Taylor’s Command, Freshmen’s Clutch Bats Lift Cincinnati Over Texas Tech in Big 12 Opener

ARLINGTON, Texas — Nathan Taylor stood tall on the Globe Life Field mound Wednesday afternoon, delivering the kind of postseason performance that separates potential from promise. The sophomore right-hander struck out nine over seven gritty innings, leading No. 8 seed Cincinnati to a narrow 6–5 victory over Texas Tech in the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

With the win, the Bearcats (32–23) advanced to face top-seeded West Virginia in Thursday’s quarterfinals. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. ET), with coverage on ESPN+.

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Taylor, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, tossed a career-high 110 pitches, allowing three runs on five hits. His composure was tested early in the third inning after a leadoff double and subsequent RBI groundout tied the game at one. But he regrouped, stranding the bases loaded to end the frame, then retired eight of the next nine hitters to settle the tempo.

“It’s about managing the moment,” head coach Jordan Bischel said postgame. “Nathan did that incredibly well. That’s the kind of outing you need in tournament baseball.”

Cincinnati’s offense, anchored by a trio of underclassmen, answered the call. Freshman Derrick Pitts opened the scoring with a second-inning RBI single, then added a run-scoring groundout in the Bearcats’ three-run third. Jack Natili’s RBI triple gave UC the lead, and Quinton Coats followed with a sacrifice fly to extend it.

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Coats, another freshman, later launched what proved to be the game-deciding home run in the seventh — a towering solo shot into the second deck in left-center that stretched the Bearcats’ lead to 6–3. It was a timely response after Texas Tech had chipped away with solo runs in the sixth and seventh.

“He’s a freshman, but he doesn’t play like one,” Bischel said of Coats. “That home run gave us the cushion we needed.”

The Red Raiders (20–33) didn’t go quietly. Robin Villeneuve, who earlier homered off Taylor, roped an RBI double in the eighth, then scored on a pinch-hit single from Dylan Maxcey to pull Tech within one. But redshirt senior Kellen O’Connor, pitching for the second time in a week, closed the door with a scoreless ninth, earning his second save of the season.

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O’Connor worked around a two-out single from Kyeler Thompson, getting Big 12 home run leader Logan Hughes to fly out to left for the final out. It was a fitting end for a Texas Tech team that struggled all year and finishes with its worst record (20–33) since 1985.

Taylor improved to 6–2 on the season with the win. His Big 12 counterpart, Tech starter Mac Heuer, lasted just two innings, yielding two earned runs before giving way to reliever Jack Cebert. Cebert struck out six across 4.2 innings but was tagged for three runs — one earned — after a defensive lapse led to Cincinnati’s third-inning surge.

“We let too many opportunities slip early,” Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock said. “You can’t afford that in a tournament setting.”

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Cincinnati showed maturity despite a young core. Pitts finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Sophomore Cal Sefcik added two hits and scored twice, while senior Lauden Brooks reached base twice via walks.

As the tournament continues, the Bearcats now shift their focus to a West Virginia team that enters with 40 wins and the No. 1 seed in hand. It’s a tall task, but Cincinnati is trending upward — and with Taylor’s poise and a youth movement coming into form, the Bearcats are very much alive in Arlington.

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2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship – Selected Results

Wednesday, May 21
• No. 12 BYU 2, No. 5 Arizona State 0
• No. 8 Cincinnati 6, No. 9 Texas Tech 5

Thursday, May 22
• No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 8 Cincinnati – 12:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+)

The tournament will continue through Saturday, with the championship game scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU. This year marks the final edition of the event at Globe Life Field, with the Big 12 announcing a move to Surprise Stadium in Arizona beginning in 2026.