 - Hill College (Assistant Coach) What those in the baseball community said about Texas Tech's hire of Tim Tadlock as its head baseball coach. Augie Garrido - Texas Head Baseball Coach "That is a smart move by Texas Tech. I think in a very short period of time he will bring back the glory days at Texas Tech. He is certainly one of the best recruiters in the country. He is a tireless worker and is very committed to the game of baseball and respects the game of baseball to the level that will allow that program to be a championship program in a short period of time. That hire is a very smart move by Texas Tech, a very smart move." Rob Childress - Texas A&M Head Baseball Coach "Tim is one of the great young coaches in the country. He has a proven track record for the last 15 years while winning at a very high level in junior college and at Oklahoma. I totally expect the same things in a short period of time at Texas Tech. He is an excellent recruiter. He is going to do great things for Texas Tech baseball." Jim Schlossnagle - TCU Head Baseball Coach "Tim has worked diligently throughout every level of college baseball to earn this opportunity. I'm sure that he will represent Texas Tech successfully on the field and with the highest amount of class and integrity in the community." John Lackey - RHP Boston Red Sox (Played for Tadlock in 1999 at Grayson College) "I think that is an awesome hire for Texas Tech. He is a quality baseball man. He is all about baseball. He is a player's coach. He is very easy to talk to. He does a great job conveying his message to his players and getting across to his players what he expects and what he wants done. He is easy to play for as long as you play hard. He never got too fired up unless he wasn't seeing the effort from his players that he expected. I think his players always appreciated that. This is a great hire also because of his ability to recruit. He can really recruit. Guys like him, players are drawn to him. I think he will do a great job at Texas Tech." Mark Lummus - Seattle Mariners Professional Scout "I have known Tim for a long time. He is a dynamite recruiter. He is a super game-manager. He is a good motivator. I think he is one of the best coaches out there, his record speaks for itself. I don't think you could hire a better guy. He is a star in the making. That is a great hire for Texas Tech." Gerald Turner - Atlanta Braves Professional Scout "I think you guys got a real steal. This guy knows what he is doing. He is a great recruiter. There will be some very good players who will go to Texas Tech because of Tim Tadlock. He has a great network and has a lot of friends in the game of baseball. One thing Tim always did when he was head coach at Grayson (College) was play very good competition. He didn't try and build his record by playing people who were weak. He wasn't afraid to play the big boys. He has always had good players and he has competed with the best of them. He had good players because he recruited well and they went there because of Tim Tadlock." Ray Crone, Jr. - Detroit Tigers National Scouting Director "I think that is a great hire. I have known Tim a long time. He has a lot of success in the state of Texas. I think he will do a great job at Texas Tech. First of all, he is a great guy. He has done a great job recruiting and gets a lot of good kids and baseball players. When you draft one of his players that he has recruited and worked with they usually go out and have success." Gerald Turner - Atlanta Braves Professional Scout "I think you guys got a real steal. This guy knows what he is doing. He is a great recruiter. There will be some very good players who will go to Texas Tech because of Tim Tadlock . He has a great network and has a lot of friends in the game of baseball. One thing Tim always did when he was head coach at Grayson (College) was play very good competition. He didn't try and build his record by playing people who were weak. He wasn't afraid to play the big boys. He has always had good players and he has competed with the best of them. He had good players because he recruited well and they went there because of Tim Tadlock ." Gerald Turner - Atlanta Braves Professional Scout "I think you guys got a real steal. This guy knows what he is doing. He is a great recruiter. There will be some very good players who will go to Texas Tech because of Tim Tadlock . He has a great network and has a lot of friends in the game of baseball. One thing Tim always did when he was head coach at Grayson (College) was play very good competition. He didn't try and build his record by playing people who were weak. He wasn't afraid to play the big boys. He has always had good players and he has competed with the best of them. He had good players because he recruited well and they went there because of Tim Tadlock ."

