Opening Weekend in the Big 12 wasn’t one to write home about. Four Big 12 teams entered the season ranked in the NCBWA Top 30, but those four – Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas and Oklahoma – finished the weekend a combined 8-6. As for the rest of the league, not a single team escaped unscathed, leaving the Big 12 as the only Power 5 conference without an undefeated team after Opening Weekend. So, just how did the Big 12 fare?
No. 13 TCU
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 2-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Three-games at Shriners Classic (Houston) – vs. No. 9 UL-Lafayette; vs. Rice; vs. No. 12 Houston
TCU lost its opener to Loyola Marymount, 5-3, at Lupton Stadium in Ft. Worth before bouncing back to win the series with a pair of shutouts. JUCO transfer Rex Hill, a former Texas A&M signee, started the opener for the Horned Frogs. He allowed three earned runs in 4 1/3 IP with seven strikeouts and no walks in a no-decision. A pair of unearned runs in the eighth and ninth, however, proved to be the difference as L-M pulled off the upset in the opener.
In Game 2, the Frogs rode the arm of Brian Howard for 6 1/3 innings. Howard allowed three hits and two walks while striking out five to earn the win. Brian Trieglaff pitched a perfect ninth for his first save.
Luken Baker showed he can do it all in the rubber game of the series. The true freshman sensation smacked his first collegiate homer, a two-run shot, to help himself pick up his first career win. Baker went six innings, allowing one hit and striking out six to give TCU the series clincher, 5-0.
The Frogs blew out Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a mid-week game, 17-3, and head to Minute Maid Park in Houston for the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. TCU will face UL-Lafayette, Rice and Houston this weekend.
No. 16 Oklahoma State
Last Week: 2-2
Overall: 2-2 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Three-game series at No. 14 North Carolina
The Cowboys split a pair of games each in Texas against UT-Arlington and Stephen F. Austin, finishing 2-2 on the weekend. Oklahoma State won the middle two games of the weekend, defeating SFA 8-2 and UT-A 5-3.
Thomas Hatch got the start in Game 2 against SFA and provided seven strong innings. Corey Littell’s two-run single powered a six-run eighth for the 8-2 win.
Freshman pitcher Jensen Elliott’s debut was spectacular. Elliott struck out five in five innings with four hits, no runs and no walks to earn his first career victory. First baseman Dustin Williams homered in the second inning to give Elliott some breathing room.
Seniors Conor Costello and Donnie Walton led the way at the plate. Costello drove in six runs on the weekend, while Walton collected six hits in 15 at-bats, including two doubles. OSU took the week off before traveling to North Carolina for a Top 20 showdown with the Tar Heels.
Texas
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 2-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Four-game series vs. No. 30 Stanford
Texas picked up a series win, taking two of three from UNLV. The Horns lost the opener, 4-3, before seeing their offense explode and the pitching tighten up to win Games 2 and 3 by a combined 19-2.
Sophomore outfield Patrick Mathis hit two solo home runs, one in each of the wins. Catcher Michael Cantu went 4-for-11 at the plate with three doubles, four RBI and four runs scored.
Game 1 started Kyle Johnston allowed just one run in four innings, but walked five. Ty Culbreth and Connor Mayes, starters of Games 2 and 3, allowed one run over nine innings. They combined to strike out seven and walk four. The Texas pitching staff saw plenty of arms take the mound. In all, 13 pitchers took the mound with seven throwing two or more innings.
Texas opens a four-game series in Austin against No. 30 Stanford today through the weekend.
Oklahoma
Last Week: 3-2
Overall: 3-2 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Three-game series at Sam Houston State
Oklahoma struggled getting out of the gate, losing the first two in a four-game series with Northeastern before bouncing back to win the final two and earn a split. Troublesome for the Sooners was the ineffectiveness of Alex Hansen’s one inning of work Saturday in which Hansen allowed three runs on one hit while walking four.
On the plus side, the bats got going in Games 3 and 4, as the Sooners posted double-digit runs in each game. Jack Flansburg went 4-for-7 with a home run, two RBI, six runs scored and three walks in the final two games. He and Sheldon Neuse are off to hot starts, each batting .500 or better to start the season.
Oklahoma earned its third straight win with a 7-1 victory over Abilene Christian Wednesday. The Sooners travel south for a three-game set at Sam Houston State beginning Friday.
Baylor
Last Week: 1-3
Overall: 1-3 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Three-game series vs. Stony Brook
Baylor had a back-and-forth affair with Washington over the weekend. The Huskies got to Opening Day starter Daniel Castano in the fourth and fifth innings, rocking Castano for six runs and nine hits to ruin his season debut. Washington took the opener 7-2.
