OKLAHOMA CITY – The last time Texas Tech qualified for the Big 12 Championship, right-hander AJ Ramos sat quietly on the bench, waiting for a turn that never came.

Tonight, he’ll not only find his way to the mound at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, but he will be carrying the weight of hopes and emotions with him – both personal and team-oriented – when the No. 7-seeded Red Raiders open play in the tournament at 7:30 p.m. against No. 2 Oklahoma. And he’ll be doing so when, this time last year, he was rehabilitating from surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Texas Tech's AJ Ramos will be the starting pitcher for tonight's game against Oklahoma at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City as the Red Raiders open play in the Big 12 Championship.

“It means a lot,” said Ramos, who is 5-4 with a 4.95 ERA on the year. “Coming back this year and pitching in this tournament, it’s a great feeling knowing that the game is on my shoulders. I like that feeling and that responsibility. I just hope I can go out … and get the win.”

Ramos is not the only one willing to put the team on his shoulders. In fact, Tech’s handful of seniors are enjoying their return to the tournament as much as the freshmen and first-timers, mainly because it’s been a long, often discouraging journey back.

Several seniors have also had to battle personal demons. In addition to Ramos, Tech (24-30) is back in the tournament with a pitcher who missed the previous two years with shoulder problems, a second baseman who also had elbow surgery and has played through a pulled hamstring, and an all-conference first-team first baseman who has broken a leg and an arm and this year learned to play a new position.

“I’ve said it before for the program this is very exciting to be here after not being here the last two years, and that really took a toll on guys who’d been here before,” said first baseman Chris Richburg, who picked up his All-Big 12 honor on Tuesday. “Fortunately we were able to do the things we needed to do during conference to get back here, and that’s huge or all of us.”

The goal of getting to the tournament was established from the first day first-year head coach Dan Spencer took the helm of the program. But he quickly refocused his team as Tech prepared for the trip and for practice on Tuesday.

“We talked today about being very proud of being here, and getting here is a great accomplishment,” Spencer said. “But we have to make sure we don’t play like we’re just happy to be here. We have to get after it and compete. Our main goal has now been achieved and we’re here, so our goal is to win it.”

To do so, Tech will have to get past three very tough opponents. Starting with today’s 7:30 p.m. opener against Oklahoma (40-16), the Red Raiders will face three teams in pool play against whom they went just 3-6, losing two of three to the Sooners, being swept by No. 3 Missouri (32-23) but beating No. 6 Texas A&M (34-21) two of three in Lubbock.

While Tech is going with its best starter to open the tournament, the Red Raiders will likely have to face only one opponent’s ace in Sooners starter Andrew Doyle, who allowed just six hits and no runs with four strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Tech on April 10. By facing Missouri on Friday and the Aggies on Saturday, Tech is scheduled to avoid Tigers ace Kyle Gibson and A&M ace Brooks Raley.

None of the teams in Tech’s pool, however, are in a position like the Red Raiders where they have to win the tournament to gain the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA postseason.

“I think the thing about any tournament is you’ve got to play one at a time and use who you have to use to win,” Spencer said. “It would be hard for us to win the tournament if we don’t win (tonight), so we’ll use every guy and every arm and then go from there. We feel good with Ramos being our first guy out.”

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