Hayward enters his fourth season as an assistant coach at Texas Tech in 2016 where he serves as the Red Raiders' pitching coach. Hayward was named to the position on June 26, 2012, as part of Tim Tadlock's inaugural staff at Texas Tech. Under Hayward, Tech has had 11 pitchers that have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft or that have signed a free agent contract. Tech had five pitchers selected in the 2015 MLB Draft alone, matching the most in program history, as Matt Withrow, Corey Taylor and Dominic Moreno were all drafted in the first eight rounds. Hayward was instrumental in the development of Taylor, who was selected in the seventh round by the New York Mets after leading the NCAA with a 0.31 earned-run average in 2015. His impressive year snapped both the Texas Tech and Big 12 records for ERA as he allowed just two earned runs over 57.1 innings. Taylor garnered third team All-America honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as his 0.31 ERA marked the sixth-lowest in NCAA history and the lowest for any Division-I pitcher since Al Holland (North Carolina A&T) compiled a 0.26 ERA in 1975. He was the first Tech pitcher to receive All-America honors since John Neely in 2011. Hayward's pitching staffs have been instrumental in Tech posting consecutive 30-win seasons the past two seasons for the first time since the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The Red Raiders, who closed 2015 at 31-24 overall and 13-11 in Big 12 play, have combined for 76 victories the past two seasons, the most over a two-year span since the 2001 and 2002 seasons (85 wins). In addition, the Red Raiders have also combined for 27 wins against Big 12 foes the past two seasons, which is also the most since 2001-02. Tech secured a tie for third place in the 2015 conference standings, marking its highest finish since the 2004 season. It was also the second-straight season where Tech has finished among the top four teams in the Big 12, a first for the Red Raiders since 2001-02. The Red Raiders closed the 2015 season with a 3.33 ERA, marking the second-straight season Tech has posted a team ERA of 3.40 or lower. Tech had not previously accomplished the feat since the 1970 and 1971 seasons. The Red Raiders allowed just 184 earned runs on the year, their fewest since surrendering 176 in 1994. For the second-consecutive season, the Red Raiders also snapped the school record with a 3.21 team ERA during Big 12 play. Taylor and Moreno led the way for the Tech pitching staff as the duo combined to allow just five earned runs while posting 0.55 and 1.09 ERAs against conference foes. Taylor and fellow senior Cameron Smith were both recognized following the season on the All-Big 12 first team while Moreno was a second team honoree. Smith's selection marked the first time a Tech starting pitcher had been named to the first team since Brandon Roberson in 2001. Taylor, meanwhile, was the first Red Raider reliever to garner first-team recognition since Steve Rowe in 2002. In all, Hayward has coached six Tech pitchers that have received all-Big 12 honors in his three seasons as Chris Sadberry was named to the second team in 2014 while Smith (2014), Jonny Drozd (2014) and Trey Masek (2013) have all been named honorable mention selections. Smith completed his two seasons under Hayward with a 2.81 career ERA, seventh-lowest in Tech history, while Moreno ended his career eighth overall with a 2.97 ERA. Their two career ERAs rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in the aluminum bat era (since 1974), while Taylor is 10th in that category with a 3.30 career ERA. Hayward's pitching staff helped lead the Red Raiders to their best season in school history in 2014 -- Hayward's second year at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders' historic season included winning the NCAA Coral Gables Regional, NCAA Lubbock Super Regional and making Tech's first-ever appearance at the College World Series in Omaha. The Red Raiders won 45 games in 2014 -- the fourth most wins in school history while Hayward's pitching staff set numerous school records, including shutouts (9), ERA during the aluminum bat era (since 1974 - 3.11), times holding opponent to two runs or fewer (30), innings pitched (587.2) and ERA during Big 12 play (4.09). Tech's postseason run was centered on one of the most dynamic pitching efforts in recent memory. The Red Raiders posted a 0.76 ERA in eight NCAA Tournament games while recording 64 scoreless innings (72 total innings pitched) with 27-consecutive scoreless innings during three straight shutouts -- one to clinch the Coral Gables Regional and back-to-back 1-0 shutouts over College of Charleston in the Lubbock Super Regional to advance to the CWS. In fact, it marked the first time in NCAA history that a team shut out its opponents, 1-0, in back-to-back games in a Super Regional. Only once in the Super Regional era (since 1999) had a team advanced to Omaha with back-to-back shutouts (LSU -- 2002). Tech tied an NCAA all-time record with four shutouts in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, a feat that