Frogs Hit The Road To Face Charlotte
4/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 21, 2005
Fort Worth, Texas - The No. 30 TCU Horned Frogs (25-12, 11-4) will wrap up a streak of seven-of-eight games on the road with a three-game series against the Charlotte 49ers. The Frogs are coming off a huge win against No. 8 Baylor and hope to keep that momentum going in search of their sixth straight Conference USA series win. The series kicks off Friday night at 5:00 p.m. (CST) at Tom and Lib Phillips Field. Game two is set for a 2:00 p.m. (CST) start while the series finale is slated for 11:00 a.m. (CST) on Sunday.
About the Series
The Frogs enter the contest fresh off of an extra-inning win over the No. 8 Baylor Bears. The win is one of the biggest for the Frogs this season. After a disappointing loss on Sunday against the Memphis Tigers, the Frogs hope Tuesday's victory propels them into a streak of wins. This weekend's series against the Charlotte 49ers marks the second straight road series for TCU. The Frogs are 5-0 in Conference USA series this weekend, but have only one sweep. The Charlotte 49ers started out strong with a series win over the East Carolina Pirates but have struggled since and sit at 6-9 after the first five series of the season. They have already played two games this week and are in the midst of a three-game winning streak.
About The Frogs
The Frogs won an exciting extra-inning ballgame on Tuesday to break a six-game losing streak to the Bears. Matt McGuirk homered in the bottom of the ninth to knot the game at one and the Bears committed a critical error in the 11th to give the Frogs the exciting come-from-behind win. The offense is on a role and Tuesday night the Frogs got a boost with the return of Shelby Ford to the lineup. The two hottest hitters have been Keith Conlon and McGuirk. Each have been named Conference USA Hitter of the Week in the last two weeks, with McGuirk trying to defend his title this week. As a team, they are hitting .295 overall, but have been even better in conference play, hitting at a .309 clip. Chad Huffman continues his dominance of C-USA pitching with a .411 average in 15 games. The pitching as always remains a strong suit for the Frogs. They will send their aces to the mound on Friday and Saturday in Lance Broadway and Tim McGough. Broadway earned his ninth win on Tuesday and will be going for his league-leading 10th win on Friday night. The defense has also shown life following the dreaded game against Oklahoma that saw them commit a school-record nine errors. Since that game, the Frogs have committed just four errors that have lead to just one unearned run crossing the plate.
About The 49ers
The 49ers were one of the hottest teams to hit the field in Conference USA to open the season. They have 23 wins on the season, but only six of them have come in conference play. Their numbers are very similar to the Frogs, with the only difference coming in the power category. The pitching and defense has been their downfall this season. They are still looking for consistency in their weekend starters. They don't strike a lot of batters out as is evidenced by their leading strikeout pitcher, Adam Mills, who has just 52 in 70.1 innings pitched. Adam Willard is their top offensive threat with a .357 average. Kris Rochelle is the power guy in the lineup with a team-high six home runs. They have one of the nation's top closers in Erik Walker. Walker has nine saves in 21 appearances to go along with a 2-2 record. He has 44 strikeouts in just 33.0 innings pitched. The defense has surrendered 43 unearned runs thanks to 56 errors. They have a lot of speed on the bases with 62 stolen bases. Willard and Mike Ambrose are the leading threats on the bases.
TCU vs. Charlotte Base Knocks
• Friday's contest will mark just the 11th meeting all-time between TCU and Charlotte.
• TCU leads the series 8-2-0.br> • The Frogs swept the season series a year ago in Fort Worth in the last regular season series of the 2004 season.
• The Frogs have won five straight games over the 49ers. The last Charlotte win came in Charlotte on May 9, 2003 when they defeated TCU in the series opener, 9-6.
• The Frogs are 2-1 all time in Charlotte, but have not played on Charlotte's home field. They played at another location in 2003 when they last made the trip to North Carolina.
The Weekend Match-Ups
Friday night will see Lance Broadway on the mound for his 10th start of the season. Broadway picked up a huge victory in relief on Tuesday night for his ninth win of the season, which ties him for the lead in the nation. He will be going for win no. 10 when he faces the 49ers. He sports a 1.49 ERA in 12 appearances and is 8-0 as a starter. He struck out two and walked one in a relief outing against the No. 8 Baylor Bears on Tuesday. He is holding opponents to a .189 batting average this season.
Facing Broadway for the 49ers will be right-hander Derek McDaid. The normal Saturday starter will hit the mound with a 4-2 record in 10 appearances. He has a 3.90 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched. He has struck out only 26 batters while walking 17. In his last outing, he got a no-decision against the Cincinnati Bearcats. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits. He walked two without recording a strikeout.
The Frogs will send Tim McGough to the mound on Saturday for his ninth start of the season. He is a perfect 5-0 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. He sports the fourth best ERA in the nation at 0.81. He picked up his fifth win last Saturday with eight strong innings against the Memphis Tigers. He allowed just one run on five hits. He struck out four and walked three. He is holding opponents to a .205 batting average.
The 49ers will send lefty, Matt Landphair to the mound Saturday. Landphair is 3-4 this season in 13 appearances. He has made eight starts and thrown 43 innings. In his last outing, he picked up a win against the Bearcats. He went six innings, allowed three runs on eight hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Sunday will mark the ninth start in Sam Demel's young career. He has a 2-4 record to go along with a 5.17 ERA in 12 appearances. He has pitched 55.2 innings and recorded 58 strikeouts. He picked up a no-decision against Memphis last Sunday. He went 6.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits.
