The Texas Tech Red Raiders got some reinforcement for next season’s lineup. Quebec’s Robin Villeneuve will join the team in Lubbock for the 2025 season and look to get an opportunity for more at-bats to showcase his great skill at the plate.
Villeneuve spent his 2024 season with the Tennessee Volunteers, helping the team win the first national championship in the school’s history. Although he was not a routine starter on the team, he got his fair share of chances at the plate, starting in 24 games and playing in 35. In total, Villeneuve got 80 at-bats.
He showed good play during his opportunities against some of the country’s best competition in the SEC. He finished with a .288 batting average and a .447 on-base percentage, and he had five home runs, adding to Tennessee’s ridiculous team total in 2024. He also had 22 RBI and scored 20 runs as he was also a scoring threat on offense.
Villeneuve’s most notable stretch of games came last February in non-conference play, during two games against Albany and a game against High Point. Over that time, he went 6 for 10 with two home runs, two doubles, and six RBI. He had another great game in conference play against Ole Miss on March 22, going 3 for 4 with four RBI.
Texas Tech received a good sample of what Villeneuve can do for their offense next season. Last season, the Red Raiders ranked second in the Big 12, only to Oklahoma, in team batting average and were in the top five in home runs and RBI. They had some good hitters who left and needed replacing, like Gavin Kash, Kevin Bazzell, and Cade McGee.
Villeneuve, with his offensive ability and championship experience, gives a chance for Texas Tech to have a similar fortune with their offense just like a season ago as they look to get back to the NCAA tournament.
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WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
Photo Credit: Tennessee Volunteers utility Robin Villeneuve (17) during the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on May 24, 2024 at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
