Theroux Sparks Cowboys’ Win Over Gamecocks

COLUMBIA, S.C.—Collin Theroux is a rock. At least, that’s what head coach Josh Holliday has told the Oklahoma State junior catcher “countless times.”

“You can kick him, slam him, beat him up, push him around,” Holliday said, “and he never breaks.”

On Saturday, in a 5-1 Cowboys win over South Carolina in the first game of their super regional, that description took a very literal meaning.

It was the fourth inning. Oklahoma State was up, 2-0. But with two outs and two on, the Gamecocks were threatening. Five-hole hitter Jonah Bride stepped to the plate and grounded a 2-2 pitch from righthander Thomas Hatch sharply to short. So sharply, in fact, that the ball ricocheted off of shortstop Donnie Walton and skirted into the shallow outfield, where well-placed second baseman J.R. Davis scooped it up and fired toward home.

That’s where Theroux came in. The Gamecocks baserunner, outfielder Gene Cone, barreled into Theroux at the plate as he tagged him, knocking the catcher off of his feet. The out was made, but Theroux was down on the ground for some time, clearly in pain, before getting back up.

That inning-ending defensive play was a crucial one in a tight game that featured two dueling third-rounders in Hatch (Cubs) and South Carolina righthander Braden Webb (Brewers). It was the kind of play that epitomizes the reasons why the red-hot Cowboys rolled through the Clemson Regional and continued to roll in Game One in Columbia—fundamentals, defense, communication and a little bit of toughness.

“It was a really good play by J.R.—really heads-up to know that that (the third-base coach) would be sending him because it’s so loud in that environment that you can’t hear people saying, ‘four four four,’ or ‘he’s going home,’” Theroux said.  “So really heads-up play by him and a really good throw right on the money. I got him. He was out.”

But Theroux, who’s known for his sense of humor, laughed off the collision at the plate.

“He just took my feet out from under me,” he said. “I’m a big dude (6-foot-1, 223 pounds) and big trees fall hard, but I’m all right.

“It hurt at first, but I just had to get my TV time.”

Theroux, whom the Athletics drafted in the 32nd round Saturday, came into the game batting just .161/.317/.286 in 161 at-bats, but Holliday praised the catcher for his work with the Oklahoma State pitching staff, his leadership and for not letting his offensive struggles impact him behind the plate. On Saturday, Theroux helped guide Hatch through his second straight scoreless seven-inning start in postseason play, even though the righthander admittedly didn’t have his “‘A’ stuff.”

“(Theroux) has taken so much pride in our pitching staff and being a great leader for them,” Holliday said. “. . . He’s become a leader, and his toughness and his ability to stick to it, even though early in the season, there was some frustration on offense, it never got in the way of his defense, and without him, this ball club is not still playing together.

“I’m really proud of him for being a teammate and a giver, and he’s taken on a servant’s mentality with the way he works with his pitching staff. It’s a very special young man.”

Hatch credited Theroux and pitching coach Rob Walton for helping him battle through the 94-degree heat and raucous atmosphere of the nearly 8,000 fans at Founders Park. The junior righthander touched 94 mph but pitched a couple of ticks lower than that with his sinker, mixing in a slider and a changeup. He kept the ball low in the zone, allowed just four hits but struck out only three, pitching to contact and allowing his defense to play behind him.

Webb, for South Carolina, nearly matched Hatch, allowing just two runs—one on a home run by center fielder Ryan Sluder—and striking out five in 7 2/3 innings with his low- to mid-90s fastball and plus curveball. With the score still 2-0 heading into the ninth, it seemed as though the game was headed toward a tight, tense finish.

But again, that’s where Theroux came in—this time, at the plate.

Batting average aside, coming into Saturday’s game, five of Theroux’s 26 hits were home runs. Holliday said he’s had a knack for connecting in clutch moments. In the ninth inning Saturday, showing no ill effects from the fourth-inning collision, Theroux turned on a pitch from righthander Taylor Widener and hit a three-run home run to left field, pushing the lead to 5-0.

He got some more TV time. But more importantly, he provided valuable insurance, as South Carolina outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams led off the bottom half of the ninth with a solo homer of his own.

“Those runs were crucial,” Theroux said. “And I wasn’t trying to hit a home run. I was just trying to put the ball in play, get a chance for something to happen.”

The home run swing all but sealed the deal on the Cowboys win, putting them on the cusp of their first College World Series appearance since 1999—when Holliday was a player on the team and his father, Tom, was the head coach.

But any sort of Omaha celebration would be premature. The Gamecocks are used to playing with their backs against the wall, having just come through the losers bracket last weekend to win the Columbia Regional after losing to Rhode Island in the first game.

“You play three games for a reason,” Thompson-Williams said. “With this team, we are never out of it. We did it last weekend, and that definitely gives us motivation to do it again this weekend. I don’t think heads will be down. I think we will be fired up to go (Sunday), and our pitchers will be, too.”

But Theroux said the Cowboys aren’t dwelling on South Carolina’s successful comeback from a weekend ago; they’re keeping their focus turned inward. The preseason No. 9 team, the Cowboys began the season 2-5 but regrouped and are playing their best baseball now—with four straight wins to start NCAA tournament play.

“We’ve been waiting to get hot—not even hot—just playing to the potential we know we can,” Theroux said. “And right now, that’s what we’re doing. We’ve finally found ourselves. We’ve found our groove, from top to bottom—offense, defense, pitching.”

They’ve found their rock, too.