TCU baseball stuck with Tommy Sacco. He rewarded them with an all-Big 12 season
Confidence for a hitter can be precarious.
For TCU shortstop Tommy Sacco, a slow start a season ago got in his head and he struggled to snap out of it.
The exact opposite happened in 2022. Sacco jumped out to a fast start, collecting eight hits in the Horned Frogs’ first four games and he never slowed down. The first team Big 12 Conference selection helped lead TCU to the regular-season conference title for the second consecutive season.
The Frogs (35-18, 16-8 Big 12) open as the top seed against No. 8 Baylor (26-26, 7-17) at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Big 12 Conference tournament at Globe Life Field.
“I think the big thing was that he remembered that he is a good hitter,” said TCU coach Kirk Saarloos, who was named the Big 12 coach of the year in his first season. “Sometimes you start telling yourself, ‘Maybe I’m not as good a hitter as I thought.’”
That’s what was so frustrating for TCU associate head coach Bill Mosiello, who never stopped believing in Sacco’s abilities at the plate.
“I’m really proud of him. He was the player we always knew he could be. That’s why we stuck with him,” Mosiello said. “When you lose confidence and he was just so non-competitive at the plate. He had some horrible at-bats. He was better than that. That was what made it so frustrating. And now he’s turned himself into a professional prospect.”
Sacco leads the Frogs in almost every hitting category, including a .359 batting average, 21 doubles, 12 home runs, and 51 RBIs.
Mosiello and assistant coach John DiLaura noticed Sacco was using a toe tap with his front foot during fall practice and suggested he try a leg kick. The small adjustment in his batting stance helped loosen him up.
“It was about going back to the basics and simplifying it,” Sacco said. “I didn’t have any rhythm and timing [in 2021]. I was kind of hitting from a standstill. That doesn’t generate as much power and less consistency.”
The leg kick helped Sacco attack the baseball while also still being able to adjust to off-speed pitches.
“I had to step away and kind of reset my mind and not think about last year anymore,” said Sacco, who spent the off-season working with his dad. “I worked really hard on putting that behind me.”
The hot start in February went a long way in burying 2021.
“It definitely snowballed in the right direction,” Sacco said.
A year ago, 10 everyday TCU players hit for a higher average than Sacco.
“A year ago, we were a really good offensive club and he was the only guy not going great offensively,” Mosiello said. “This year, we couldn’t afford for him not do well. He’s been the one mainstay that has been consistent. It’s a tribute to him.”
Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament
(at Globe Life Field)
Wednesday’s games
No. 4 Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Texas, 9 a.m., ESPNU
No. 1 TCU vs. No. 8 Baylor, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+
No. 2 Texas Tech vs. No. 7 Kansas State, 4 p.m., ESPN+
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 West Virginia - Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Thursday’s games
OSU/Texas loser vs. TCU/Baylor loser, 9 a.m., ESPN+
Texas Tech/KSU loser vs. Oklahoma/WVU loser, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+
OSU/Texas winner vs. TCU/Baylor winner, 4 p.m., ESPNU
Texas Tech/KSU Winner vs. Oklahoma/WVU winner, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
Friday’s games
Game 7 Loser vs. Game 5 Winner - 3:15 p.m., ESPN+
Game 8 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner - 7 p.m., ESPN+
Saturday’s games
Game 9 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner - 9 a.m., ESPN+
Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner - 12:30 p.m., ESPN+
Game 11 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner (if necessary) - 4 p.m., ESPN+
Game 12 Loser vs. Game 12 Winner (if necessary) - 4 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
Sunday’s game
Championship game, 5 p.m., ESPNU