had only previously been accomplished by Cal State Fullerton (2004), Pepperdine (1992), Arizona State (1972), Florida State (1970), St. John's (1968) and Wake Forest (1955). In addition, entering the 2014 postseason, the Red Raiders had played 33 games in the NCAA Tournament and had never posted a shutout. It marked the first time Tech had three consecutive shutouts since 1976. Tech's postseason was highlighted by recording the first shutout in school history in the NCAA Tournament while in the process handing Miami (Fla.) its first shutout in the postseason since 1995. During Tech's 3-0 shutout over the Hurricanes, left-handed pitcher Dylan Dusek became the first freshman in Tech history to make a start in the postseason. The following game, freshman Ryan Moseley pitched six scoreless innings in the second-straight start by a Red Raider freshman pitcher. Under Hayward's guidance, the Red Raiders have posted 19 shutouts in three seasons -- setting a new school record for shutouts in consecutive seasons. The previous record was 16 (1990-92). The Red Raiders experienced the biggest turnaround in school history in 2014 with 45 wins a year after winning 26 games. The turnaround marked the second biggest in Big 12 history. The Red Raiders posted a 40-win season for just the sixth time in school history in 2014 while going 14-10 in Big 12 play for a fourth-place finish. Tech's 14 conference wins marked its most since 2004. Tech won 12 games against nationally-ranked opponents in Hayward's second season -- the most by the Red Raiders since 1998. Tech was nationally ranked for 18 consecutive weeks -- ranked as high as No. 7 before finishing the year at No. 8, tying the school record for highest end of the year ranking. Tech finished the 2014 season tying a school record with 33 home wins. The Red Raiders finished the season breaking a school record with 16 straight home wins to finish a season -- the streak marked the longest active home win streak in the nation. Hayward's pitching staff ranked 14th in the nation in shutouts and finished third in the Big 12 in both ERA (3.11) and opponent batting average (.248). He had three pitchers that ranked among the top four in the league as Sadberry's 17 starts ranked second, Smith ranked fourth in shutouts (1) and also opponent batting average (.211) and Dusek broke a Big 12 freshman record with a 1.94 ERA which ranked fourth in the league among all pitchers. Dusek's successful season earned him Freshman All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball Magazine, making him the first left-handed pitcher in school history to receive the recognition. Two of Hayward's freshmen pitchers have recorded three saves during their debut collegiate season in back-to-back years as Johnathon Tripp (2013) and Ryan Moseley (2014) are tied for the Texas Tech freshman record for saves in a season. Hayward mentored three pitchers that were drafted or signed free agent contracts in 2014 -- none of them had previously been drafted. Sadberry was drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Marlins, Moreno was selected in the 33rd round by the St. Louis Cardinals and Drozd signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees. A former big league pitcher, scouting supervisor and one of the most respected pitching coaches in the country, Hayward came to the South Plains after spending eight years (2005-2012) at the professional ranks as the Midwest scouting supervisor for the Miami Marlins. During his first season back at the collegiate level, Hayward inherited one of the youngest pitching staff's in the country in 2013. Tech's pitching staff returned just three of 15 pitchers from the previous season that accounted for 20 percent of the team's innings pitched. In fact, Hayward's first pitching staff at Tech in 2013 included seven true freshmen and 10 total newcomers. Hayward's influence was felt immediately as all three returning Red Raider pitchers --Masek, left-handed pitcher Andre Wheeler and right-handed pitcher Jerad McCrummen -- were drafted following the 2013 season. Masek, who hadn't previously been drafted, was taken in the fifth round by the Chicago Cubs while Wheeler, who was drafted out of high school in 2010 as an outfielder, went in the 15th round to the Chicago White Sox. McCrummen, who set a school record with 70 appearances by a three-year pitcher, was drafted for the first time with a 23rd round selection by the Colorado Rockies. Masek went 5-2 in 11 starts with a 1.82 ERA to rank fourth in the Big 12 Conference. He posted three complete games pitching 79.0 innings with 69 strikeouts and 22 walks allowed. Opponents tallied only 56 hits and a .206 batting average this season. Masek is one of five Tech pitchers since 1991 to lead the Red Raiders in wins, ERA, complete games, innings pitched and strikeouts in the same season. In addition, his 1.82 ERA is the lowest by a Red Raider starting pitcher during the aluminum bat era (since 1974). Masek was an All-Big 