No. 4 Arizona v No. 1 West Virginia

Arizona (38-18) started the semi-finals with a bang, handing the top-seeded West Virginia (41-14) their biggest loss of the season in terms of run differential, 12-1. 

Six different Wildcats produced a multi-hit game, with the top four Arizona batters getting on base a combined 15 times. 

Mason White drove in half of Arizona’s runs, including a solo home run to get the scoring started in the top of the first. It was back-to-back days that White sent a ball out of the park in his first at-bat.

“Just seeing the ball and ready to go,” White said. “Not letting the game speed up, and just looking in the middle of the plate and letting it fly.”

White produced four hits, walking twice. He has now gone six for seven at the plate, homering twice and driving in seven.

Adonys Guzman, who also homered in the first inning yesterday, collected three hits and three RBIs. Garen Claufield and Tommy Splaine both also had multi-hit games in the Wildcats' victory. 

Raul Garayzar got the start for Arizona and, just like he did last time he pitched at Globe Life Field, dominated.

“I say it all the time, it’s one of my favorite mounds that I’ve pitched on all year. But it’s also just an ordinary mound, you still have to go through your mental stuff and have the same process through it all, but it is fun pitching in this ballpark,” Garayzar said. 

Garayzer got through six innings, shutting down the West Virginia offense and keeping them off the scoreboard throughout his start. Combined with his start earlier this season in Arlington against Clemson, Garayzer has now thrown nine shutout innings.

“Raul set the tone on the mound for us today,” Wildcats head coach Chip Hale said.

Both teams are all but locked into the NCAA Tournament, but the loss put a huge damper on the chances that Morgantown would be able to host a regional. 

“ I don’t make those decisions, so I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers when it comes to [hosting a regional]. We just gotta show up and try to play really good baseball.”

No. 3 Texas Christian v No. 2 Kansas

TCU (39-17) got through Thursday’s game against Houston stress-free, so they took the same approach against Kansas (43-15) on Friday. Score early and let the pitching carry you the remainder of the way. 

For the Horned Frogs, this time it was the combination of Mason Brassfield and Louis Rodriguez that kept the Kansas offense quiet. The two arms combined for eight innings, putting eight base runners on while allowing just a single run.

“I think [Brassfield] had one hiccup this year against Arizona State, where they were the ‘27 Yankees that day, they scored 26 on us; that still hasn’t healed, but he’s consistent,” TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos said.

Offensively, it was the Jack Bell show. The Texas A&M transfer went three for five, doubling twice and tripling, driving in five of TCUs' 11 runs. 

“Really doubling down on the game plan and what coach Mosiello tells me to do and just trusting him and knowing he’s right,” Bell said.

One of Bell’s doubles capped off a four-run second inning, giving TCU that early lead, which they never even got close to giving up.

His triple, which came as a major part of the six-run rally in the eighth inning, played a huge role in securing the mercy rule, which saves even more of Kansas’ elite bullpen arms for the championship game. 

TCU will battle Arizona on Saturday evening for the Big XII championship, which would be their third in the past five years and fifth since 2014. 

“We didn’t play sound defensive baseball the first time we played them, and I think we shot ourselves in the foot a little bit. They’re a really talented team and are playing really well, so it’s going to be a great challenge,” Saarloos said. 

Kansas, like TCU, still sits in a very good position for the NCAA Tournament despite the loss. They ended the day ranked No. 24 in the RPI.