TCU Begins Key Road Trip At Nationally-Ranked Oklahoma
4/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 12, 2011
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FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU Horned Frogs will open up a five-game road trip Tuesday night at No. 8 Oklahoma. The Frogs just wrapped up a 13-game homestand with a 10-3 record and are ranked as high as No. 9 in the country. Game time at L. Dale Mitchell Park is set for 6:30 p.m.
TCU NOTABLES
• The Frogs took 2-of-3 from New Mexico and lead the league by 1.5 games over BYU and San Diego State.
• TCU wrapped up its 13-game homestand with a 10-3 record.
• Matt Purke earned his 20th career victory on Saturday.
• Jason Coats extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
• Steven Maxwell tossed his first career complete game in Sunday's victory.
• Jantzen Witte collected his 100th career hit on Friday night.
• Josh Elander had seven hits and drove in four runs against the Lobos.
• TCU was plunked four times over the weekend, giving them 51 on the season.
ROAD NOTABLES
• TCU will be playing just its ninth game away from home this season.
• Under Coach Schlossnagle, the Horned Frogs have a record of 110-68 on an opponent's home field.
• The Frogs will play five straight road games starting Tuesday night.
OKLAHOMA NOTABLES
• Oklahoma raced out to a 16-0 start to the season, but are since 8-8.
• The Sooners dropped a 2-1 series decision at Kansas State this past weekend.
• Oklahoma has a well-balanced team that is hitting .329, pitching to the tune of a 2.98 ERA and fielding at a .974 clip.
• Garrett Buechele is the offensive leader with a .406 average, seven home runs and 41 RBIs.
• Ryan Duke has not allowed a run in 7 1/3 innigs pitched and has tallied three saves.
• The Sooners are not afraid to crowd the plate as they have been plunked 59 times this season.
SERIES NOTABLES
• TCU and Oklahoma will be meeting for the 86th time on Tuesday night.
• Oklahoma holds a 60-35 lead in the series.
• Oklahoma has swept the season series and won six straight over the last three seasons.
• TCU is just 2-7 in Norman under Coach Schlossnagle with the last win coming on June 2, 2006 (5-4).
• TCU's last win against Oklahoma was on April 17, 2007 (11-4 in Fort Worth).
THE HOMESTAND
TCU finished its school-record 13-game homestand with a 10-3 record. The Frogs have notched two wins against Houston, three against Air Force, two against UTPA, one against Texas State and two against New Mexico. The losses have come at the hands of Stephen F. Austin, Houston and New Mexico.
The offensive production was key to the success as they hit .326 as a team with 41 extra base hits. TCU outscored the opposition 89-49.
Taylor Featherston enjoyed the homestand more than any other hitter as he is hit a blistering .435 (20-for-46). Josh Elander also had a productive homstand hitt ing .448 in nine games with eight RBIs. Jason Coats drove in a team-high 12 runs, while Aaron Schultz picked up 20 hits and hit .377.
On the mound, the pitching staff boasted a 3.08 ERA and held opponents to a .241 batting average against. They racked up 104 strikeouts. Steven Maxwell was a perfect 32-0 on the homestand.
TWO OUT RUNS
A big part of TCU's 2-1 series win over New Mexico was its ability to score with two outs in the inning. All six runs in Sunday's win came with two outs and the Frogs tallied 16 out of 22 runs scored with two outs over the course of the weekend.
TCU has done a good job of scoring with two outs this season as 76 of its 194 total runs scored have come with two out. The Frogs are hitting .314 as a team with two outs.
18 of Brance Rivera's 51 hits on the season have come with two outs. Jantzen Witte leads the team with 11 two-out RBIs.
Conversely, the Frogs have limited opponents opportunities with two outs, surrendering just 36 of the 104 total runs scored.
Opponents are hitting just .198 with two outs this season.
START ME UP
TCU's starting pitching has been outstanding this season. As a group, they have posted a 17-3 record to go along with a 1.78 ERA. In 187 innings pitched, the group of eight have struck out 170 while issuing just 46 walks. Opponents are hitting just .204 against them.
Andrew Mitchell has a miniscule 0.51 ERA in three starts. Kyle Winkler leads the staff with 65 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings pitched.
All eight of Winkler's starts have gone at least six innings. Six of Steven Maxwell's starts have been of the quality variety. All three of Andrew Mitchell's starts were six or more innings.
