Will TCU baseball play another game in 2024? Big 12 tourney elimination may not be the end

TCU’s pitching staff had given up 10 runs over the first three games of the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.

However, the Horned Frogs gave up nine runs in the first inning of Friday’s game against Kansas and despite a tenacious effort failed to finish the massive comeback, falling 11-10 to the Jayhawks at Globe Life Field resulting in their elimination from the tournament and failure to defend their 2023 Big 12 Championship.

“[Kansas] came out ready in the first inning and that was the difference in the ball game, getting down nine nothing and having to try and scratch back from that,” TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos said. “I mean you throw up a nine spot in the first and the easiest thing would have been you play a seven-inning game and you put your head between your tail and you drive back to Fort Worth and you cash it in and that’s the easy thing.”

But the Horned Frogs never wavered.

“That’s the difference between a team that truly cares and never thinks they’re out of it and has a lot of toughness.” the TCU coach added.

After a rough first inning, TCU’s offense responded scoring in three of the next four innings including back-to-back three-run innings in the second and third innings. TCU continued to whittle down the Jayhawks’ lead and completed the comeback with a two-run home run by Luke Boyers in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 10.

In the bottom of the seventh TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos made a gutsy call when he tapped Braeden Sloan to come into the game and pitch against Ben Hartl with the bases loaded and a full count.

With no room for error, Sloan struck the Jayhawk to get out of the jam and kept the score tied in the bottom of the seventh.

“So I was thinking about maybe utilizing him in the middle of a situation, maybe not wait until [a] 3-2 [count]. But, I wanted to make sure that he was ready and it got to 3-2 and at that point you know, kinda just sold out and told him when he took the mound you’re gonna throw a 3-2 change up,” said Saarloos, explaining why he tapped Sloan. “Just put a lot of trust in the fact that he was prepared for that and obviously executed the pitch, super proud of the way Braeden threw.”

First baseman Kurtis Byrne led the comeback effort going 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and a walk while leadoff man Sam Myers went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

TCU’s bullpen excelled after a rough start, only giving up two runs over the following seven innings of the game. The stretch was punctuated by an exceptional performance by Colt Taylor who gave up one hit in 3.1 innings with two strikeouts and one walk.

Taylor had only pitched five innings on the season before Friday’s game.

“Another guy that sticks out to me is Colt Taylor. Always at this time of year, whether it’s regional play, conference championship play, World Series, you have a couple of guys that haven’t maybe done a whole lot for you either on the mound or at the plate that are gonna need to step up,” Saarloos said, “We don’t have a chance in that game if Colt Taylor doesn’t go three and a third innings.”

The second run given up by the bullpen, a solo home run by Jake English in the bottom of the eighth, proved to be the deciding run.

Saarloos praised the bullpen and the team’s mettle for refusing to give in.

“I thought that was as gritty of a game today and I think the relievers keeping them off the board and trying to piece the thing together gave the offense just enough time to be able to get it back to 10-10,” he said.

TCU will play next if it’s selected for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. D1 Baseball has the Horned Frogs in such a selection.