Texas vs. Oklahoma State - Big 12 Championship Game (Recap & quotes added)

[dillohorn]

Good ball lately.

 

[tejasrulz]

The Ags were humiliated last night, and I think they only won 21 during the regular season.  We won 20, right?  The difference between 20 and 21 is one game and the fact that our standards are much higher.

Java, your dog story trumps mine, that's for sure!

Not quite understand what you mean by your above quote. If you're talking total conference games, including the tournament, I think we end up with 15 wins. Would you elaborate please?

 

[Matt Cotcher]

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[streettopeschel]

I wasn't speaking to you Street. You just stepped off the bus for a quick pee break.

I was a doubter and am not ashamed to admit it. This team had done little to earn much respect prior to this week. But, all is forgiven now.
You gotta love sports.

 

[utisdabomb12]

I was a doubter once Hollingsworth and Clemens were injured. I said awhile back that we had the talent to win the tournament, but didn't think it was possible with those two guys out. 

Culbreth, Mayes, French and Johnston stepped up. 

 

[joeywa]

Geez, we're gonna have to implement a 12-step program around here

 

[utisdabomb12]

Geez, we're gonna have to implement a 12-step program around here

lmao

 

[Bear19]

Anyone know what time the seeding/match ups will be announced tomorrow?

 

[Shevis Irons]

Geez, we're gonna have to implement a 12-step program around here

And/or a Lie Detoctor test for posters.
BTW, while I did NOT tell Aaron I expectedthem to win the championship, I did tell him I wouldn't be surprised. Not at all. Not one iota. We underestimated the talent on this team. They played with little chemistry this season. The players, deep inside knew they had the potential and the guy NEXT to them had been potential, they just needed to go out, relax and get the job done.

Done and done.

Whether they continue...... oK, I'll go on record. I think they make it to a super reginal. Do they win and go CWS? For me it depends on that super regional and the opponent.

Again, I won't be surprised if they make it to the CWS.

Well, maybe a scoootch.

 

[joeywa]

Anyone know what time the seeding/match ups will be announced tomorrow?

Noon EST on ESPNU
16 Regional Sites are announced today.

 

[Matt Cotcher]

 
submitted Today, 05:56 PM in Texas Longhorns Baseball By Matt Cotcher   

 @mlcotcher
 
FINAL: Texas 6 - Oklahoma State 3

Improbable. That’s the best way to describe the Texas Longhorns’ four-game winning streak that resulted in a Big 12 tournament championship.

Nevertheless, Texas beat Oklahoma State 6-3 on Sunday afternoon, completing the winning streak in the tournament’s championship game. The win is the Longhorns’ fifth Big 12 tournament crown.

After a quiet start to the game where both starting pitchers had the upper hand, Texas scored the game’s first run in the top of the third inning. After singling, Ben Johnson advanced to second base on Joe Baker’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on CJ Hinojosa’s RBI single.

On the strength of Kyle Johnston’s pitching, the Longhorns maintained their one run lead over the next three frames. Johnston, who started the game for UT, only allowed one hit and a walk while striking out five Cowboys over the first five innings.

Oklahoma State tied the game in the home half of the sixth after getting consecutive singles on the heels of Johnston’s second free pass. The Cowboys then briefly grabbed a 2-1 lead the next inning on an RBI groundout by Bryan Case.

Texas re-took control of the game in the top of the eighth inning, plating five runs on their way to a commanding 6-2 lead. After depending on extra-base hits to trigger the offense throughout the season, the Horns used Augie Garrido’s preferred style of “pressure offense” to tie the game and take the lead.

The Horns took advantage of three fielding errors and a walk, coupled with a sacrifice bunt to knot the game 2-2. Zane Gurwitz and Patrick Mathis then produced RBI singles sandwiched around an RBI groundout by Brooks Marlow to take a 6-2 lead. Mathis’ single was the first hit of his collegiate career.

Oklahoma State did not bow out of the contest though, scoring their third run and loading the bases in the bottom of the eighth frame. Reliever Kirby Bellow ended the OSU threat by inducing a double play off the bat of pinch hitter David Petrino.

Four days after his complete game victory to open the tournament, Parker French was the winning pitcher, improving to 5-3 on the year. Bellow earned his fifth save of the season.

OSU’s Remey Reed was the hard luck loser, falling to 3-2. Reed did not allow a hit and was on the mound during the Cowboys’ defensive lapse that helped Texas score a pair of unearned runs.

