New Era Commences For TCU Baseball
1/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 27, 2004
Fort Worth, Texas - After a successful inaugural season in their new state-of-the-art home at Lupton Stadium and Williams-Reilly Field, the Horned Frogs hope to have the same luck in another inaugural season: this time under the guidance of newly appointed head coach Jim Schlossnagle and staff.
Schlossnagle has won everywhere he has been and now hopes to bring the winning spirit to the TCU campus. He has brought along two coaches with the same winning attitude and successful history. Todd Whitting, one of the nation's top recruiters, comes from C-USA-foe Houston and Matt Siegel, a four-year starter for the Florida Gators, coached with Schlossnagle at UNLV last season.
The Frogs hope to make 2004 their fourth consecutive winning season and to earn a berth in the C-USA postseason tournament in Houston. But the road to success will be difficult for a few reasons, not the least of which is the Frogs' challenging schedule, as they play most of their toughest conference games on the road this season.
The 2004 schedule features some of the top schools from the Pac-10 (Arizona), Big 12 (Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech), Big East (St. John's), and Mountain West (New Mexico). The Frogs will play 14 games against teams that participated in the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Going into the season, four opponents are ranked in preseason polls.
"Conference USA has become one of the premier leagues in college baseball and will again be very challenging for TCU," said Coach Schlossnagle. "We play the traditional upper-echelon teams of the league on the road, including Houston, Southern Miss, East Carolina and USF, so we will need to do well on the road to contend for a championship."
However, this year TCU will also have the luxury of playing 29 games on their home field. Last year, TCU owned a 21-9 record in its new home, wrapping up one of the most successful seasons in recent history with a 35-22 overall record.
The coaches will not be the only new faces around the diamond as the 2004 squad contains a lot of newbies. With only 18 players returning from the 2003 squad, they have added 17 newcomers to help fill the void left by graduation and the draft. The squad will be a young one, both class-wise and experience-wise, as only one regular returns from a team that finished second in the baseball-rich Conference USA last season. They will rely heavily on a new core of freshman and transfer players to fill in the vacated holes around the diamond.
"If we are able to stay healthy at the top of the rotation and we have some freshmen position players play to their ability, we can be an NCAA Tournament team," said Schlossnagle. "The unknown is how many of our returning players, who lack experience, will perform. I have confidence in their abilities and look forward to the beginning of the season."
Starting Pitching
The strength of the 2004 Horned Frogs lies in the wealth of pitching experience that returns to the mound this season. The Frogs return 10 pitchers who saw action in 2003. Headlining the group is 2004 third-team preseason all-America selection Clayton Jerome. The reigning Conference USA Pitcher of the Year has been selected by C-USA coaches to retain the award this season. Joining Jerome in the starting rotation is fellow senior Robbie Findlay, the No. 2 guy for the Frogs last season; this season he will resume that duty.
There are many talented pitchers who could fill out the rest of the rotation. Clint Mokry, who had a successful season coming out of the bullpen last year, will likely make the transition to the starting rotation this season, as could left-hander Ryan Weems. The Frogs could get a lift around mid-season with the healthy return of Tim McGough, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
"If we stay healthy, this is the strongest and most experienced area of our team," remarked Schlossnagle. "Jerome and Findlay give us two good experienced guys at the top of our rotation. The healthy return of Tim McGough sometime early in the season could really give us a boost as he is very talented and has had success at the highest level."
The Bullpen
The bullpen is one area that could benefit the most from the returning players as there are a number of quality pitchers on the roster who have not had a lot of experience in game situations. Add to that some freshmen and Texas transfer Eugene Espineli and the bullpen looks to be a TCU strength.
Zach Duncan returns to the mound this season after a rocky start to his career last season. With the experience he gained last season, Schlossnagle looks for him to play a big role in the bullpen this season, possibly in the role of closer. Also being considered for significant time out of the 'pen are Chad Underwood and Chris White. Freshmen Omar Arif and Chase Perry impressed the coaching staff this fall and could also see time on the mound.
"Our bullpen has a chance to be a good one, but we will be depending on several returning players who have not pitched a lot in the program as well as some freshmen," remarked Schlossnagle. "Chad Underwood and Zach Duncan did well this fall and will be a big part of our bullpen. Chris White can be effective as a left-hander in long and situational relief."
The Infield
All four of the infield position players graduated last season, leaving the infield vacant. The only player returning for the Frogs this season is Chris Neuman, who played some first base early in the season before becoming the everyday designated hitter. The infield will rely heavily on a core of freshmen and a few returners with limited game experience.
