TCU baseball can’t close out Arizona in Big 12 tournament final
The Horned Frogs gave up two late runs in a narrow 2-1 loss to Arizona in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday night at Globe Life Field.
“I’m just proud of the way our guys competed,” TCU coach Kirk Saarloos said. “Not just tonight, but the entire tournament. They put themselves in a position to host (in the NCAA Tournament) and there’s no doubt in my mind.”
TCU seized a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI from Noah Franco and would maintain the lead until the top of the ninth.
The Wildcats tied the game on a lead-off home run by Andrew Cain and then took their first lead of the game in the 10th as Maddox Mihalakis drove in the game-winning run with a single.
The Horned Frogs had an opportunity to tie or take the lead in the bottom of the 10th inning as Anthony Silva eventually reached second after being hit by a pitch. But Sam Myers struck out for the final out as the Wildcats won the tournament in their first season in the Big 12.
It was an unfortunate ending to what had been a special weekend for TCU as the Horned Frogs made a strong case to host a regional during the NCAA Tournament with blowout wins over Houston and Kansas.
Defeating the Wildcats and capturing the conference tournament would’ve been the perfect finishing touch on TCU’s résumé.
But TCU’s high-powered offense was held in check as the one run was the fewest the Horned Frogs have scored in a game since their 5-1 defeat to UCF on April 18.
Even with the loss, the Horned Frogs still have a strong resume that’s worthy of a hosting a regional. TCU has a top-20 RPI and the win over the Jayhawks was especially valuable with Kansas being ranked inside the top-25.
“22 wins in the Quad 1 and Quad 2, you can stack that up against anybody in the country,” Saarloos said. “We’re a deserving host and I know what all the projections say, I don’t care what they say. This team deserves to play at home.”
After missing the NCAA Tournament last year, the Horned Frogs won’t have to stress about hearing their name called, but Saarloos said that’s the bare minimum at a program like TCU. The goal for the Horned Frogs is to host regionals and compete for College World Series appearances.
Saarloos is hoping the committee doesn’t overlook TCU’s body of work just because the Horned Frogs came up short in the title game.
“Coming into this weekend we were projected to be a host,” Saarloos said. “I don’t see how playing in the championship game and losing a really tough ball game 2-1 changes anything. I hope that they look at our resume with a fine tooth comb and they’re going to see it’s really good.”
Regardless of whether TCU is hosting at Lupton or traveling for the tournament, the Horned Frogs showed they’re more than capable of making a deep postseason run no matter where they play.
This story was originally published May 24, 2025 at 9:42 PM.
