The 2026 Texas Tech Red Raiders were fairly deep offensively. The problem was a lack of consistency on the mound, which wound up leading to the school missing out on the 2026 NCAA tournament. But heading into 2027, the Red Raiders’ offense will be something to watch.
The Returnees
Perhaps the most notable returning player is two-way standout Jesse Rusinek.
What a 2026 campaign, albeit a shortened one, that the now-sophomore had. Rusinek played just 35 games but slashed .442/.514/.617 with 53 total hits. Out of those 53, 14 wound up being extra-base hits.
He also pitched in 2026. Rusinek, who flashed a fastball that was hitting as high as the upper-90s, struck out 16 over 13 innings.
AJ Goytia also returned. As you’ll see in the next section, there are a lot of new hitters for Tech in 2027.
Aside from Rusinek, 2026 strikeout leader Jackson Burns is also back. Burns struck out 53 batters over 52 innings, which also led all Texas Tech Red Raider pitchers.
Burns will be joined by junior Kayson Rainieri, Bryce Suiter, Logan Addison, Donovan Becerra, Logan Bevis, and Adam Hayes. All saw significant innings last year. Rainieri wound up making six starts for Texas Tech.
The Newcomers
Texas Tech took some hits over the summer. Logan Hughes was an expected loss. Hughes, one of the top hitters in the Big 12 last season, was taken in the first round by the Astros in July. Caden Ferraro went in the third round to St. Louis. Tracer Lopez and Kyeler Thompson, who finished first and third, respectively, in total hits from 2026, are also gone.
However, the school wound up losing Linkin Garcia to the Texas Longhorns.
There are some big, notable additions.
Catcher Owen Jenkins came over from Kentucky. Jenkins slashed .242/302/.315 with two home runs and seven extra-base hits in his freshman season across 40 games. The pop picked up outside the pitcher-friendly confines of Lexington, as Jenkins notched nine extra-base hits in 24 Cape Cod League contests.
Jenkins showed a penchant for aggressiveness during that spell in the Cape. He walked just four times and a Take% of 47%, one of the lowest in the circuit.
Ty Kaunas was one of many players to leave the Maryland program this past summer. As a freshman, Kaunas slashed .286/.410/.438 with five home runs and 22 extra-base hits for the Terrapins. He also walked 46 times in 56 contests, although he struck out 62 times.
Kaunas had seven extra-base hits in the Cape this past summer with Falmouth. However, he slashed .191/.280/.319. During his time there, he posted a 35.5% Whiff%, and also had one of the 10 highest Called Strike/Take% (37.4%) in the CCBL.
KJ Scobey departed South Carolina after the 2026 season, one that saw the Gamecocks fire Paul Mainieri midseason. Scobey was, statistically, the best hitter on a USC team that had a lot of trouble generating offense. As a sophomore, Scobey led the Gamecocks in hits (56) and was second in home runs (9).
Xavier Perez came from Big 12 rival Houston, which also had a coaching chance in 2026. Perez had 60 hits in 54 games, nine of which were home runs and 22 were extra-base hits.
Other new non-freshman hitters include Ashton Larson and Brayden Randle.
Texas Tech also has eight new freshmen, perhaps most notably Tatum Reeves. A catcher/infielder, Reeves had a fast pop time in the 2025 PG showcase in Arizona.
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