TCU reliever dominates K-State in potential last home game
If it was his last game at Lupton Stadium, Preston Guillory went out the right way.
The right-hander, recognized during Senior Night activities before the game, pitched 3 2/3 dominant innings of relief and picked up the victory in TCU’s 2-1 win Friday night against Kansas State.
The No. 11-ranked Horned Frogs (37-14, 14-9 Big 12) are in position to sweep the series with a win in Saturday’s regular-season finale, which would let them take a five-game winning streak into next week’s Big 12 tournament. TCU will open as the No. 3 seed against No. 6 Baylor on Wednesday at Oklahoma City’s Chickashaw Bricktown Ballpark.
TCU remains in consideration to host an NCAA regional at Lupton Stadium when the postseason begins, but that’s no sure thing.
“Potentially my last game at Lupton,” Guillory said. “I’m glad it happened. The most important thing is that we won the game. It just happened to be on Senior Night. Pretty sweet.”
TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle might have said the same thing. He has been looking for a return to form from Guillory, who gave up one earned run in 2015 for TCU’s College World Series team.
He didn’t get that Friday night — he got more.
That’s really as good, in terms of pure stuff, as I ever remember him pitching. Pretty darn special.
TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle
on reliever Preston Guillory“That’s really as good, in terms of pure stuff, as I ever remember him pitching,” Schlossnagle said. “Pretty darn special.”
But 2015 special?
“Better,” Schlossnagle said. “Better velocity, just pitching with a lot of aggression, a lot of strikes, a lot of confidence.”
Guillory (3-2) entered with one out and two on in the fifth inning after starter Mitchell Traver gave up a pair of singles. He allowed a single to shallow left to load the bases but induced a 6-4-3 double play on the next pitch to keep TCU ahead 2-1.
He had a 1-2-3 sixth and a 1-2-3 seventh thanks to Austen Wade’s throwout at second base to cut down a double, and a 1-2-3 eighth behind a double play that erased a leadoff walk.
Durbin Feltman struck out two in a perfect ninth for his second save in two nights and his sixth overall.
Last season, Guillory had an 0.34 ERA in 20 appearances. This year, he came into Friday night with a 5.33 ERA, also in 20 appearances.
Maybe something clicked Friday night. Or has clicked — Guillory has not been scored on in four of his past five appearances.
“I’m just focusing up a little more and bearing down here toward the tail end of the season,” Guillory said.
Schlossnagle isn’t surprised.
“Sometimes in your senior year, these guys have a lot on their mind, especially with professional baseball, different things,” he said. “Sometimes seniors get to the point where they let everything go and say, ‘You know what, this could be the tail end of my career — or definitely the tail end of my college career; I’m going to relax and enjoy it.’ He and I have had that conversation.”
Must have been a good talk.
Carlos Mendez: 817-390-7760, @calexmendez
Kansas St. | 010 | 000 | 000 | — | 1 | 10 | 0 |
TCU | 010 | 100 | 00x | — | 2 | 5 | 1 |
MaVorhis and Moore. Traver, Guillory (5), Feltman (9) and Plunkett. W—Guillory (3-2). L—McVorhis (6-5). Sv—Feltman (6). 2B—TCU: Barzilli, Baker, Watson. SB—Kansas St.: Ethier. E—TCU: Wanhanen.
RECORDS — TCU 37-14, 14-9 Big 12. Kansas St. 26-28, 8-15.
This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 10:15 PM with the headline "TCU reliever dominates K-State in potential last home game."