TCU baseball sends message in dominant win over Kansas, advances to championship
TCU baseball sent a message with its commanding 11-1 win over Kansas in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament Friday night at Globe Life Field.
The Horned Frogs will face Arizona in the championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday.
It was the fourth straight win over the Jayhawks this season with TCU picking up a sweep at Lupton Field in April. The win over Kansas should also provide a major boost to the Horned Frogs’ chances of hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament.
Before the semifinal, the latest projections from D1Baseball saw the Horned Frogs fall to a No. 2 seed after Tennessee stunned Texas in the SEC Tournament.
But TCU’s dominance over a top-25 Jayhawks team served as a reminder that the Horned Frogs’ resume shouldn’t be overlooked.
TCU broke the game open in the second inning after the Jayhawks took a 1-0 lead in the first. Chase Brunson, Anthony Silva and Jack Bell combined to drive in four runs including Bell driving in two with a double to left field.
On the mound freshman pitcher Mason Brassfield was solid in his postseason debut as he struck out five batters and only gave up two hits and one earned run.
Brassfield was pulled in the top of fourth with over 70 total pitches and the Horned Frogs leaned on Louis Rodriguez to maintain control of the lead.
Rodriguez got a boost from Sawyer Strosnider and Cole Cramer in the fifth as Cramer’s sacrifice fly drove in the Big 12 Freshman of the Year to extend the lead to 5-1. Strosnider put himself in scoring position by picking up his 10th steal of the season after getting on base.
Pressure mounted on Rodriguez in the fifth as the Jayhawks had the bases loaded and an opportunity to tie the game, but the junior pitcher came up clutch as he forced a fly out.
The Horned Frogs drove in six more runs in the eighth to put the game away.
Bell finished with a game-high five RBIs while Cramer added two. Rodriguez picked up the victory with four strikeouts and just three hits allowed.
Along with the Big 12 title, the Horned Frogs will be aiming for payback against the Wildcats after Arizona defeated TCU 2-1 in their three game series at the beginning of May.
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 11:25 PM.