The Bears bounced back for a 9-5 win to even the series. Baylor’s bats were led by its two corner outfielders. Left fielder Darryn Sheppard went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while right fielder Richard Cunningham went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Drew Tolson went five innings, allowing three runs on six hits with eight strikeouts. Reliever Joe Heineman picked up the win with three solid innings in relief.
Washington won the series with a 7-1 victory in the finale. The Bears fell Wednesday to UT-Arlington, 9-2, and host Stony Brook for a three-game series this weekend.
Kansas
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 2-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Four-games in the Big 12/Pac-12 Challenge (Surprise, Ariz.) – Two games vs. No. 7 Oregon State; Two games vs. Utah
Kansas opened the season in an odd way – and with a loss. The Jayhawks played just one game at Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, where the Trojans pulled off the 4-2 win. Matt McLaughlin drove in both runs for KU, but senior Ben Krauth couldn’t hold UA-LR back, allowing four runs on six hits in five innings of work.
KU swept a two-game set Monday and Tuesday back home against Northern Colorado, picking up a pair of one-run wins, 5-4 and 2-1. Kansas used a sacrifice fly and two walks to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off win. Michael Tinsley went 3-for-3 with an RBI in Game 2. It was Marcus Wheeler’s pinch hit RBI groundout in the sixth that gave KU the lead for good.
Kansas State
Last Week: 2-2
Overall: 2-2 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Four-games in the Big 12/Pac-12 Challenge (Surprise, Ariz.) – Two games vs. No. 7 Oregon State; Two games vs. Utah
K-State split a four-game series at UC-Riverside, winning Games 1 and 3 and falling in Games 2 and 4. The Wildcats blanked UC-Riverside behind five strong innings from Corey Fischer and three innings in relief by Jordan Floyd. Fischer allowed three hits and struck out five Highlanders. Floyd picked up the win as Tyler Moore’s sacrifice fly in the sixth to score Clayton Dalrymple for the only run of the game.
KSU’s Levi MaVorhis pitched seven innings of four-hit ball to earn the win in the third game. The ‘Cats won 8-1, as all eight runs were driven in by the heart of the order – Jake Wodtke, Tyler Wolfe and Steve Serratore. UC-Riverside picked up a pair of 6-3 wins in the other two games.
Wodke, Serratore and Moore are each batting over the .300 mark and Dalrymple has six runs scored to pace KSU. The Wildcats join their fellow Sunflower State counterparts in Surprise, Ariz., for the Big 12-Pac-12 Challenge against Utah and No. 7 Oregon State this weekend.
Texas Tech
Last Week: 4-1
Overall: 4-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Three-games at Shriners Classic (Houston) – vs. No. 12 Houston; vs. No. 9 UL-Lafayette; vs. No. 18 Arkansas
Texas Tech hosted Milwaukee in Lubbock over the weekend, winning three of the four games and scoring 33 runs in the three wins. The Red Raiders offense came alive from the get-go, pounding out 14 hits in a 12-3 win in the opener. Four players had multi-hit games, including right fielder Stephen Smith, who went 4-for-5 with a trifecta of three doubles, three RBI and three runs scored.
TTU lost the second game 10-3, but bounced back to win 9-1 and 12-0 to take the series. The Red Raiders picked up a midweek win, knocking off Sam Houston State, 11-6 to improve their early league-leading record to 4-1. Smith leads the team with 11 hits (.550 AVG) and nine runs scored. Eric Gutierrez is hitting at a .563 clip with five doubles and Tanner Gardner gives Texas Tech its third player with a .500 or better average. On the bump, five Red Raiders have pitched five-plus innings and boast a 1.80 ERA or lower. Leading the way is Erikson Lanning and Ty Damron, both holding opponents to no runs and .060 or lower batting average.
Texas Tech will play in the Shriners Classic in Houston and faces three Top 20 teams in No. 12 Houston, No. 9 UL-Lafayette and No. 18 Arkansas at Minute Maid Park.
West Virginia
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 2-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Upcoming: Three-game series at UNLV
West Virginia traveled to Charleston Southern and headed back north with a 2-1 series victory. After opening the series with a tough 4-3 loss, WVU bounced back to pitch two shutouts, 5-0 and 3-0. Senior Ross Vance picked up his first win with five shutout innings in Game 2. BJ Myers went eight innings, striking out five and allowing five hits to earn the win in the rubber game.
Junior catcher Ray Guerrini led the Mountaineers at the plate, going 6-for-11 in the series with a double, a triple, two RBI and four runs scored. Redshirt freshman Jimmy Galusky recorded three doubles on the weekend and looks to be a promising young player for head coach Randy Mazey.
WVU heads west to take on UNLV this weekend and will visit the Arizona Diamondbacks in a Spring Training game Monday.
