ARLINGTON, Texas – TCU defeated Oklahoma State, 12-5, to win the Horned Frogs’ fourth Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball title in nine years. The Horned Frogs’ offense stayed hot as they scored the most runs (48) in the Big 12 Championship by a team since 2013.
TCU improved to 4-1 in the Big 12 Championship final (2014, 2016, 2021, 2023).
The attendance of 14,673 for the final is a Big 12 Championship record while the total attendance of 132,291 throughout the Championship was the second-highest in the league’s history.
TCU got on the board in the second inning after an RBI infield single by Anthony Silva that scored Tre Richardson. Luke Boyers followed up with a three-run home run to right center, which gave the Horned Frogs a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the third inning, Richardson hit a bases-clearing double that scored Brayden Taylor and Karson Bowen, but Cole Fontenelle was thrown out at home by Oklahoma State third baseman Tyler Wulfert. The inning continued with an RBI single from Austin Davis which scored Kurtis Byrne.
Oklahoma State responded in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own. A bases-loaded walk by Nolan Schubart and an RBI fielder’s choice by Wulfert cut the lead down to 8-2 after three innings.
TCU tallied a run in the top of the fifth inning from an RBI groundout by Davis, making it 9-2.
Both teams remained scoreless until the top of the seventh inning when Davis singled for the Horned Frogs, scoring Byrne. Oklahoma State tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning off a three-run home run by Schubart to make it a 10-5 game.
The Horned Frogs answered in the next half inning with Taylor’s two-run home run, to put TCU up 12-5 the rest of the game.
Taylor was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship.
Chase Hoover pitched the first two innings for TCU, giving up two hits, two runs, three walks and threw four strikeouts. He was relieved by Luke Savage (W, 3-3) who pitched four innings giving up two hits, no runs and one walk on two strikeouts. Garrett Wright closed out the game by striking out the side for the Horned Frogs.
Ben Abram started the game for the Cowboys (L, 8-3) going 2.0 innings, giving up four hits, four runs, no walks and adding three strikeouts.
During the game it was announced that Oklahoma State will host a regional in Stillwater June 2-5. Full selections for the 2023 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship will be revealed Monday, May 29 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. TCU recieves the Big 12's automatic bid to the field.
2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team
C: Karson Bowen, TCU
1B: David Mendham, Oklahoma State
2B: Brady Day, Kansas State
3B: Brayden Taylor, TCU
SS: Marcus Brown, Oklahoma State
OF: John Spikerman, Oklahoma
OF: Elijah Nunez, TCU
OF: Nolen Hester, Texas Tech
DH: Kurtis Byrne, TCU
SP: German Fajardo, Kansas State
SP: Brennan Phillips, Oklahoma State
SP: Kyle Robinson, Texas Tech
RP: Ben Abeldt, TCU
Most Outstanding Player:
Brayden Taylor, TCU