Frogs Look To Keep Pace At Cincinnati
5/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 5, 2005
Fort Worth, Texas - The No. 29 Horned Frogs hit the road for a three-game series against conference foe Cincinnati. The Frogs are fresh off midweek victory over UT-Arlington and have won seven straight Conference USA series this season. The series will kick off Friday night at 5:30 (CDT) at UC Baseball Field, the new home of the Cincinnati Bearcats. Game two of the series is slated for a 3:00 (CDT) first pitch on Saturday with the series finale set for Sunday at Noon (CDT).
About the Game
The Frogs are one of the hottest teams in the league, having won eight of their last 10 games. This weekend the Frogs will go for their eight straight Conference USA series win this season and keep pace with the first place Tulane Green Wave. The Bearcats are one of the most improved teams in the league, but still find themselves on the outside looking in in 10th place. They've been hovering just below .500 all season and have lost two of their last three. The Frogs will be looking to avenge a home loss in the series finale to the Bearcats last season.
About The Frogs
After being silenced in Sunday's series finale against Houston, the bats were revived in a 12-3 thumping of the UT-Arlington Mavericks. The Frogs managed just one run on seven hits against Houston, but exploded for 12 runs on 14 hits Tuesday night. Stuart Musslewhite continues to swing a hot bat as he has raised his average 52 points over the last nine games. Keith Conlon remains a strong force in the lineup as does Chad Huffman, the Frogs leading run producer last week with eight runs driven in. Matt Carpenter again came up with a clutch hit in Saturday's victory and played flawless defense in four starts at first base for the Frogs. Kyle Dahlberg also came through in the clutch in Friday's win, driving in two big runs and picking up two base hits. Andrew Walker is quietly putting together a seven game-hit streak. He was productive at the plate in the win over UTA with two doubles and two runs driven in. The league-leading team in home runs has failed to hit a ball out of the park in the last five games and will be looking to end the trend as they head to a Cincinnati ballpark known for giving up the long ball. On the mound, the Frogs had some outstanding performances, both in the starting role and out of the bullpen. Lance Broadway reverted to old form as he dominated the Cougars on Friday night en route to being named Conference USA Co-Pitcher of the Week. Brad Furnish picked up a no-decision in an eventual TCU win, while Tim McGough suffered a tough loss on Sunday as the Frogs couldn't muster any offense to back-up his strong pitching. Out of the bullpen, senior Ryan Nesloney has continued to show his effectiveness, earning his first decision of the season with 2.1 innings of work. Freshman Sam Demel turned in his second strong starting performance in the win over UTA and looks to be back to his pre-Rice form.
About The Bearcats
The Bearcats are a much more improved team than the one the Frogs faced a year ago. The addition of a new stadium has led to a tangible growth in the program. The pitching is the most improved aspect as they have a team ERA of just 4.94. Reliever Josh Kay is one of the bright spots as he boasts a 1.60 ERA in 23 appearances to go along with six saves. On the offensive side, center fielder LaFringe Hayes leads the Bearcats with a .356 average, while Brian Szarmach is the power guy with 10 home runs. Hayes is a threat in the lead-off spot with 10 stolen bases. The defense has also been a strong facet for them as they have committed just 49 errors for a fielding percentage of .971.
TCU vs. Cincinnati Base Knocks
• Tuesday's contest will mark just the 10th meeting all-time between TCU and Cincinnati.
• TCU leads the series against UT-Cincinnati 8-1.
• In three meetings last season, TCU took 2-of-3 games at Lupton Stadium. The Bearcats picked up a 7-6 victory in the series finale.
• The Frogs swept the Bearcats at TCU Diamond in 2002, then swept the Bearcats in Cincinnati in 2003.
• The Frogs will be making their first trip to the new state-of-the-art UC Baseball Stadium.
The Series Match-Ups
On Friday night, the Frogs will send their ace to the mound for his 12th start of the season. Conference USA Co-Pitcher of the Week, Lance Broadway will be going for his record 11th win of the season, something a Horned Frog hasn't done since the 1974 season. He is 10-1 this season, picking up his 10th win in dominating fashion. He pitched his second complete-game of the season, holding the Houston Cougars to just two runs (one earned) on seven hits. He tied a career high with 12 strikeouts in the contest and now has 102 on the season. Opponents are hitting just .204 off of the righty.
The Bearcats will counter with right-handed pitcher Justin Minges. Minges will be making his sixth start and ninth appearance of the season. He is 1-3 with an 8.10 ERA in 23.1 innings on the mound. He has 11 strikeouts and seven walks on the season. In his last appearance East Carolina touched him for eight runs (seven earned) on six hits in just two innings of work. He walked two and didn't record a strikeout.
Saturday, Brad Furnish will take the mound for his 11th start of the year. He is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA. His opponents batting average of .199 is the lowest in the league. He has 67 strikeouts in 72.1 innings of work. In his last outing, he pitched 6.2 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and walked just two batters in the no-decision.
The Bearcats will send their ace to the mound in Tony Maynard. Maynard is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA. In 77 innings of work, he has struck out 41 and walked 24. He will be making his 13th start and has combined on two shutouts and has one complete game. In his last outing, he shut down the Pirate offense, limiting them to two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work. He got a no-decision in a game the Bearcats eventually won in extra innings.
