Tuesday was the opening day of the Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona.
The first two games featured matchups between No. 9 Brigham Young and No. 12 Texas Tech, and No. 10 Utah and No. 11 Kansas State.
A single elimination format means every pitch and play that follows becomes of the utmost importance.
No. 9 Brigham Young 18, No. 12 Texas Tech 8 – The Cougars of BYU trailed the opener of the tournament 5-1 heading into the bottom of the third inning. They rattled off 14 runs, including a seven-run sixth, in their next four turns at bat to send Texas Tech packing in seven innings for a 10-run mercy rule.
Third baseman Easton Jones and catcher Ridge Erickson each hit two home runs for BYU, and Ezra McNaughton launched a two-run shot of his own in the fourth to give his team a 7-5 advantage. Texas Tech used five pitchers in less than seven frames, and none of them lasted longer than two innings. Jones led BYU with five RBIs on the day, and both Blade Paragas and Justis Reiser allowed an identical four runs while throwing 2 ⅔ innings apiece.
No. 11 Kansas State 9, No. 10 Utah 5 – Kansas State scored nine runs to Utah’s two in three of the last four innings to advance and keep their season alive. They took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh on Kyan Lodice’s bloop RBI single to right field.
A Luke Jacobs solo homer and Cal Miller sacrifice fly for Utah knotted the score at five in the bottom half of the frame, but the Wildcats’ offense responded with four in the eighth to win the tournament’s second game. Utah’s pitching staff managed to record just one strikeout on the night, as their opponents put the ball in play in 30 of their 37 at-bats to go with six walks drawn. Starter James Guyette struck out six and allowed two earned runs on eight hits in five innings for Kansas State.
Where to Watch – The first two days of the tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+. The quarterfinals on Thursday, May 21, will air live on ESPNU. The semifinals will be available on ESPN+, and you can watch Saturday’s championship game on ESPN2.
Big 12 Tournament Schedule
All Games at Surprise Stadium, Surprise, Ariz.
All Times Mountain Daylight Time
Tuesday, May 19
4:30 p.m. – BYU vs. Texas Tech – Game 1
8 p.m. – Utah vs. Kansas State – Game 2
Wednesday, May 20
4:30 p.m. – Baylor vs. Game 1 Winner – Game 3
8 p.m. – TCU vs. Game 2 Winner – Game 4
Thursday, May 21
9 a.m. – UCF vs. Oklahoma State – Game 5
12:30 p.m. – Kansas vs. Game 3 Winner – Game 6
4:30 p.m. – West Virginia vs. Game 4 Winner – Game 7
8 p.m. – Arizona State vs. Cincinnati – Game 8
Friday, May 22
4:30 p.m. – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner
8 p.m. – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner
Saturday, May 23
4:30 p.m. – Championship Game
