ARLINGTON, Texas – Fourth-seeded TCU (35-22) advanced past eighth-seeded Kansas (25-31) securing a 14-4 eight-inning victory to advance to the semifinal round of the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship. The Horned Frogs scored 14 runs off 19 hits.
 
The Jayhawks started the scoring early, with a single from Kodey Shojinaga paired with a walk, and HBP to load the bases in the bottom of the first. Michael Brooks’ sacrifice fly gave KU a 1-0 lead.

TCU responded in the bottom half of the first with Elijah Nunez and Brayden Taylor stringing together a pair of singles before Cole Fontenelle tripled down the right-field line. After getting caught up in the fence, Kansas right fielder Luke Leto overthrew third base allowing Fontenelle to touch them all and making the score 3-1 Horned Frogs.

KU’s Leto bounced back from his error sending a solo shot into right field pulling the Jayhawks within one in the top of the second.

Kansas used a single by Janson Reeder and an RBI double from Cole Elvis to knot the game at 3-3 in the third.

TCU put up two more runs in the bottom half of the third inning as Brayden Taylor doubled to center before Anthony Silva, Kurtis Byrne and Logan Maxwell all singled, giving TCU a 5-3 advantage.

Kansas catcher Jake English reopened the scoring in the top of the sixth, lining a ball over the left field wall for a solo homer to make the score 5-4 TCU.

The Horned Frog offense exploded in the bottom of the sixth, scoring five runs off four hits to spring TCU ahead 10-5. The inning saw singles from Maxwell, Elijah Nunez, Karson Bowen and a two-run home run by Brayden Taylor. The right-field shot was Taylor’s 20^th of the season and earned him the TCU program record for most career homers with 45.

TCU extended the lead to 11-4 in the bottom of the seventh as Kurtis Byrne singled before scoring off a sacrifice fly by Austin Davis. 

The Horned Frogs cut the game short by going ahead 10 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning with a double from Taylor, an RBI single from Anthony Silva, a wild pitch, and fielders’ choice RBI for Maxwell pushing the score to 14-4. 

The winning pitcher for TCU, Luke Savage (3-3), struck out a pair of batters and allowed three hits and one run in his 3.1 innings pitched.

Cranton (3-4) threw 1.1 innings surrendering four hits and two runs for Kansas while striking out one in the loss.

Kansas will face fifth-seeded K-State on Friday, May 26 at 3 p.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ while TCU will face the winner on Saturday, May 27 at 9 a.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The Horned Frogs need one win in two possible opportunities to advance to the final.
 
2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 24
Game 1 – No. 4 TCU 16, No. 5 Kansas State 3, (7 inn.) – 9 a.m. – ESPNU
Game 2 – No. 8 Kansas 6, No. 1 Texas  3– 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 3 – No. 7 Oklahoma 9, No. 2 Oklahoma State 5 – 4 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 4 – No. 6 Texas Tech 6, No. 3 West Virginia 2 – 7:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Thursday, May 25
Game 5 –  No. 5 Kansas State 6, No. 1 Texas 0 – 9 a.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 6 – No. 2 Oklahoma State 3, No. 3 West Virginia 2 – 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 7 – No. 4 TCU 14, No. 8 Kansas 4 (8 inn.) – 4 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 8 – No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 7 Oklahoma – 7:30 p.m. – ESPNU

Friday, May 26
Game 9 –  No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 8 Kansas – 3 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 8 Loser vs. No. 2 Oklahoma State – 6:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Saturday, May 27
Game 11 – Game 9 Winner vs. No. 4 TCU – 9 a.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner – 12:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 13 – Game 11 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner (if necessary) – 4 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 14 – Game 12 Loser vs. Game 12 Winner (if necessary) – 4 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. – Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Sunday, May 28
Game 15 – Championship Game – 5 p.m. – ESPNU