12 honorable mention pick and became just the second Red Raider to be named to the Golden Spikes Award list during the last 14 years. He was also named to the National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List and was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award (Nation's Top Breakout Player). The Red Raiders won their Big 12 Conference series opener in 2013 taking two of three games over Texas in Austin. It marked the first time Tech had won a series over the Longhorns in Austin since 2001 and was Tech's first series win over Texas since 2002. While with the Marlins organization, Hayward supervised scouting in a 19-state area that includes, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Alabama, Michigan, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and the west portion of Kentucky and Tennessee. During his time as the Midwest scouting supervisor, the Marlins selected 32 players in the top-10 rounds of the MLB Draft from Hayward's area, including 21 pitchers and 11 position players. Hayward's scouting area produced four Marlins first-round picks while the organization selected seven players from within Hayward's area during the top-10 rounds in the 2012 MLB Draft. Hayward spent five seasons in the Big 12 Conference as the pitching coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma, from 2000-2004. Prior to beginning his coaching career, Hayward pitched three seasons in the big leagues with the San Diego Padres (1986-87) and the Texas Rangers (1988). He finished his playing career in the Rangers organization in 1991 before spending six years as an area scout with the Detroit Tigers (1994-99). He returned to Norman as the Sooners pitching coach and recruiting coordinator in 2000, where he helped guide Oklahoma to three NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons. Hayward's arrival brought an immediate impact to the Sooners pitching staff as his pitchers set a school record with 21 saves in 2000 -- a mark that remains today as the program's most saves in a season. In fact, during his first season as pitching coach, Hayward helped drop Oklahoma's team earned run average from 6.25 in 1999 to 4.74 in 2000. He also mentored two Oklahoma pitchers in 2000 that earned All-America recognition -- an impressive accomplishment when considering just one OU pitcher had received All-America status during the previous 15 years to Hayward's arrival as pitching coach. In fact, Hayward's first All-American pitcher at Oklahoma, Jeff Bajenaru, tallied an Oklahoma and Big 12 all-time record 20 saves during the 2000 season. Bajenaru went on to earn All-America accolades from six national publications -- including first team recognition from the ABCA and NCBWA. Overall, five of Hayward's pitchers at Oklahoma continue to hold school records while three of his hurlers collected six All-America/Freshman All-America awards. In addition, Hayward mentored 10 pitchers at Oklahoma that received All-Big 12 honors. Hayward developed 13 pitchers at Oklahoma into Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft selections, including five that were taken in the top-10 rounds. His final season at Oklahoma in 2004, Hayward had six pitchers selected in the top-30 rounds, including left-handed pitcher David Purcey who went 16th overall in the first round to the Toronto Blue Jays. It marked just the second time in school history (1985) that six pitchers had been selected in the top-30 rounds of the MLB Draft. Hayward first made his name known on the Oklahoma campus while being arguably the greatest all-around baseball player in Oklahoma history. He completed his four-year career at OU as the 10th overall pick of the 1983 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres -- becoming the second highest drafted left-handed pitcher in school history (1976 -- LHP Bob Shirley, 8th overall -- San Diego Padres). He not only won 26 career games on the mound (ranks 4th all-time at OU), but he also recorded a .381 career batting average (ranked tied for 6th all-time at OU) while twice leading the team in batting as both a freshman and senior. Overall, Hayward remains in eight Oklahoma all-time record books while his 293 career strikeouts rank fourth and his 30 career complete games are a school record. In addition, Hayward's 30 career home runs remain in the OU record books tied for 10th all-time. Hayward was a two-time All-American, earning third team honors as a pitcher/first baseman in 1981 and receiving first team recognition in 1983 as a pitcher. In fact, Hayward was named All-Big Eight as a pitcher and position player in both 1981 and 1983. It marked the first time in league history that a player was named all-conference at two positions in the same year. Hayward's first time hearing his name called in the MLB Draft came in 1982 -- following his junior season at Oklahoma -- when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 12th round with the 295th overall pick. He completed