Horned Frogs Look To Bounce Back In Lubbock
2/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2004
Fort Worth, Texas - The Horned Frogs will hit the road for a three-game series with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. This series will wrap up a season-long eight game stretch away from Lupton Stadium. TCU is currently 3-2 during the stretch. Game time for Friday is set for 3 p.m., while Saturday's contest is slated to begin at 2 p.m. and Sunday's game will begin at 1 p.m., all at Dan Law Field on the Texas Tech campus.
* The Series
TCU and Texas Tech keep the rivalary going this weekend as they head to Lubbock for a showdown with the Red Raiders. This is the 132nd meeting on the diamond between the two schools with each team having won 65 games each to go along with a tie.
Last season, the two schools met five times on the diamond, with Texas Tech winning the season series 3-2. TCU dropped both decisions in Lubbock, losing on Feb. 18 15-11 and then again on March 11, 6-3. The Frogs took two-of-three at Lupton Stadium, winning 2-1 and 3-2 before dropping the third game 7-5.
Chris Neuman hit two home runs off the Red Raiders and Clayton Jerome shut down the offense, allowing only one run on four hits for his first win of the season last year.
The Frogs have not won a game in Lubbock since March 28, 2000.
* Scouting The Red Raiders
The Red Raiders have started out the 2004 campaign on a strong note, coming into the weekend with a 7-2 record, including a 5-1 mark. They are winning on the strength of their offense. The Raiders are batting .352 as a team and have scored 107 runs, an average of nearly 12 runs a game. They have slugged 14 home runs and stolen 29 bases so far this season.
Their two losses this season have come at the hands of defending National Champions Rice at the Minute Maid Park Classic in Houston and a home defeat by Northern Illinois this past weekend.
The Raiders are led by five guys hitting over .400. Michael Mask leds the group with a .429 average. Josh Brady has driven in 22 runs on the campaign to go with his team-high six stolen bases.
Dallas Braden leads all starters with a 4.50 ERA and a 1-0 record in 16 innings to go with 21 K's versus just three walks. Tanner McElroy is the leading relief pitcher who has yet to allow a run in seven innings.
* Shooting Themselves in the Foot
For the second time this season, the Frogs committed some costly errors which ultimately led to a loss. In Tuesday's loss to Oklahoma State, the Frogs committed six errors and gave up five unearned runs in a game they lost 7-5. In a five-run fifth inning, TCU committed three errors.
The Frogs lost to Dallas Baptist, 10-9 in the second game of the year after giving up five unearned runs in that contest. On the season, the Frogs have committed 15 errors for a fielding percentage of .957.
* Neuman Delivers Again
In the loss to Oklahoma State, Chris Neuman did what he could to propel the Frogs to victory. Neuman was 3-for-5 at the plate with four runs driven in, including a two-run home run in the eighth when the Frogs were down four. He now has a team-high three home runs, four doubles and 17 RBI. He is batting .310 this season.
* Tearing It Up
Freshman, Chad Huffman is the team's leading hitter so far this season, hitting at a .432 clip. He has started all nine games in his young career and is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak. After going hitless in his first two at-bats of the game against OSU, he singled the next three times, including an RBI-single in the ninth as the Frogs tried to come back and win the game.
* Hitting The Road
This week the Frogs will play four games on the road. They head to Stillwater, Okla. for a rematch with Oklahoma State, then it's on to Lubbock for a three-game series against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Last season, the Frogs were 14-13 away from Lupton Stadium, including a 14-9 record on opponents fields. So far this season, TCU is 3-1 in games away from Lupton.
* Fresh Contributions
For the first time in a long time, the Horned Frogs feature four true freshmen in their starting lineup. The freshman have been huge so far as they are hitting at a .357 (49-137) clip and have a slugging percentage of .532. They have slugged five home runs and collected 18 RBI to go along with nine doubles. They are also responsible for seven of the Frogs eight stolen bases this season. Collectively, they have scored 36 runs.
* Weekend Rotation
The weekend rotation against Texas Tech has been set. Eugene Espineli (1-0, 1.72 ERA, 18 K) will square off against LHP, Dallas Braden (1-0l 4.50 ERA, 21 K) on Friday.
Clayton Jerome (1-1, 3.18 ERA, 14 K) will meet RHP Juan Razo (1-1, 4.67 ERA, 10 K) on Saturday.
Sunday's match-up will feature Ryan Weems (2-0, 3.09 ERA, 13 K) against RHP Steve Gooch (2-0, 5.14 ERA, 17 K).
* Hit Me With Your Best Shot
The Horned Frogs have a lot of bruised bodies thanks to opponent pitching, which has plunked the Frogs 15 times this season. Leading the way with the most bruises are Chad Huffman, Shelby Ford, and Kyle Dahlberg who have each been plunked three times this season. TCU pitchers have hit only eight batters this season.
TCU tied a single-game record in their loss to Dallas Baptist on Feb. 7 when Patriot pitchers hit six Frogs with the pitch.
* It's Been A While
TCU heads to Lubbock, Texas this weekend for a three-game series with the Red Raiders. The Frogs have not fared well in their meetings at Dan Law Field. You have to go back to the 2000 season to find a Horned Frog victory in Lubbock. TCU won 7-5 against the Raiders on March 28, 2000. TCU is 0-5 in their last five games in Lubbock.
* In A Pinch
The Frogs are really struggling to find a go-to hitter off the bench this season. TCU has been successful in only one pinch-hit effort this season, with Bo Cogbill collecting the lone hit in the first game of the season. The Frogs are 0-for their last 7 pinch hit performances. Opponents have collected two pinch hits in six tries this season.
* Running Rampant
On Tuesday night, the Oklahoma State offense was ignited on the base paths as they swiped five bags on the night. The Cowboys executed two double steals on the evening. On the season, opponents have stolen eight bases in 11 tries, the same as the Frogs.
This weekend the Frogs are facing a team that has stolen 29 bags in just nine games, an average of just over three per game. The Red Raiders have only been cut down three times so far.
