The way Texas Tech head baseball coach Dan Spencer sees it, the Red Raiders have already dealt with their share of season-ending injuries, so spring practice should be a breeze.

Before the first pitch is even thrown in the 2010 season, Tech will already be down four players, all of whom had reconstructive elbow surgery — commonly known as Tommy John surgery — since the middle of the fall. Gone are proven left-handed reliever Robbie Kilcrease, outfielder Nick Hanslik, who missed all but 18 games while battling an elbow injury in 2009, and highly touted recruits Zach Fowler, a left-handed pitcher, and Duke VonSchamann, who was expected to pitch and play first base. All four were injured while playing this summer.

So, as spring practice for the 2010 season begins Friday, the Red Raiders will again be battling the depth issue on the mound.

“There was a week of feeling sorry for ourselves when we had those guys hurt, maybe two weeks,” Spencer said. “But nobody is going to feel sorry for you. Nobody cares. People have injuries, and that’s the way it goes. The percentages are with us not to get anybody else hurt.”

Spencer said those percentages will have to hold true if the Red Raiders are to build on last season. Tech, in Spencer’s first season as head coach, returned to the Big 12 Championships for the first time since 2006 and had its highest conference regular-season finish (seventh) since placing third in 2004. The 2009 season also brought about Tech’s first Big 12 Conference road series victory since 2004 and just its second double-digit win total in the league since 2002.

Now comes the next step — challenging for the Big 12 regular-season crown and getting back into the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2004.

To that end, a second solid recruiting class is in place that should make the Red Raiders stronger, faster and more athletic overall.

The Red Raiders return 15 lettermen, including seven of their top nine sluggers in a lineup that made Tech the top hitting squad in Big 12 games with a .311 average.

“Our talent is better, and not just on the mound, and it is drastically better on the mound, but we’re better positionally, we’re faster and we have a lot more experience positionally,” Spencer said. “We have some great players in this program, guys who are going to be high (draft) picks and high-profile guys. They have a tremendous work ethic as a group.”

Now, the task is improving a pitching staff that finished with a league-worst 6.31 ERA overall and had the worst defense in the Big 12 with a .959 fielding percentage.

“We just have to be efficient with our pitches,” said junior right-hander Chad Bettis. “We have the talent to do it, but we have to be efficient with our pitches, throw to the spots and minimize the pitches in an inning.”

Bettis leads the group on the mound and is one of only two pitchers returning who had more than 20 innings of work. Bettis led the team in ERA (3.59), victories (six) and innings pitched (722/3) and was second in strikeouts (58) while recording six saves.

Even though Bettis on Thursday was named to the preseason watch list for Stopper of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, plans are to move him to starter, most likely on Fridays. That comes after solid fall campaigns from newcomers Bobby Doran, a starter, and Jay Johnson, a left-hander who is expected to take over the closer role.

“We’re excited, for sure,” Bettis said. “We have a lot more depth in the bullpen and we have speed everywhere and guys who can hit. We have so much depth on the infield and outfield … and every one is as good as the next guy. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people in the Big 12.”

The rest of the starting weekend rotation and who will fill other roles will be determined over the next few weeks before the Feb. 19 season opener against Jacksonville State. Spencer is confident the roles will be filled quickly, but injuries have to be kept to a minimum.

“I think our guys have done a very good job of getting better from Oct. 31 when we finished the Red-Black series to where they are right now,” Spencer said. “I can’t say enough about what (strength coach Torrie Stephens) has done with our strength and speed and agility. It’s mind boggling the progress we’ve made. We’re at a point now where we need to get sharp and be ready to go in a week, and we will.”

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