his prep career at Enid (Okla.) High School where he was a standout Oklahoma All-State selection. Hayward and his wife, the former Jeannie Benoit of Las Vegas, Nevada, have three children: Jaynie, David and Braden. Hayward was born in Enid, Okla., on April 27, 1961. THE HAYWARD FILE: 2013-Present - Texas Tech (Pitching Coach) 2005-2012 - Miami Marlins (Midwest Scouting Supervisor) 2000-2004 - Oklahoma (Assistant Coach) 1994-1999 - Detroit Tigers (Area Scout) 1983-1991 - Professional Baseball Player 1988 - Texas Rangers (MLB Pitcher - LHP) 1986-1987 - San Diego Padres (MLB Pitcher - LHP) WHAT THOSE IN THE BASEBALL COMMUNITY ARE SAYING ABOUT RAY HAYWARD: Stan Meek - Miami Marlins Vice President of Scouting & Former Oklahoma Pitching Coach "This is a great hire for Texas Tech. I don't think you could go and find a better man for that job. He obviously had a lot of success as a player. He has done the job before in college at Oklahoma. This is a great, great hire for Texas Tech. They are getting a top of the line human being, number one. Secondly, Texas Tech is getting one of the top pitching guys in the country at any level. It is really a great combination for the program. It is just a fantastic hire. It is a big loss for us, on our side, but we are happy for Ray and I think everyone will be very pleased with what he will bring to the table for not only the pitchers but for the people in that community. He is a wonderful man." Larry Hays - Former Texas Tech Head Baseball Coach "I think Texas Tech hit a home run with the hiring of Ray Hayward. Ray is one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Big 12 when he was (in the Big 12) before. His contacts in the game of baseball, he has them at every level. Plus, he is just a really good person. When you tie it all together, I think Tim is really taking a step in the right direction with his staff with Ray and J-Bob." David Purcey - Former Oklahoma LHP (1st Round, 16th Overall Pick in 2004) & Major League Pitcher "He really meant a lot to me at Oklahoma. He found a way to relate to you as a player. He didn't try and mold you, he would watch you throw and figure out what will make you better. He is very patient. He isn't a coach that is going to jump you about making a mistake. He is willing to experiment and try things. When I was coming out of high school I only threw a fastball and slider. By the time I left Oklahoma I had a fastball, a curveball and helped me develop that pitch along with my slider and changeup. Ray watched me for a while and then made some minor changes that would end up helping me in the long term. He really takes time to learn you as a pitcher. He knows your limits as a pitcher. He was very protective of me and my career - just as much as he wanted to help the team win. Knowing that he is there to help you and not abuse you makes it a lot easier to go out and be relaxed and play. He helps develop pitchers and protects them and helps his players become major league pitchers. With his professional background, he has the pedigree. He was a major league pitcher. He has scouted. He knows what to look for. He knows what it takes to pitch at the major league level. So having him at Tech will be big for that program for him to get pitchers in there and help transition them beyond the college level as well." Steve Smith - Baylor Head Baseball Coach "Ray is a first-class guy. He knows what he is doing. Obviously he has been around the game his whole life. He is just a great man. It is great for college baseball and it is great for Texas Tech. He is a great guy to have back in our game of college baseball. Texas Tech got a really good man with the hiring of Ray. All you can do as a head coach is try and do the very best for your players and put them around the most quality people you can, and with Ray Hayward, Tim (Tadlock) has done a great job of that." Mark Lummus - Seattle Mariners Professional Scout "I think Ray is one of the best teachers of pitching that I have ever been around. He was a wonderful player. He was a wonderful scout. He has been around some unbelievable pitching minds in his life and he is going to make an immediate impact with Texas Tech. He is a great teacher of mechanics. He has a great feel for the game. This is another great hire for the Texas Tech baseball program, they couldn't have hired a better guy. Tech has Tim, who has a great feel for what he does. J-Bob is a super young recruiter who really, really gets after it and doesn't leave a stone unturned and now with Ray, who is a really experienced guy, he is a real calm influence and is a super human being. He is just a great teacher of pitching and there are just a few out there who can do it. Ray is one of those guys and is one of the best. It is a really well-rounded dynamic staff, a great group of guys." Jim Walton - Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau "What a great addition to Texas Tech University. That is a great addition whether it is college