The win earns the Longhorns an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship’s field of 64 teams. Regional pairings will be announced on Monday morning.

POST-GAME

Augie Garrido

Opening Statement: "It's nice to be the last speaker four times in a row. Obviously, the name of the game has always been pitching and that certainly was the name of the game for our team. All of the four starters did an excellent job of getting their outs on time, pitching to contact, pitching without fear, showing a purpose on the mound, trusting their teammates behind them and going about their business of playing baseball. A vacation was the key to our deal. The 13 days that we were away from the ballpark, and it's kind of like the golfer that goes out and he misses about 10 two-foot putts in three consecutive tournaments, that takes him from first to fifth. He just takes his golf clubs, throws them in the closet and swears to never play the game again. It's the same thing. We got away from it, and got focused on their academics and took their minds off of baseball. There was heartbreak, frustration and it built doubt. Once that doubt sets in, it's contagious and everyone loses confidence and starts to try. The vacation and refocusing on an important part of their life, the academics. If you listen to the roll call, we have the highest number of athletes on the academic honor roll for the Big 12. That same mentality that transferred from the classroom, transferred from the field, once they completed it. I think there has been a good transition of getting in touch with ourselves at 17-8 at one point, we lost that and we gained it in this tournament. Our players came in with this frame of mind, we're just starting one tournament earlier this year and that's the way they played it."

If he’s experienced this kind of a team: "I've had one unfold and reconnect, and I've had one unfold and continue to unfold, until there was no more unfolding. It can go all different ways. I never gave up on this team. Some people just think I was making it all up. I believed in the champion in these guys from day one. Maybe that's where I didn't act quickly enough to get them back in touch with that champion. Today was a moment of glory and a moment of redemption. The more difficult the season, the greater the joy of success."

On the 13-day layoff: "Well, we didn't practice much. I noticed they had a lot more life in their step. We didn't try to do a crash course. We didn't want them to get back in touch from where they were. We wanted to be able to see the into the future and the opportunities that were in front of them. We wanted to connect. We showed them a highlight film because we wanted to show them the times that really brought them teamwork and joy. We showed them how happy they were, at the beginning of the season. That's the person we wanted them to be again. We didn't do a lot of practicing because we didn't want them to do the same routine. We did fun things."

On Patrick Mathis: "He was due. He's really been working hard and he's made some really important strides forward. It was a great opportunity to give him a chance to get an at-bat in a big game because he's going to be a really good player. We see him replacing Colin Shaw in right field next year."

Zane Gurwitz

On what is working for him: "I have the easy part. My teammates in the eighth inning they got the bases loaded for me, they tied the game. All I had to do was put the ball in play and I found a hole. It's not one thing, it's your teammates sticking with you good or bad and believing in you and that's one thing we've gained back is our trust in each other and I think that's what helped us win these four games."

On the 13-day layoff: "It cleared our minds. It let us get back to just remembering the good times we've had in baseball and forgetting all of the bad. We came back with a clean slate and it has worked."

Tres Barrera

On being able to play the game: "We've been living right. Coach says, 'just do the right thing no matter what it is. On the field, off the field, with your parents. If you do the right things everywhere, good things will happen to you. That's just the way life is.' We're happy to come out here. It's just the type of guys we have in the locker room, just a bunch of fighters. We've been through a lot together, but it has brought us closer together. Everyone is 0-0 now and we're looking forward to next week."

Kirby Bellow

On limited work for the bullpen this week: "It's not too boring. You get to watch your brothers go out there and compete. They go out there and throw strikes and that's all you can ask from the bullpen. If we don't get to throw we're just as happy throwing because we know our guys are doing their jobs and our defense is playing great defense and our hitters are doing their jobs. It wasn't too boring out there."

On coming in with the bases loaded: "I'm just happy to go out there. I just went out there and trusted myself and focused on the glove and didn't worry about the runners. I just went out there and tried to do my job." 

 

[Aaron Carrara]

And a good Texas celebratory meal!

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[joeywa]

And a good Texas celebratory meal!

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Equipment crew knows how to roll.

 

[streettopeschel]

And a good Texas celebratory meal!

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a trophy and the #1 with cheese and jalapeños. Winner, winner.

 

[Aaron Carrara]

The Monterrey Melt is off the charts.

 

[java]

Timely E

I think that it is called choking, joey.

Hook 'em!

 

[Coal Harbour]

Can't believe they pulled this off, congrats.