TCU Wins Big 12 Baseball Championship
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – In his last start before a bullpen banishment that he didn’t like, TCU freshman Tyler Alexander lasted two innings, allowed seven hits and five runs. The opponent that won the game: Oklahoma State.
That was back on March 30. Alexander spent his time out of rotation and worked on being more aggressive with all of his pitches. Since being back in a starting role, Alexander and the Horned Frogs have been flourishing.
They closed out the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship with a flourish Sunday. Alexander handcuffed top-seeded Oklahoma State, allowing just four hits in throwing a complete game. TCU’s 7-1 victory gave the school its first Big 12 team championship.
“I like pitching in the limelight, I like when it’s a big game,” said Alexander, a slender lefty who threw 107 pitches, struck out four and walked zero.
He and his teammates are destined for more limelight. TCU (42-15) and Oklahoma State are two of the 16 regional hosts for the upcoming NCAA baseball tournament. The seeds and the 64-team bracket will be announced at 11 a.m. Monday.
“It was phenomenal what he did,” TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said of
Alexander. “He commanded all three pitches but he’s done that ever since we put him back in the rotation. He’s like (TCU’s Preston Morrison, the Big 12 pitcher of the year) in that he doesn’t get fazed, has great presence.
“But at the end of the day, it was invaluable that we were able to stay in the winner’s bracket.”
The Cowboys (45-16) were playing their sixth game of the Championship. They had to beat their Bedlam rival Oklahoma twice (and played the Sooners five times in less than a week) then had to overcome Texas’ stellar pitching staff twice Saturday to reach the championship game. Mix in rain-delayed games Friday and Saturday and it was five days that seemed like a month.
“I am very proud of our team,” said Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday, whose team won the regular-season title by one game over TCU. “I think what they accomplished in the last five days was significant. We played high end, quality baseball against elite opponents. It certainly has prepared us for what lies ahead. Congratulations to TCU and I guess it’s fitting that they won the tournament; we won the regular season as we were neck and neck from start to finish.”
The Cowboys started junior left hander Michael Freeman, who had pitched 9 1/3 innings all season. He was valiant in a career-high five innings, throwing 111 pitches. Control problems in the Frogs’ four-run fourth was Freeman’s undoing. With one out, the Frogs loaded the bases on three walks.
“The approach we’ve had lately is to grind out at bats,” said TCU’s Kevin Cron, who drew the first walk of the inning. “If it’s a good pitch, then hit it. If it’s not a good pitch we’re OK to wait him out.”
Dylan Fitzgerald delivered the big hit with a two-run single on a 1-2 pitch.
“I got down 0-2 and I told myself there’s no way I can fold on this at bat, it’s a key point in the game,” he said. “I was able to stay back, stay short with my swing. Thankfully I got a good pitch to hit and made solid contact.”
Two passed balls allowed two more runs to score, turning a 1-1 game into a 5-1 lead. The Horned Frogs added single runs in the fifth and eighth innings.
Oklahoma State played its third consecutive game without Big 12 player of the year Zach Fish, who is sidelined with a sprained ankle. His absence along with Alexander’s dominance made another Cowboys comeback unlikely. They trailed in all four of their victories and have rallied to win 27 games.
“I was thinking about it the entire time,” Schlossnagle said. “But Tyler was continuing to stay ahead in the count. He didn’t set the table with any walks. As long as he did that, I didn’t think they could string a lot of hits together.”
Alexander wasn’t around for last season’s 29-28 team that failed to make the NCAA Tournament and was a disappointment in its first season in the Big 12. Under Schlossnagle, the Horned Frogs had become a consistent NCAA team, reaching the College World Series in 2010.
“Most everybody on this team went through a nightmare last year,” Schlossnagle said. “The great thing about winning this is I like to see the smiles on their faces.”