or professional, Ray is an exceptional person. He is just a great individual. I've known him since he was a kid. He cares about people. He cares about the players he is going to work with, regardless of the level. He is a wonderful person and he will do an outstanding job, I have no doubts. Ray is a solid fundamental guy - from the standpoint of pitching - he understands the game. He understands what pitchers do. He was an outstanding pitcher himself at Oklahoma. His knowledge and experience has gone from being a young player at the amateur ranks in high school to the big leagues. He is a student of the game. He understands what needs to be done from teaching and making young men understand their responsibilities and the focus they need to be a quality pitcher at any level." Gerald Turner - Atlanta Braves Professional Scout "As good of a coach as Ray is he is even a better human being. He is a salt of the earth type of guy. He is very knowledgeable. He has been in the game a long time. It is unbelievable to me that he is leaving the state of Oklahoma, he is Mr. Oklahoma baseball. That is a steal for Texas Tech. He loves to be on the field that is his first love. I know he wanted to get back into coaching, that is a great hire by Tim (Tadlock). Tech is going to have three excellent recruiters. J-Bob's success speaks for itself. Tim's success speaks for itself. Ray was a good recruiter, that will give Texas Tech a foot-hole in Oklahoma for some players in Oklahoma for sure. Tech has spread its base out quite a bit." Enos Semore - Former Oklahoma Head Baseball Coach (1968-1989) "I never coached a better player and I never coached a better person in 34 years of coaching. And I coached at every level. I don't know where you could go get anyone any better. Ray has everything that I would look for in a coach. He is 100 percent honest. He will find a way to win. He is a very, very knowledgeable baseball guy. He is just a great individual with everybody. The players will love him. Coach Tadlock will love working with Ray Hayward. He is very good working with pitchers. The way he will do things is always the right way. He will really take care of his pitchers. You have one of the best out there with Ray Hayward. He has everything you could ever look for in an assistant coach. He will be loyal, he is a very good baseball guy, can definitely judge talent, but he knows pitching. He is willing to work. He wants to have success, but he won't look for success at someone else's expense. Everyone will love working with Ray Hayward." Mike Humphreys - Former Texas Tech Player, Former New York Yankees Player, Former Detroit Tigers Minor League Instructor/Scout "Ray is a really good baseball guy. He really knows his stuff and has always helped out a lot of players. He is going to not only bring the knowledge of what it takes at the college level but also at the next level. Maybe some people don't think that is important, but if you know how to be successful at a higher level, I think that helps give you a big leg up on being successful at the college level. I think the future is very bright for the Red Raiders." "This is a great hire for Texas Tech. I don't think you could go and find a better man for that job. He obviously had a lot of success as a player. He has done the job before in college at Oklahoma. This is a great, great hire for Texas Tech. They are getting a top of the line human being, number one. Secondly, Texas Tech is getting one of the top pitching guys in the country at any level. It is really a great combination for the program. It is just a fantastic hire. It is a big loss for us, on our side, but we are happy for Ray and I think everyone will be very pleased with what he will bring to the table for not only the pitchers but for the people in that community. He is a wonderful man." "I think Texas Tech hit a home run with the hiring of Ray Hayward. Ray is one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Big 12 when he was (in the Big 12) before. His contacts in the game of baseball, he has them at every level. Plus, he is just a really good person. When you tie it all together, I think Tim is really taking a step in the right direction with his staff with Ray and J-Bob." "He really meant a lot to me at Oklahoma. He found a way to relate to you as a player. He didn't try and mold you, he would watch you throw and figure out what will make you better. He is very patient. He isn't a coach that is going to jump you about making a mistake. He is willing to experiment and try things. When I was coming out of high school I only threw a fastball and slider. By the time I left Oklahoma I had a fastball, a curveball and helped me develop that pitch along with my slider and changeup. Ray watched me for a while and then made some minor changes that would end up helping me in the long term. He really takes time to learn you as a pitcher. He knows your limits as a pitcher. He was very protective of me and my career - just