Three Cowboys, one Sooner make All-Big 12 baseball first team
West Virginia second baseman JJ Wetherholt was named Big 12 Player of the Year and Texas lefthander Lucas Gordon was named Pitcher of the Year as the Conference unveiled its 2023 AllBig 12 Baseball Awards. The honorees were selected in a vote of the league's head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.
WVU's Randy Mazey was picked as Coach of the Year after leading the Mountaineers to a share of the Big 12 regular season title. Oklahoma State's Nolan Schubart and Kansas' Kodey Shojinaga were named Co-Freshmen of the Year and OSU's Tyler Wulfert was picked as Newcomer of the Year.
Texas Tech's Gavin Kash and Texas' Porter Brown joined Wetherholt and Gordon as unanimous selections to the All-Big 12 First Team. Texas led all schools with five first-team honorees. Wetherholt ranks second in Division I with a .447 batting average and is on track to have the highest batting average for a Big 12 hitter since 1999. More than just a singles hitter, the sophomore from Mars, Pennsylvania has added 15 home runs, 21 doubles and has driven in 56 runs on the campaign. He is the first West Virginia player to win the award.
Gordon leads Big 12 starting pitchers with a 2.48 earned run average while posting a 6-1 record on the season. The Los Angeles native has struck out 85 batters and held his opponents to a .210 batting average. He is the eighth Longhorn hurler to win the award, and the second in the past three seasons. Schubart hit .348 to rank second among all players in the Big 12 with 20 doubles, 15 home runs and 66 RBIs. He also ranks among the Big 12's leaders in RBIs (second), doubles (third), home runs (fifth) and slugging percentage (.695, fourth). The outfielder from Durand, Michigan is the first Oklahoma State hitter to be honored as the league's top freshman since Corey Brown was named Freshman Player of the Year in 2005. OU pitcher Braden Carmichael was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and catcher Easton Carmichael was named to the All-Freshman Team. Wulfert leads the Cowboys with a .355 batting average and ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a .695 slugging percentage. The third baseman, who transferred from Midland Junior College, has added nine home runs, 15 doubles and three triples. He is the fifth OSU player to be voted as Newcomer of the Year and the first since Christian Encarnacion-Strand in 2021.
TCU led all schools with four selections to the All-Freshman team, including unanimous selections Karson Bowen and Anthony Silva. Baylor's Kolby Branch, Kansas' Shojinaga, Oklahoma State's Carson Benge and Schubart, Texas' Jared Thomas and Texas Tech's Kevin Bazzell were also unanimous selections.
Extra points
NFL: Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL have agreed on the framework of a three-year contract extension that will keep him in place until 2027. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed the development on Tuesday at the league meetings in Minnesota. Goodell's current deal expires in 2024. He has been commissioner of the league since replacing Paul Tagliabue in 2006. Irsay says he's under the impression Goodell will retire after the extended contract expires and be involved in the development of his successor.
MLB: Bobby Miller was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to make his debut Tuesday night against Atlanta's Spencer Strider in a matchup of hardthrowing right-handers. Miller (6foot-5, 220 pounds) was the No. 29 overall pick in the 2020 June draft from Louisville. Known for his ability to throw 100 mph fastballs, Miller was 1-1 with a 5.65 ERA in five starts for the OKC Dodgers this season.
The Dodgers have been forced to use rookies to fill the rotation after placing Dustin May (right elbow pain) and lefthander Julio Urías (hamstring) on the injured list. Two other candidates to start, Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot, also are on the IL.
Roberts said he believes Miller is ready for his debut despite his underwhelming statistics in his brief experience at Triple-A.
“I think the makeup is one thing and obviously the physicality, the stuff,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And he's pitched well recently. So I think with those kind of things, the time is now, given all the circumstances. We could try to put together a soft landing, but I think this is the right time for Bobby.”