Neuman has shown that his bat needs to be in the line-up and is the likely candidate to take over at first base. He led the Frogs offensively last season, clubbing 16 home runs while hitting at a .293 clip. Neuman saw action in 20 games at first base when Jared Lundeen injured his wrist. Ryan Weems should also see some time at first when he is not pitching. Weems is an excellent defensive first baseman, having committed only one error in 36 career chances.
"Neuman had a good year with the bat last year and should be a force in the middle of our order," stated Schlossnagle. "Weems is a very good defensive first baseman and will play there at times, when he is not pitching."
With the departure of Will Lewis to graduation and the minor leagues, second base is up for grabs for the first time in two years. The most likely candidate to fill the vacancy is senior Ramon Moses. Moses is the top returning bench player for the Frogs this season, playing in 23 games and making 10 starts. Also pushing for time will be Frogs' back-up quarterback, freshman Chad Huffman. Huffman is a smooth infielder with a powerful bat that needs to be in the lineup.
The void left at shortstop by the graduation of Shaff Elkouri will most likely see a freshman replacement. Fort Worth-native German Duran made a strong push for the starting nod with an outstanding fall season. Also fully capable of playing short is another Fort Worth native, Shelby Ford. Ford is a talented infielder with great hands and a good bat.
Current volunteer assistant coach Mike Settle, a three-year starter at the hot corner for the Frogs, left third vacant. Ford and Weatherford Junior College transfer Bo Cogbill are neck-in-neck for the starting nod. Cogbill was the starter for the Coyotes last season and is a smooth fielder with a strong arm.
"This is the area of our team that is the most talented, yet the least experienced," said Schlossnagle. "Ford, Duran and Huffman are all three very talented freshmen that will need to grow up quickly for us to have success. Cogbill is a versatile infielder and could play anywhere. They are mature beyond their years and I have full confidence in them."
The Outfield
Another area where the draft and graduation decimated the Frogs is the outfield, With the departures of Chris Meeks, Terry Trofholz and Jake Duncan, the outfield is wide open. Looking to fill the voids are returners J.J. Estrada, Nate Thomas, Sean Stephens, Kenny Thompson and transfers Mike Epping, D.J. Pokluda and Jerid Buttell.
Mike Epping, a starter in the outfield last season at NAIA national runner-up Oklahoma City University, appears to be the front-runner to take over in left field after a great fall season. Pokluda also saw some action in left this fall in the process of making the team as a walk-on. Stephens was hampered by a hamstring injury but might see time in left as well.
The big void left in center field by the graduation of three-year starter Terry Trofholz could be filled by a several different people. Thomas, Thompson and Buttell will be battling to patrol center. Thomas has great speed and good pop in his bat. Buttell walked on in the fall and impressed the coaching staff with solid play in the outfield and a good bat. Thompson has been in the program for four years and hopes to crack the starting lineup this season. His speed could help win the spot in center.
Filling the vacancy in right field left by the departure of Jake Duncan to the minor leagues will be a battle between Buttell and Estrada. Estrada has the most experience of all the returning outfielders, which could prove to be one of the deciding factors. He has had limited action in his two years at TCU, but played exceptionally well this fall. Buttell is a versatile athlete who could also see time in right.
"We may not know who will consistently play in our outfield until we get 15-20 games into the season," stated Schlossnagle. "Everyone who returns has very limited experience, but some really displayed good ability this fall. Thomas is a converted infielder with good speed and surprising power. Estrada has very good baseball tools in every area and, with enough at-bats, has the potential to be one our best players. Epping and Buttell are newcomers who can play all three outfields and give us some versatility."
The Catchers
With the departure of two-year starter Justin Hatcher, the catching position is up for grabs. Junior Kyle Dahlberg has emerged as the front-runner for the job after an outstanding fall season. He has the ability to be a leader on the field and has been the back-up catcher for each of the last two seasons, but has seen limited action behind the plate and lacks plate appearances. Also pushing for time behind the plate are juniors Cody Chapman and Chris Saenz.
"Like the infield and the outfield, we are very unproven in this area," stated Schlossnagle. "Kyle Dahlberg really displayed some outstanding defensive skills this past fall and has some leadership skills as well. Chris Saenz is a good athlete who will see time behind the plate and possibly in the outfield and first base."
If the pieces to the puzzle fall into place, the Horned Frogs look to be on their way to their fourth consecutive winning season. Keeping the starting rotation healthy is key to the success of the Frogs, as is the importance of the freshmen stepping up to the challenge handed them.
The pieces are there, the new staff is in place, so.... LET'S PLAY BALL!
