Tanner Gardner Steps Up For Retooled Red Raiders

Led by an experienced, veteran lineup, Texas Tech won the Big 12 Conference last season and reached the College World Series for the second time in three years. Half of last year’s regulars are now gone, including All-American first baseman Eric Gutierrez, leaving a hole in the lineup for new Red Raiders to step up and fill.

Texas Tech hasn’t missed a beat this spring, however, starting the season 17-4 and rising to No. 8 in the Top 25 after five weekends. Along with senior first baseman Hunter Hargrove (.329/.387/.553), junior outfielder Tanner Gardner (.294/.344/.376) has been at the heart of the Red Raiders’ new-look offense.

After leading Texas Tech in batting last season (.379/.484/.549), Gardner got off to a slow start this spring. Ten games into the season, he was hitting .150/.222/.150. He has since broken out of that slump, and hit .422/.458/.578 in the next 11 games to raise his season line to .294/.344/.376.

Gardner said he was confident he would break out of his slump.

“Just play through it has been my mentality,” he said. “I have a bunch of positive guys in the locker room that have kept my spirits up. It’s just the grind of the game we play and the game that we love.”

Coach Tim Tadlock said he thought Gardner’s start to the season was probably the worst stretch of his baseball career. But for a player with his ability to impact the game in several ways, it was only a matter of time before his bat came around.

“From the day Tanner set foot on campus, we thought he’d hit in the middle of the order,” Tadlock said. “So he’s always been able to hit. He’s really stuck his nose in there and dug in, not making it all about results, just making it about winning and playing good baseball.”

Gardner said he learned a lot from playing with veterans such as Gutierrez, Tyler Neslony and Stephen Smith. One of the biggest lessons he said he learned came from seeing Gutierrez’s work ethic.

“He’s up at the cage at what, eight or nine o’clock at night after a four-hour practice still getting 100 swings in,” Gardner said. “It was extraordinary to watch.”

This year, Gardner is working to improve in several areas of his game. He said he made improving his arm strength a point of emphasis during the offseason.

“I think I’ve made some good strides in that department,” he said. “I’m just trying to go up there and have good at bats, do whatever I can to help the team win. That’s a really big thing for me.”

Gardner has patrolled center field for the Red Raiders the last two seasons after playing some third base and right field as a freshman. Listed at 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, he is not a plus runner and doesn’t have plus raw power, limiting his upside in the draft.

But Gardner’s hitting ability and track record of success will likely land him somewhere on day two of the draft (rounds 3-10).

No matter how professional teams evaluate him, Gardner has become a crucial player for the Red Raiders as they aim to repeat as Big 12 champions and chase a third trip to Omaha in the last four years.

“I think everybody aspires to have guys that can separate balls and strikes, that can run,” Tadlock said. “You can put him a few places on the field and go play baseball.”