Mayes Shuts Out Baylor on Birthday

By Tim Ahrens

CollegeBaseballInsider.com

 

TULSA, Okla. – The Longhorns’ bullpen has to be itching to see some action at ONEOK Field.

 

Not that they should be complaining; when a starting rotation can be as dominant as Texas’ has at the Big 12 Tournament, there’s no need for that bullpen.

 

Connor Mayes continued Texas’ impressive run with a complete-game, 4-0 shutout of Baylor on Saturday to advance the Longhorns to the conference title game.

 

Mayes had four runs of support, but he didn’t come close to needing them. The freshman allowed two hits and walked three, striking out 10 batters and forcing the Bears to strand seven runners throughout.

 

Call it a birthday gift. Saturday was Mayes’ 19th birthday.

 

“He pitches with a purpose, which is what you want everyone to play with,” Texas coach Augie Garrido said. “The purpose has to be higher than their own goals, that's where the team comes in. If the highest level of motivation you have is focused on yourself, you can't contribute to the overall good of the people on your team.

 

“You have to have a higher goal than yourself and he has that.”

 

Texas (29-25) drew blood in the top of the first when catcher Tres Barrera hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. Barrera played hero against Baylor in the teams’ meeting Thursday, hitting a single to left field with the bases loaded to left Texas to a 4-3 win.

 

Baylor avoided elimination with a win Friday against Texas Tech, but Texas’ third-straight complete game in the tournament proved too much for the eighth-seeded Bears.

 

"We've played Texas now five times in the last week,” Baylor coach Steve Smith said. “I haven't followed any other team this year to know how their years has gone, but obviously you see records and Texas isn't having the kind of year that they would want to have, coming off Omaha, but I have thought the last five games I've seen them their hitters have been so locked in that you have to make pitches."

 

Garrido said the Longhorns will start ace Parker French against Oklahoma State in the title game. French threw 126 pitches in a complete game against Tech on Wednesday, but Garrido said the starter is healthy and ready to pitch Sunday.