Texas Tech athletics inspecting safety nets ahead of NCAA Regional

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - With the NCAA Regional game starting Friday, Texas Tech Athletics is reviewing its safety procedures on the baseball field. This comes after a young girl was hit with a foul ball at Wednesday night’s Astros-Cubs game.

“Something like what happened yesterday, just as an administrator, as a parent, and as a fan, you look at those things and it bothers you. You’d hate to think that would ever happen to somebody at our ballpark," said Robert Giovannetti, Senior Associate Tech Athletic Director.

The young girl who was hit with the foul ball is said to make a full recovery, but now baseball fields around the country are evaluating how they keep their fans safe - including Texas Tech.

“We are working with a netting company and we’re looking at ways we can improve the safety every year. We look at all of our facilities, what we can do differently, and how we can improve the fan experience,” Giovannetti said.

Right now, part of Tech’s seating is covered with a net to protect fans from behind home plate and extend near the dugout on first and third base. Tech athletics is working towards adding more, but Giovannetti says its a process that their netting company is working at.

Although that doesn’t mean the experience isn’t already safe a safe one. Giovannetti says they are always working towards making all their facilities as safe as possible. "We want everyone to come and have a great, safe, and fun experience.”

Tech Athletics say they also always message their fans to be vigilant during the games they attend because there’s always an opportunity for a foul ball or any ball to make its way into the stands.

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