Charlotte will send their ace to the mound on Sunday when Adam Mills makes his 12th start of the year. He is 5-2 with a 4.99 ERA. He picked up a tough-luck loss in his last outing, a 3-1 decision against Cincinnati. Mills went the distance in that game, giving up only three runs (two earned) on eight hits. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.
Fresh Contribution
For the second straight season, the Frogs rely on another talented crop of freshman. Added to the freshman from last season, the young lineup has done its job, helping the team to one of its best starts in years. Four freshmen have seen significant playing time in the field, while four have seen time on the mound as well. At the plate, the freshmen are hitting .314 (111-353) with 68 runs scored and 72 runs driven in. Thirty-three of their base hits have gone for extra bases, including 12 long balls. Andrew Walker is the team leader with eight. They've demonstrated their patience, drawing 48 walks. In conference play, they have been equally as effective with a .305 (47-154) batting average. On the mound, they account for three wins, one save and 77 strikeouts.
Frogs In Extras
Tuesday's extra-inning affair against the Bears was the second straight for the Frogs as they lost an extra-inning game against Memphis on Sunday. Earlier this season, the Bears and the Frogs played an extra-inning game in Waco, a game won by the Bears. This time the Frogs came out on top in the bottom of the 11th to improve to 2-0 in games that end after the 11th and 2-3 overall in extra inning games. Austin Adams worked a walk with two outs before giving way to pinch-runner Ryan Pack. Pack advanced to second on a wild pitch and Bears third baseman, Kevin Russo threw a ball off the bat of Chad Huffman away to give the Frogs the 2-1 victory.
Conference USA Hitter of the Week
In Sunday's win over USF, Matt McGuirk found himself in the starting rotaion aand made the most of it. He was 1-for-2 in the ball game with three runs driven. He also picked up his first career home run. His good day at the plate earned him a start in Tuesday's game at Oklahoma. He was on fire there as well, going 3-for-4 with five runs driven in. He was just a single shy of hitting for the cycle. He kept right on going, with another five-RBI night and his third home run in as many games in the opener against Memphis. When all was said and done, McGuirk hit .500 for the week (9-of-18) with 10 RBI and nine runs scored. On Tuesday night against Baylor, McGuirk continued his hot streak, blasting a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game at one sending it to extra innings where the Frogs came out victorious in the 11th.
Friday Night Mystique
The Frogs are undefeated on Friday nights with a perfect 10-0 record under the lights. The success is due in large part to solid offensive play and lights out pitching. The Frogs are hitting .339 on Friday nights and have outscored their opponents 91-46. Keith Conlon is the leading hitter on Friday's with a .563 average. J.J. Estrada has connected for three long balls and leads the team with 13 runs driven in. Lance Broadway has made nine starts and is 8-0 with a miniscule 1.16 ERA. As a team, they've posted a team ERA 2.64. They have two shutouts and three saves. Sam Demel is the only other Frog to start a Friday night contest and is 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .222 on Friday nights.
C-USA Dominance
The Frogs are just one game behind Tulane in the league standings despite having won all five Conference USA series they've played this season. After five series, the Frogs are 11-4 with five series wins. Their only series sweep has come at the expense of the USF Bulls. Conversely, Tulane has swept three series, won a series 2-1 over Houston and dropped a series to Louisville. In its three plus seasons in Conference USA, the Frogs have won a series from every league-foe and are 27-8 overall in 35 series played. At home, TCU is 15-3, while they hold an 12-5 advantage in road series.
On The Road Again
For the second straight weekend, the Frogs will hit the road for a three-game Conference USA series. TCU has an 8-8 record in games away from Lupton Stadium this season. The defense has proven to be the Frogs biggest foe on the road as they have committed 32 errors which have led to 24 unearned runs crossing the plate. The offense has been clicking at a .291 clip with Matt McGuirk as the leader with a .413 average. Six of Andrew Walker's home runs have come in the opposition's ballpark. Tim McGough is the leader on the mound with a 2-0 record with a 1.42 ERA. Lance Broadway is the team-leader with four victories.
Cracking The Top 30
The Frogs have been absent from three of the four polls for the last three weeks. Prior to that, TCU had appeared in three of the four polls and all four just once. Ironically the one poll the Frogs struggled to get ranked in is the one they cracked this week. Despite going 2-2 over the last week, Collegiate Baseball has ranked the Horned Frogs no. 30 this week. They also held steady at no. 30 in the NCBWA poll for the second week in a row. The Frogs are still receiving votes in the Coaches poll, something they have done all season when they weren't ranked.
Dynamic Duo
TCU sports one of the best one-two punches in the nation with Lance Broadway and Tim McGough. McGough has the nation's fourth best ERA at 0.81, while Broadway ranks 23rd with a 1.59 ERA. Broadway is in a tie for first place with nine victories this season. In conference the duo is undefeated at 8-0 in eight starts. They have a combined ERA of 0.83 in 54 innings pitched against Conference USA foes. Overall their combined ERA is 1.22 in 110.2 innings pitched. They have 115 strikeouts between the two of them with only 36 walks. Opponents are hitting just .195 off the duo. In Conference USA, they rank in the top three in ERA and opponent's batting average. McGough is the league leader in ERA, while Broadway is the league leader in strikeouts.
