Anyone fortunate enough to get a seat at Jace Jung’s dinner table on a Friday or Saturday night during baseball season is in for quite a treat.

Each Friday, the 6-foot, 215-pound left-handed-hitting sophomore infielder treats himself to enchiladas, rice, beans, two steak fajitas on the side, and sweet tea. Saturday is steak night, complete with mashed potatoes topped with cheese and butter.

There’s just one rule at Jung’s table on those particular nights.

“You don’t sit at my spot at the dinner table,” Jung said during a 2021 interview on a podcast of the Cape Cod League’s Orleans Firebirds, a team he played for last summer. “That’s serious stuff.”

Likely, Jung needs the calories considering the work he’s putting in, and Red Raider fans are certainly salivating over his results. During his pandemic-shortened freshman season in 2020, Jung led the Red Raiders to a 16-3 record, hitting .264 with four homers, 23 RBI, four doubles and a triple. He appeared in all 19 games, with 16 starts in the field. 

Last year was his breakout season, solidifying him as one of the best in college baseball. He led the team with 21 homers, 67 RBI, and a .697 slugging percentage. He also had 10 doubles and a triple and started in all 56 of Tech’s games, the only position player to do so that season. The Red Raiders barely missed the College World Series, getting swept by Stanford in the NCAA Super Regional.

The awards quickly followed. Jung was named a consensus All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, unanimous All-Big 12 first team selection, National College Baseball Writers Association National Freshman Hitter of the Year, and was a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy.

His ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field is impressive, but so is his plate discipline. He led the team with 49 walks last season, and has struck out just 60 times during his first two seasons. Dan Zielinski III, a draft expert for Baseball Prospect Journal, calls him a “bat-first player.”

Jung cites mental toughness as one of the reasons for his above-average skills at the plate.

“My offensive abilities are my biggest strength,” he told Zielinski. “I keep myself under control during the game. No moment is ever too big.”

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Jung grew up watching his older brother Josh excel at baseball. Josh, a former Red Raider infielder, became the second player in program history to be selected in the first round of the MLB draft, going eighth to the Texas Rangers. In Class AAA Round Rock last season, he hit .348 with nine homers in 35 games.

Both brothers starred as four-year letterwinners at San Antonio's MacArthur High School. Josh was a four-time All-District honoree, three-time All-Region winner and three-time All-State selection. Jace was ranked as the No. 34 overall prospect from Texas in the 2019 class by Perfect Game, and was named TSWA Class 6A All-State first team as a senior.

The debate over which brother is better has already begun. Jace’s 21 homers last season surpassed his older brother’s career high of 15. In a game against TCU last April, Jace smacked three homers to lead Tech to a 17-7 rout of the Horned Frogs. It was the fourth multi-homer game of the year for Jung, a clear indication of his ability to hit for both average and power.

“(It’s about) being aggressive at the plate, getting your pitch, hunting it over the middle and putting a good swing on it,” Jung said on the Firebirds podcast.

Josh bats right-handed, Jace from the left side. Both can play multiple positions in the infield, although Jace’s arm and speed are considered fringy by some draft analysts. Both walk more than they strike out (Jace 67-60 in two seasons and Josh 128-120 in three). Jace is projected to be a higher pick in the MLB draft than his brother, with some scouts pegging him as the No. 1 overall pick. 

“The draft attention is there, it’s always been there, but I just try not to think about it too much,” Jung told Zielinski. “I try to stay off Twitter as much as I can and stay true to who I was coming into college. I just stick with my routine.”

In nine seasons as Red Raiders head baseball coach, Tim Tadlock has seen over 50 of his players become MLB draft picks. Tadlock, who signed a lifetime contract with the school last May, refuses to take the bait when a comparison of the Jung brothers comes up.

“That’s not even a fair question,” Tadlock said during a postgame press conference last season. “They’re both really good players. Josh can really play catch at a high level. Like the guys in the big leagues do, Jace can really play catch at a high level. Since Jace has been a little guy running around here, his mom and dad have always said he’s had more power than Josh, and so time will tell on that.” 

Jace is feeling it. The crowd is feeling it. We're feeling it.

THIS IS POSTSEASON BASEBALL!

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— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) June 6, 2021

Last summer, Jace was invited to play for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, becoming the 10th Red Raider to earn the honor. Josh also played for the team in 2018. It was a great opportunity in more ways than one. Jace worked on his defense with MLB shortstop and Gold Glove winner Troy Tulowitzki. The two took 200 ground balls each day, and Jung believes the extra work paid off.

“When I got back to campus, some of the coaches were like, ‘Dang, you fielding the ball looks a lot different than it did last year’,” Jung told Zielinski. “Just learning from those repetitions was awesome and helpful.”

Jace and Josh also spent a lot of time together working out during the pandemic. It was great bonding time, and Jace learned a lot.

“Just getting to learn so much about the game through him and what he learned in spring training the year before that, it really helped me,” Jung said on the Firebirds podcast. “I’ve really got to give credit to him of just helping me understand and get a better feel for the game.”

Jung knows 2022 could be his last season in Lubbock, but is happy to be where he is no matter how long his collegiate career lasts.

“I wouldn’t go to war with anybody else,” Jung said on the podcast. “This team is great. I love every one of my teammates. It’s a great environment. The city of Lubbock really gets behind us and shows up every game.”

The Big 12 released its preseason awards for 2022, and Jung was named its Preseason Player of the Year. He’s also a first-team conference selection, and was the only Red Raider to receive recognition. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper also named him a first-team preseason All-American.

But individual accolades are secondary to Jung’s main goal this season: to get back to the College World Series. Something the Red Raiders came so close to achieving last season.

“This year, we want to get back to Omaha,” Jung told Zielinski. “And you know what, let’s win the Big 12 while we’re at it.”

With 22 players returning from last season’s team that finished as high as No. 11 in the final rankings, both of Jung’s wishes just might come true before he takes his talents to the pros.