Mr. Wilson Steals Home to Walk Off the Horns - Red Raider Dugout

Mr. Wilson Steals Home to Walk Off the Horns

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It was a game that offered just about everything, and the Big 12 opener against an in-state rival became an instant classic for the sellout Red Raider crowd that for years to come will leave fans uttering those sacred words of honor in sports – “I was there.” The #16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (19-4, 1-0) took down the #2 Texas Longhorns (18-6, 0-1) 5-4 on a tenth-inning walk-off steal of home that added another chapter to the legend of Kurt Wilson, and treated fans to an exceptional baseball game on the journey to a once-in-a-lifetime ending.

It’s rare to find a pitcher’s duel and a dinger derby in the same contest but that’s exactly what happened Friday night. Of the nine runs scored, seven came from solo home runs accounting for all of Texas’ runs and three of Tech’s five. Despite the copious long balls, Texas starter Pete Hansen and Tech starter Andrew Morris both shoved, notching seven strikeouts apiece and both tossing more than 100 pitches. Morris saw the first batter of the game go yard as Texas took a 1-0 lead, but Morris pitched around a pair of walks to get out of the inning.

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Andrew Morris delivers a pitch against #2 Texas in what was arguably his best performance of the season. Photo by Katie Perkins, Texas Tech Athletics.

Easton Murrell returned the favor in the bottom of the first as he deposited a leadoff tater into the Texas Tech bullpen in right-center field and two batters later, Jace Jung sent an electrifying oppo no-doubter over the left-field wall. Jung sent an epic bat flip sailing 30+ feet into the air and rounded the bases beating his chest and making it known to all that “this is my house.” The fiery trot earned warnings from the officiating crew, and some chin music tossed to Ty Colemen in the ensuing at-bat.

Jung turned a double play in the second inning to back up Morris and in the Red Raider half of the inning, Hudson White hit the fourth home run of the game to push Tech’s lead to a 3-1 advantage. The score sat there for the next four innings as both pitchers hung zeros in the third through sixth innings in an impressive display. Following White’s jimmy-jack, Hansen retired 17 Red Raider hitters in order.

After six innings of work and 105 pitches thrown, Morris gave way to Colin Clark, the transfer from Youngstown State. Texas first-baseman Ivan Melendez hit his Big 12-leading eleventh home run of the season off of Clark in the seventh to cut Tech’s lead to one run. However, it was a defensive play that stole the show in the inning.

With two outs and the tying run on first base, a line drive into center field looked to put the go-ahead run for Texas on first, but Dillon Carter, with the flow back in full effect, sprinted towards the short-hit ball and made a brilliant diving catch to steal the hit and end the Texas half of the inning.

Tech closer Trendan Parish came on to start the eighth but he struggled giving up back-to-back home runs to Trey Faltine and Skylar Messinger, he exited in favor of Derek Bridges without recording an out and Bridges sat the Longhorns down in order to follow. Josh Sanders (1-0) entered to take it the rest of the way and he was exceptional, booking three strikeouts and giving up only one hit (a double to Melendez in the ninth) in two innings of work and earning his first win.

The game seemed to shift in the eighth inning as the strategy and opportunism of a Tim Tadlock team became Tech’s best opportunity for a victory. Trailing 4-3 after the back-to-back shots by Texas, White worked a leadoff walk issued by Jared Southard, who’d entered in relief after Hansen tossed 103 over seven innings. White stole second base and an airmailed throw from the plate advanced White to third. A sharply hit ball by Carter to first resulted in an RBI and Carter reaching on the fielder’s choice as the ball slipped out of Melendez’ hand on the transfer as he looked to go home.

In the tenth inning of this Big 12 opener against in-state rival Texas, Wilson worked Texas closer Aaron Nixon for a leadoff walk. Nixon, a preseason first-team All-America selection, has 13 saves under his belt dating back to last season and hasn’t allowed a run in recent memory. Washburn followed Wilson’s walk with a base on balls of his own. Those walks were only the second and third issued by Texas pitching all night.

A perfect sacrifice bunt laid down by White advanced the runners into scoring position but Parker Kelly was unable to get a ball into the outfield to score Wilson from third base, putting two outs on the board and reducing Tech’s options to get the final 90ft it needed to win the game.

But Tadlock and company had a secret. Their scouting of Nixon revealed his mound routine had him coming set and looking at the ground, not checking runners. When the moment was right, Wilson got on his horse and stole home before Nixon realized what was happening. He never even made a move to the plate.

“Once we got to two outs, we’ve got communication that if we got in a position we need to do it, we’re going to do it,” explained Tadlock. “Kurt made it happen. No doubt about it. Kurt’s initial lead allowed him to do it. The baseball player Kurt is allowed him to do it.

(Against) Nixon, I really thought we could steal second and third more so than home, but if you can steal second and third easily, you can probably steal home, too. So I guess it all just kind of added up,” continued Tadlock.

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The Texas Tech Baseball team celebrated the walk-off steal of home executed by Kurt Wilson to beat the Texas Longhorns in extra innings. Photo by Katie Perkins, Texas Tech Athletics.

Wilson is already a folk hero to Texas Tech Baseball fans not only for the go-ahead home run over Oklahoma State that secured the victory in the 2019 Super Regional sending the Red Raiders to their fourth College World Series but for how that at-bat came about. Wilson, who’d seen spot work all over the field over his time as a Red Raider, attended the Tim Tadlock Radio Show at Rudy’s BBQ in Lubbock in 2019. He submitted a question slip to Tadlock to the effect of “When will Kurt Wilson get more at-bats? Signed-Kurt Wilson.” Wilson immediately entered the lineup and the rest, as they say, is history.

Wilson’s steal of home will undoubtedly go down with some of the great plays of Red Raider Baseball. Here are the various views that have circulated around social media.

The Red Raiders improved to 12-0 at home this season and will look for the series win over Texas on Saturday with first pitch scheduled at 2:00 pm. The live stream will be available on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with radio call available on Double T 97.3 FM and in their listening area, as well as through The Varsity Network App.

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