Braden Davis' first complete game of the season powers OU to shutout of TCU (2024)

ARLINGTON — Oklahoma continued its hot hand in its Big 12 Tournament opener.

The top-seeded, reigning-Big 12 champion Sooners downed ninth-seeded TCU, 4-0 on Wednesday afternoon, advancing to the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament.

As Braden Davis paced through the home dugout at Globe Life Field in between the eighth and ninth innings, Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson pulled him aside.

Davis, OU’s ace left-hander, had dominated TCU through eight innings.

Simultaneously, Davis’ pitch total sat at 106 as the final inning neared. And Johnson, who prioritizes maintaining a feasible pitch count for his arms, took note.

So, Johnson candidly asked Davis, “How do you feel?”

Davis responded adamantly, “I want to finish.”

And he did. Through 16 pitches in the top of the ninth, Davis swiftly retired three of four Horned Frog batters to finalize his first complete-game outing of the season with a career-high 120 pitches.

Davis also became just the seventh pitcher to record a complete game shutout in the Big 12 Tournament.

“I think it’s really unusual for (a pitcher to throw a complete game this late in the year),” Johnson said. “Especially with the way college baseball is and the bats and (offense). It’s really about offense, really. So, what he did throwing the shutout and throwing nine innings (is impressive). “

From the first inning, Davis made easy work of the Horned Frogs (32-20), logging nine strikeouts while surrendering just four hits and no walks.

His lone blemish came in his first inning of work after TCU center fielder Sam Myers hit a one-out double down the right field line to put a runner in scoring position. On the ensuing at-bat, catcher Kurtis Byrne launched a pitch toward the left field wall.

OU left fielder Kendall Pettis ran down the ball and extended his glove hand before snagging the ball.

Moments later came a defensive gem, and a game-changing play.

Admittedly, Pettis was unsure whether he had caught the ball. When asked if he felt the ball go into his glove, Pettis responded with a resounding “no.”

“I thought he got it off the end of the bat,” he said. “So, I started coming in a little bit with a pretty bad route.

“I didn’t think (I caught it).”

It took two glances toward his glove for a mental confirmation. Shortly after, he received an ovation from his teammates, coaches and the OU faithful present at Globe Life Field.

“It’s huge,” Johnson said. “It takes the momentum (from TCU). It’s all about momentum and taking momentum out from the other team and putting it in your dugout and trying to sustain the momentum of the game.”

Davis then drew a groundout from TCU left fielder Logan Maxwell to end the frame. From then on, the lefty kept the potent Horned Frog offense at bay.

The Sooners (35-18) drew first blood in the bottom of the first from an RBI-double from second baseman Jackson Nicklaus off the center field wall. Shortly after, Pettis followed suit with a two-out, RBI-single to make it 2-0 OU.

Two innings later, third baseman Anthony Mackenzie and Nicklaus logged back-to-back solo homers to lead off the bottom of the sixth, making it 4-0 Sooners and finalizing all scoring.

OU’s offense might not have been as explosive as usual, largely due to the daunting presence of TCU left-handed ace, Peyton Tolle on the opposing end. However, quality at-bats and timely hits in pivotal moments from OU’s hitters chased Tolle from the game in the sixth inning and guided the Sooners to their third consecutive win in a Big 12 Tournament opener.

Perhaps most importantly, it allowed Davis to pitch with a cushion over the game’s course, neutralizing any late stress or tension that might surface over the latter innings of a pitcher’s outing.

“It gave me a lot of confidence to keep filling up the (strike) zone,” Davis said. “Just trying to limit walks and letting those guys work out there.”

With the win, OU faces seventh-seeded Kansas on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals round. Another victory would clinch the Sooners a spot in the Big 12 semifinals for the second time over the past three years.

But more remains on the line for Johnson’s Sooners heading into the next round of the conference tournament – an opportunity for the group to enhance its resume with regional play looming, a chance to clinch a top-eight national seed.

And most notably, an opportunity for another Big 12 championship.

“I thought Braden (Davis) was outstanding,” Johnson said. “We got a key hit in a key moment.

“Jackson (Nicklaus) got the key hit to really open it up and score the first run. And it was really kind of the B.D show after that – Braden Davis. So, just hats off to him. It was a good game. We played hard and fought hard, and that’s what matters.”

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