Afternoon Headlines for April 5th

In major league baseball action the Texas Rangers will play the second of three games tonight against the Seattle Mariners. Fans will see a pair of first when the American League West rivals get underway at 7:05 from the Ball Park in Arlington as Seattles top pitching prospect in Michael Pineda will make his major league debut, and the Rangers Alexi Ogando will be taking a major league mound as a starter for the first time.

The Houston Astros will also return to the diamond today as they open up a three game series on the road against last season’s NL Central winning Cincinnati Reds. Houston’s J.A Happ will take the mound opposite of the Reds Mike Leake when first pitch gets underway at 6:10 from The Great American Ball Park.

In NFL action at least one member of the Dallas Cowboys hopes that three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo will have to earn the right to retain his starting job. Tight End Martellus Bennett said in an interview that “Kitna was one of his favorite people to play with, and just being out there on the field with Kitna made him want to play even harder.” The Cowboys went 1 and 5 when Romo started last season, and won four of nine games started by the 38-year-old Kitna after Romo went down with a broken collarbone.

In men’s college hoops news a few of the head coaching jobs have settled as Virginia Common Wealth’s Shaka Smart has agreed to a new eight-year contract to stay with the Rams after leading the school on an improbable Final Four run.

North Carolina State has hired Mark Gottfried as their next men’s basketball coach. Gottfried and N.C State agreed to a five year deal that will guarantee a salary of $1.2 million annually. Gottfried had spent last season as and ESPN college basketball analyst and replaces Sidney Lowe who resigned last month after spending five seasons on the programs side line.

And maybe the most recognizable name of the list of college coaches on the move is Texas Tech former head coach Pat Knight who has been hired to the same position at Lamar University in Beaumont. Knight spent just over 3 season at the helm of the Red Raider basketball program where he compiled a 39 and 43 over-all record.

In Texas Tech golf news Gabby Dominguez recorded her second-straight top five finish as the Lady Raiders wrapped up the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate in seventh place following the final round at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links near San Francisco.  The Lady Raiders came close to a top five finish as Tech trailed Northwestern and Colorado by a single stroke for fifth place after a 14-over 302 final round. Tournament co-host Oregon claimed the team title after a 2-over final round allowed the Ducks to slip a stroke under second-place Texas A&M. The Lady Raiders will face a quick turnaround before heading to the Baylor Invitational next week in Waco, where Tech will tee off the two-day tournament on April 11.

The 19^th ranked Red Raider men’s golf team wrapped up the Morris Williams Intercollegiate tournament today in second place, two stokes behind the tournament winner and Big 12 foe University of Texas. Texas Tech will return to action next on April 16-17 at The Aggie Invitational in College Station.

In other Red Raider news Texas Tech's Elizabeth Ullathorne has been named Big 12 Women's Tennis Player of the Week after leading the Lady Raiders team to the program's first win against the then 23^rd ranked Texas Longhorns. It was the first Big 12 award of the season for the women's tennis team and first since 2004. The Lady Raiders are currently 14-4 overall and 4-1 in Big 12 play. The Lady Raiders tennis team will next take on Iowa State on Fri., April 8 at 4 p.m. and will host its final match of the season against the 38^th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sun., April 10 at 11 a.m. with both matches being held at the McLeod Tennis Complex.

The Women’s NCAA Championship Game will be played tonight from Indianapolis between Texas A&M and Notre Dame. You can catch that game right here on 1340 the fan following the conclusion of high-school baseball action between Amarillo and Monterrey.