Sunday will see Tim McGough on the mound, making his 11th start of the season. He boasts a team-low 1.85 ERA in 58.1 innings pitched. He has struck out 38, while walking just 18. He suffered his first loss of the season in a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Cougars. Houston touched him four three runs (two earned) on eight hits in 7.1 innings of work.
The Bearcats have not named a starter for Sunday's contest.
On The Road Again
Following a season-long six-game homestand, the Frogs will hit the road briefly for a three-game series with the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Frogs have improved to 10-9 on the road with four wins out of their last six on the opposition's field. As a team, they are hitting .322 away from Lupton Stadium and have hit 44 of their 61 home runs. Matt McGuirk is the hottest hitter away from home with a .444 average in 15 games. Nine of Andrew Walker's home runs have come on the road. The pitchers have posted a 5.08 ERA, led by Brad Furnish. Furnish has a 2-1 record to go along with a 1.96 ERA in four appearances. Lance Broadway has struck out a team-high 39 batters away from home and leads the team with four road victories.
Back To His Old Self
Following a dismal outing against Charlotte that saw him pitch just 1.2 innings, Lance Broadway bounced back with one of his best performances of the season. He pitched his second complete-game of the year, allowing just two runs (one earned) on seven hits in a win over Houston. He tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts in the contest, walking just three. The victory gave him his nation-leading 10th victory of the year. The last Frog pitcher to record at least 10 victories was Scott Atchison who finished the 1999 campaign with a 10-4 record. He also moved over the century mark in strikeouts as he now leads the league with 102 strikeouts. With one more win, Broadway will tie the record for wins in a season and 18 more strikeouts will tie the single season mark. For his efforts, Broadway earned his second Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honor.
Fresh Contributions
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 .322 (142-441) with 92 runs scored and 95 runs driven in. Forty-six of their base hits have gone for extra bases, including 19 long balls. Andrew Walker is the team leader with 11. They've demonstrated their patience, drawing 61 walks. In conference play, they have been equally as effective with a .338 (69-204) batting average. On the mound, they account for five wins, one save and 85 strikeouts.
Leader Of The Pack
Senior shortstop Stuart Musslewhite has been the hottest Frog hitter over the last two weeks. He is in the midst of a season-long ten game hit streak in which he is batting .489 (22-for-45). He has raised his average 52 points during the streak from .273 to .325. He has driven in 13 runs and has six multi-hit games. Against his old team, Musslewhite had a good weekend, batting .500 (7-for-14) with three RBI. He played flawless defense over the weekend. He had a huge stolen base in game one, helping the Frogs break a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fifth. Without the stolen base, he would have been stranded at second, but was able to score on a Chad Huffman ground out. In Tuesday's game against UTA, Musslewhite was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a career-high five RBI. Musslewhite is the only Frog to have started all 46 games this season. He leads the squad with 19 multi-hit games.
Silenced Offense
On March 13, the Frogs suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Rice Owls. Since that loss, 27 games ago, the Frogs have scored no less than two runs in a game and averaged 8.4 runs per game. On Sunday, the Cougars silence the Frogs blistering offense, holding them to just one run on seven hits. Despite the subpar numbers, the Frogs still lead the conference with a .331 batting average in conference play and are second with an overall average of .311. The Frogs average 7.71 runs a game, just behind a Southern Miss squad that averages 7.84 runs a game. In conference games, the Frogs average 8.16 runs per game, almost a full run more than Southern Miss, who averages 7.52 runs in conference play.
Record Number Of Wins
With the victory on Tuesday, the Frogs improved to 22-5 on their home field. The total sets the record for wins in a season at Lupton Stadium. The Frogs posted a 21-9 record in Lupton Stadium's inaugural season back in 2003. The Frogs have enjoyed their success at Lupton as they are hitting .305 as a team. Shelby Ford is the leading hitter with a .385 average in 24 games at Lupton this season. Chad Huffman and J.J. Estrada have each hit four home runs in the park, while Huffman leads the team with 26 RBIs at home this season. The pitching staff also enjoys the spacious grounds of Lupton, pitching to the tune of a 3.46 ERA. Lance Broadway is 6-0in six starts and has a 0.99 ERA in 45.1 innings pitched. Sixty-three of his 102 strikeouts have come at Lupton.
Early Projections (May 3rd Edition)
With Regional play a about a month away, two different websites have begun to projected its field of 64 for the NCAA Regionals. As of April 8, Baseball America had projected the Frogs to be a No. 2 seed in Austin, Texas with the University of Texas as the host team. The other two teams projected are Washington and Miami (Ohio). SEBaseball.rivals.com updates their field of 64 each week. With a 5-1 record over the last week, the Frogs moved back to the two seed after dropping to a three seed. The only difference in this regional projection is the location. The Frogs are projected to be the two seed in the Waco Regional hosted by non-conference foe, Baylor. Rounding out the field is three-seed Mississippi State and fourth-seed Rhode Island. Three other Conference USA teams were listed in the projections in Tulane, Southern Miss and East Carolina. Five of the Frogs opponents are also listed as regional contenders. Rice and Baylor are all projected in the field along with the three Conference USA squads.
