大象APP

Pac-12, Big 12聽鈥� it doesn鈥檛 matter to Arizona baseball.

When conference-tournament time arrives, the Wildcats find a way.

No. 4 seed Arizona rallied late to stun No. 3 seed TCU 2-1 and claim the 2025 Big 12 Baseball Championship at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The Wildcats trailed 1-0 in the top of the ninth inning when sophomore Andrew Cain tied the score with a solo home run. Arizona took its only lead in the 10th when Maddox Mihalakis hit a bloop single to score Mason White.

Tony Pluta earned the win, shutting out TCU in the ninth and 10th.

The Wildcats earned their second consecutive conference crown after winning the Pac-12 Tournament a year ago in similar fashion. Arizona rallied to walk off USC in the bottom of the ninth.

"It's kind of a repeat of last year," White said. "We went to the Pac-12 Tournament, we won that thing. We played well. It was super fun. Same type game, so happy to do it again. In a ... different conference, it just shows how great this program is."

Arizona earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. TCU is a lock to make it, although the Horned Frogs likely fell out of contention to be one of the 16 hosts. The top 16 will be announced Sunday. The full field will be revealed Monday.

White was named the tournament鈥檚 Most Outstanding Player after going 7 for 11 with three home runs. He received the MOP title belt in a postgame ceremony before Chip Hale accepted the Big 12 Championship Trophy as confetti fell on the giddy Wildcats.

"We battled our tails off, and I think we're playing our best baseball right now," Hale said. "Just proud of the resiliency of this group (for) hanging in there."

Arizona won its fifth consecutive game and allowed just one run for the fourth straight time.

After compiling 12 runs on 17 hits in the semifinals Friday, Arizona鈥檚 lineup went quiet against TCU before Cain鈥檚 blast.

The Wildcats managed two hits vs. Horned Frogs opener Nate Stern in 2鈪� innings. They were baffled by left-handed reliever Gianluca Shinn, who struck out seven batters in 2鈪� innings without surrendering a hit. At one point, Shinn fanned six UA hitters in a row.

Shinn got TCU聽out of a bases-loaded jam in the third by getting White to pop out and Adonys Guzman to strike out.

Shinn gave way to another lefty, Braeden Sloan, in the sixth. Arizona put runners on second and third with one out via an error, a hit batsman and a sacrifice bunt. But Garen Caulfield popped out to center and Cain struck out to end the threat.

Arizona mounted聽a similar rally in the eighth. Aaron Walton drew a walk, White cued an infield single up the third base line and Guzman sacrificed them to second and third. But Mihalakis struck out, and Caulfield grounded out to shortstop.

"There were situations all night to score runs, and we just couldn鈥檛 get a ball moving forward," Hale said. "It鈥檚 not easy when it keeps coming up, and all of a sudden you put a little too much pressure on yourself. So I was really proud of them to come through later. But it was only made possible by great pitching."

The lack of offense offset a splendid start from UA freshman right-hander Smith Bailey. Bailey allowed just one run in 5鈪� innings.

Like his previous start vs. Houston, Bailey surrendered a run in the first inning before finding his form and pitching shutout ball the rest of the way.

Arizona finally broke through in the ninth. Sloan hung a 2-1 changeup, and Cain ripped it into the right field bleachers.

White got on聽base in the 10th via a hit-by-pitch. He advanced to third on Guzman鈥檚 single to left-center. Mihalakis then dumped a single into shallow right-center. It was the only hit by either team with runners in scoring position.

Arizona opened the season by getting swept in three games in the Shriners Children's College Showdown at Globe Life. The combined score of those games was 31-7. The Wildcats swept their three Big 12 foes by a total score of 18-3.

鈥淲e played some really good teams in this park聽鈥� it was kind of a slap in the face," White said. "So we went back home and won a bunch of games ... then started winning on the road. It was definitely an eye-opener, and it helped us for where we are at now.鈥�

Inside pitch

鈥� TCU catcher Nolan Traeger had to leave the game in the top of the fifth after a pitch in the dirt bounced up and struck him in the neck/collarbone area. Because the injury was to that part of his body, Traeger was able to return in the sixth.

鈥撀燯A right fielder Brendan Summerhill appeared to tweak his troublesome left hamstring while trying to beat out a grounder in the top of the seventh. Summerhill, who missed about a week after suffering the initial injury on April 26, remained in the game.

鈥撀燭he Big 12 Championship final went to extra innings for the first time since 2018, Baylor defeated 6-5 in 11 frames.

鈥� White, Mihalakis, Summerhill and Pluta were named to the All-Tournament Team.