as much as he wanted to help the team win. Knowing that he is there to help you and not abuse you makes it a lot easier to go out and be relaxed and play. He helps develop pitchers and protects them and helps his players become major league pitchers. With his professional background, he has the pedigree. He was a major league pitcher. He has scouted. He knows what to look for. He knows what it takes to pitch at the major league level. So having him at Tech will be big for that program for him to get pitchers in there and help transition them beyond the college level as well." "Ray is a first-class guy. He knows what he is doing. Obviously he has been around the game his whole life. He is just a great man. It is great for college baseball and it is great for Texas Tech. He is a great guy to have back in our game of college baseball. Texas Tech got a really good man with the hiring of Ray. All you can do as a head coach is try and do the very best for your players and put them around the most quality people you can, and with Ray Hayward, Tim (Tadlock) has done a great job of that." "I think Ray is one of the best teachers of pitching that I have ever been around. He was a wonderful player. He was a wonderful scout. He has been around some unbelievable pitching minds in his life and he is going to make an immediate impact with Texas Tech. He is a great teacher of mechanics. He has a great feel for the game. This is another great hire for the Texas Tech baseball program, they couldn't have hired a better guy. Tech has Tim, who has a great feel for what he does. J-Bob is a super young recruiter who really, really gets after it and doesn't leave a stone unturned and now with Ray, who is a really experienced guy, he is a real calm influence and is a super human being. He is just a great teacher of pitching and there are just a few out there who can do it. Ray is one of those guys and is one of the best. It is a really well-rounded dynamic staff, a great group of guys." "What a great addition to Texas Tech University. That is a great addition whether it is college or professional, Ray is an exceptional person. He is just a great individual. I've known him since he was a kid. He cares about people. He cares about the players he is going to work with, regardless of the level. He is a wonderful person and he will do an outstanding job, I have no doubts. Ray is a solid fundamental guy - from the standpoint of pitching - he understands the game. He understands what pitchers do. He was an outstanding pitcher himself at Oklahoma. His knowledge and experience has gone from being a young player at the amateur ranks in high school to the big leagues. He is a student of the game. He understands what needs to be done from teaching and making young men understand their responsibilities and the focus they need to be a quality pitcher at any level." "As good of a coach as Ray is he is even a better human being. He is a salt of the earth type of guy. He is very knowledgeable. He has been in the game a long time. It is unbelievable to me that he is leaving the state of Oklahoma, he is Mr. Oklahoma baseball. That is a steal for Texas Tech. He loves to be on the field that is his first love. I know he wanted to get back into coaching, that is a great hire by Tim (Tadlock). Tech is going to have three excellent recruiters. J-Bob's success speaks for itself. Tim's success speaks for itself. Ray was a good recruiter, that will give Texas Tech a foot-hole in Oklahoma for some players in Oklahoma for sure. Tech has spread its base out quite a bit." "I never coached a better player and I never coached a better person in 34 years of coaching. And I coached at every level. I don't know where you could go get anyone any better. Ray has everything that I would look for in a coach. He is 100 percent honest. He will find a way to win. He is a very, very knowledgeable baseball guy. He is just a great individual with everybody. The players will love him. Coach Tadlock will love working with Ray Hayward. He is very good working with pitchers. The way he will do things is always the right way. He will really take care of his pitchers. You have one of the best out there with Ray Hayward. He has everything you could ever look for in an assistant coach. He will be loyal, he is a very good baseball guy, can definitely judge talent, but he knows pitching. He is willing to work. He wants to have success, but he won't look for success at someone else's expense. Everyone will love working with Ray Hayward." "Ray is a really good baseball guy. He really knows his stuff and has always helped out a lot of players. He is going to not only bring the knowledge of what it takes at the college level but also at the next level. Maybe some people don't think that is important, but if you know how to be successful at a higher level, I think that helps give you a big leg up on being successful at the college level. I think the future is very bright for the Red Raiders."