Horned Frogs Open Conference Play Friday Aa Lupton Stadium
3/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 18, 2004
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Horned Frogs will open Conference USA action on Friday when Memphis comes calling. The Horned Frogs were picked to finish sixth in the league while Memphis was picked to finshed 10th. The Frogs have won four in a row and six at home, while the Tigers are losers of two straight entering the weekend.
* The Series
This weekend's conference opener with Memphis will be the fifth meeting between the Tigers and the Horned Frogs. In the brief history, the Frogs and the Tigers are tied at two games a piece, so someone will take the series lead after this weekend.
Last season, the Tigers took two-of-three from TCU in Memphis. TCU won the second game of the series after dropping the opener 9-6. Clayton Jerome dominated for eight innings en route to a Frog 8-0 victory in the first game of a doubleheader. He struck out 12 tigers to go with only one walk. Memphis won the nightcap by a 5-4 scored.
The only other meeting came in the 1994 season when TCU won by an 11-3 tally in the Midwest Regional playoffs in Stillwater, Okla.
* The Tigers
The Tigers have been getting it done this year on the strength of their pitching and defense. The pitching has been able to make up for the lack of offensive punch in the Memphis lineup. As a team, the Tigers are only hitting .283, but the pitchers have held opponents to a .214 batting average.
The Memphis squad has only eight new faces on a team that 21-33 last season. The experienced group has already posted a 10-4 record. They have lost the last two games, including a 19-0 loss to #11 Ole Miss on Wednesday.
Offensively they are led by Adam Amar, who is batting .405 this season with two home runs and nine RBI. Stephen Gostkowski is getting it done on the mound, posting a miniscule 0.60 ERA in 15 innings pitched. Jarrett Grube has a 4-0 record entering the weekend with a 1.04 ERA.
* Their Winning Ways
The Horned Frogs have put together their longest win-streak of the season, winning their last four games. The Frogs swept a three-game series from New Mexico over the weekend and topped Oklahoma on Tuesday to keep the streak alive. During the streak, TCU has outscored their opponents 24-7, while hitting .314.
The pitching has been outstanding, pitching to the tune of a 1.75 ERA. Frog pitchers have racked up 29 K's, while walking only 10. The defense has been outstanding as well, committing only three errors.
* Home Field Advantage
On top of the four game win streak, the Frogs have another streak alive and well. TCU has won their last six home games at Lupton Stadium all in the month of March. TCU has enjoyed this home stretch, hitting .323 over the six games and scoring 40 runs. Sean Stephens has been the leading hitter in those games, hitting .429, while Clayton Jerome has picked up two victories.
* Start of a New Season
The Frogs begin what can be called a new season on Friday as they open Conference USA action at home against Memphis. Last season, TCU finished second in C-USA with a 22-8 mark, which included a 10-5 record at home. Chris Neuman lit up conference pitching to the mark of a .366 average and 10 home runs. Clayton Jerome posted a 7-2 record with a 1.72 ERA in 10 starts. He also had three complete games and one shutout and combined for two more. Robbie Findlay also shined with a 6-1 record.
* Grand Theft
The Frogs have been showing their speed on the bases recently as they stole six bags over the last four games. In the game two win, TCU swiped five bags, including two by Ramon Moses. On Tuesday, Bo Cogbill stole home for the Frogs sixth run of the game. Overall, Moses leads the squad, as he's 5-5 in stolen bases.
* Fresh Contributions
For the first time in a long time, the Horned Frogs feature at least three true freshman, sometimes four in the starting lineup. The three starters have been huge so far as they are hitting at a .369 (85-230) clip and have a slugging percentage of .595. They have slugged 11 home runs and collected 36 RBI to go along with 19 doubles. They are also responsible for eight of the Frogs 19 stolen bases this season. Collectively, they have scored 64 runs.
* Movin' On Up
By posting his fourth straight victory on Friday over New Mexico, Clayton Jerome now has 23 career victories which puts him in a tie for third place on the all-time list. He is tied with Shawn Thompson, who pitch for TCU from 1997-2000. His 315.1 innings pitched also moved him up to third place. With 256 career strikeouts, he is three away from moving into fourth place on the career strikeouts list
* Weekend Rotation
Here's what the pitching match-ups for the weekend look like:
Friday: Clayton Jerome (4-1, 2.27 ERA, 33 K) vs. Jarrett Grube (4-0, 1.04 ERA, 27 K). Grube beat the Frogs last season in game three, pitching 7.2 innings in relief, allowing one unearned run. Jerome defeated the Tigers in game two, shutting them out for eight innings.
Saturday: Eugene Espineli (2-1, 3.63 ERA, 30 K) vs. Derek Hankins (0-1, 6.38 ERA, 28 K).
Sunday: Ryan Weems (3-0, 7.30 ERA, 21 K) vs. Stephen Gostkowski (1-0, 0.60 ERA, 15 K). Gostkowski picked up the victory in game one last year.
* Getting On Base
Chad Huffman has started out the season on a tear. He has been on base in 19 of the team's 20 games, including an on-going streak of 18 in a row. His on-base percentage of .538 leads the team and is second in the Conferences
* Turning Two
After turning just 10 double plays in the first 15 games, the Frogs have turned six in the last four. Against New Mexico in game two, TCU tied a single-game record by turning four against the Lobos in an 11-3 win. Eugene Espineli got a key double play in the win over OU as he had runners on first and second with no outs, but induced the double play to erase them and help the Frogs keep the lead.
* A Game of Relief
In the Frogs win over Oklahoma, Coach Jim Schlossnagle used five pitchers over the course of nine innings. Omar Arif performed well in his first collegiate start, allowing a run on four hits in two innings. Chris White, Eugene Espineli and Robbie Findlay combined to pitch the remaining 3.1 innings, allowing no hits and striking out seven. Chad Underwood pitched the most, allowing two runs on five hits in 3.2 innings of work.
* The Finishing Touch
Robbie Findlay has thrived in his new rule as closer, converting all three save chances he's been given since moving to the bullpen. As a member of the bullpen, Findlay has allowed only one run in 7.1 innings of work and has a miniscule 1.23 ERA in the 'pen. He has 11 strikeouts to go along with six walks and has allowed only three hits. He has lowered his ERA nearly 10 runs since he's been in the bullpen.
* Many Strong Returns
Tim McGough made his first appearance of the season in Sunday's 11-3 victory over the Lobos. McGough, who had "Tommy John" surgery less than a year ago, pitched one inning, retiring all three batters he faced on just eight pitches.
Zach Duncan also made a strong return to the mound after taking two weeks off to rest his arm. He gave up a run on one hit in his single inning of work.
