With the game tied at one in the top of the sixth, TCU senior infielder Keaton Jones drilled a double to left-center field to score two runs and lift the No. 3 Horned Frogs to a 4-2 win over the defending champion Vanderbilt Commodores.
The win sealed a winning West Coast swing over the weekend for TCU, who’s considered a strong contender to get back to Omaha this year. The Horned Frogs dropped their opening game at No. 23 USC on Friday night when the Trojans walked off with a suicide squeeze bunt to win 7-6 in 12 innings.
TCU rebounded Saturday with a 3-1 win over No. 6 UCLA, thanks in large part to junior starting pitcher Alex Young, who allowed one run and three hits in eight innings while striking out nine batters.
The Horned Frogs open up conference play this weekend at home against Baylor.
Young named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week
After posting wins over No. 10 Rice and No. 4 UCLA, TCU junior starting pitcher Alex Young was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Young had a career night Saturday, striking out nine batters in eight innings. Earlier in the week, Young pitched two innings in relief against Rice, striking out three without giving up a hit.
Oklahoma sophomore shortstop Sheldon Neuse was named the conference’s player of the week after hitting three home runs and two doubles, stealing two bases and posting 10 RBIs, as the Sooners went 3-1 last week.
Kansas State junior catcher Tyler Moore earned newcomer of the week after, driving in eight RBI and hitting a home run in the Wildcats sweep of Santa Clara.
Big 12 teams drop in NCBWA rankings
After starting strong in the rankings, a number of Big 12 teams fell in the latest National College Baseball Writers Association poll released Monday.
While conference frontrunner TCU held steady in the second spot, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State each slipped. After splitting its weekend series at Stanford, Texas dropped three spots to No. 16. Texas Tech moved from seventh to 13th after a sweep at Cal State Fullerton. Oklahoma State fell from 17th to 24th after losing 2-out-of-3 at home against Illinois.
Tech’s head coach tabbed for hall of fame
Long-time Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays will be the first Red Raider to be inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame this year, the organization announced last week.
Hays spent 22 years in Lubbock, leading the Red Raiders to nine NCAA tournament appearances and four conference titles. During his tenure, he posted an 813-479-3 record.
Hays, who began his coaching career at Lubbock Christian University, is one of eight head coaches in college baseball to post 1,500 wins, a list that also includes Texas head coach Auggie Garrido.
The 2015 hall of fame class will be inducted on June 28-29.
