Recapping the 2024 Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field

This past weekend Arlington, TX hosted the Shriners Children’s College Showdown presented by Kubota to kick off the College Baseball season.  Four different conferences were represented this weekend being the Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 & SEC.  The Shriners Children’s hospitals have been able to help more than 1.5 million children and their families to live more fulfilling lives and expenses.  This year, there were 6 Team Captains representing each team for the 2024 Shriners College Showdown to help their teams reach their fundraising goals.

Oregon’s team captain was Alex, Nebraska’s team captain was Poppy, Tennessee’s team captain Kayson, Baylor’s team captain was Grey, Texas Tech’s team captain was Dylan, and Oklahoma’s team captain was Wyatt.  Each team was guaranteed 3 games this weekend and had a set schedule for each.  Nebraska came into the weekend with expectations of displaying their firepower at the top of their lineup and a veteran lineup. 

Cornhuskers’ third-baseman, Joshua Overbeek, came into the weekend with expectations of displaying power at the beginning of the year.  Friday’s matchup saw Nebraska pitcher, Brett Sears SR., capture a 4 to 1 win over the Baylor Bears.  Saturday’s matchup featured an old classic Big 12 conference matchup against Texas Tech.  Cornhuskers allowed 6 runs, to drop their first game to the Red Raiders, followed by a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners to end the College Showdown with a 1-2 record. 

The Baylor Bears had high hopes for opening day on Friday, however Nebraska’s pitching allowed 7 hits allowing only 1 run, and Baylor fell short to Nebraska 4 to 1.  Saturday’s game featured an explosive offense in Oregon that out-hit the Baylor Bears and dropped Baylor to a consecutive loss, losing 7 to 4.  Baylor went winless for the tournament after their Sunday loss to Tennessee, 11 to 5 and was the only winless team in the tournament with a record of 0-3.  The Oklahoma Sooners dropped their opening game to the Oregon Ducks even though the Sooners did battle back.  Seniors, Easton Carmichael and Kendall Pettis both went 2 for 2 on opening day with a team total of 6 hits, however dropped their first game 4 to 2.  Saturday’s challenge was to play a ranked Tennessee Volunteers team that extended the game to 10 innings.  Oklahoma prevailed with a 5 to 1 victory, and Ryan Lambert clinched the Sooners’ first win of the year.  Oklahoma ended the tournament with a 7 to 6 win over Nebraska on Sunday, improving to 2-1.   

Texas Tech opened their season with a 6 to 2 loss against Tennessee.  Bryson Thacker took the loss, but the Red Raiders did manage to put up 5 hits.  Saturday’s win came over Nebraska in the 9th inning, generating 3 runs to beat the Cornhuskers 6 to 3, for their first win of the year.  A dominant performance came on Sunday, when Texas Tech defeated Oregon 11 to 7, clinching a 2-1 record for the tournament.  Oregon showed progress all tournament, defeating Oklahoma 4 to 2 on Friday, 7 to 4 on Saturday, but dropping their first loss 11 to 7 against Texas Tech on Sunday giving the Ducks a 2-1 record.  The Shriners Children’s College Showdown tournament champions were the Tennessee Volunteers.  The Vols beat the Red Raiders 6 to 2 on Friday, dropped their first loss to Oklahoma 5 to 1 on Saturday, but bounced back to beat Baylor on Sunday 11 to 5, and with a 2-1 record captured the tournament’s title. Even more so, the tournament was able to raise over $125,000 for Shriners Children's hospital.