ARLINGTON, Texas – On Saturday, February 14, the Arkansas Razorbacks were defeated by the TCU Horned Frogs in the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown, 5-4.
Despite the loss, right-handed pitcher Tate McGuire and left fielder Damian Ruiz had some great early-season performances.
McGuire delivers five scoreless innings
With Arkansas trailing 5-1 in the fourth inning, McGuire had to come on and hold off TCU’s offense enough to allow the Razorbacks to come back.
He nearly accomplished this as he pitched five innings of scoreless baseball, which allowed Arkansas to get back within a run.
Over that same stretch, McGuire had four strikeouts and did not walk any TCU hitters.
Arkansas’ head coach, Dave Van Horn, talked about the junior’s performance.
“He gave us an opportunity to get back into the game,” Van Horn said. “I like the way we fought and stayed in the game.”
Ruiz puts together a multi-hit performance
Ruiz was in the ninth spot in the Razorbacks’ lineup. He was also the only Arkansas hitter to record multiple hits in the game.
The former Lamar transfer and Southland Conference Hitter of the Year also stole a base against TCU, showing how active he can be on offense.
Van Horn talked about what Ruiz provided to the Razorbacks at Globe Life Field on Saturday.
“He did a great job at getting on base and fouling off pitches,” Van Horn told WBN. “He was putting the bat on the ball. In the end, that is what we need.”
Up Next for Arkansas
The Arkansas Razorbacks will play their final game of the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown on Sunday, February 15.
They will play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at 3:30 p.m. EST.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Arkansas pitcher Tate McGuire (26) throws back to first base against Arkansas State during an NCAA baseball game on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
