Big 12 Play Continues: TCU Hosts Oklahoma St.
3/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Saturday, March 21 • 6:30 p.m. (CT) | Radio: KTCU 88.7 FM | | Watch
Sunday, March 22 • 2 p.m. (CT) | TV: FS1 | Radio: KTCU 88.7 FM | | Listen
FORT WORTH - TCU faces a tough challenge as it welcomes No. 19 Oklahoma State to Lupton Stadium in a key Big 12 match-up. The Cowboys are the defending Big 12 champions and were picked to defend their title this season. The series opener is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Friday: RHP Mitchell Traver vs. RHP Jon Perrin
Saturday: RHP Preston Morrison vs. RHP Tyler Buffett
Sunday: LHP Alex Young vs. LHP Michael Freeman
TCU NOTABLES
• TCU is off to a 16-2 start, the best under the direction of head coach Jim Schlossnagle. TCU's best start was a 19-2 clip in 1985.
• TCU has won eight straight games entering Friday's contest after sweeping a midweek series against UT Pan American.
• The Horned Frogs notched their fifth shutout of the season in Tuesday's win.
• The pitching staff has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of the last 11 games.
• Derek Odell paced the Frogs' offense against UTPA this week with five hits and four RBIs.
• Evan Skoug has pushed his hitting streak to 15 games.
• The Frogs swiped six bases in the two games to give them 26 on the season.
• Defensivley, the Frogs have committed just one error in the last five games.
TCU leads the Big 12 and ranks second nationally with a .986 fielding percentage.
• Preston Morrison needs to toss just 5 2/3 innings to become the all-time leader.
OKLAHOMA STATE NOTABLES
• Oklahoma State enters the weekend on a six-game winning streak.
• The Cowboys rank second in the Big in offense (.291) and pitching (2.56 ERA). • Oklahoma State has drawn a league-high 106 walks.
• Gage Green makes the offense go with a .347 average and a team-high 10 stolen bases.
• Tim Arakawa's 21 RBIs rank second in the Big 12.
• Eight different Cowboys have hit a home run this season. Green, Dustin Williams, Kevin Bradley and Conor Costello lead the way with two each.
• On the mound, the pitching staff has tossed four shutouts, three of which have come during the six-game winning streak.
• Koda Glover has four saves in 10 appearances.
• Defensively, the Cowboys have committed 19 errors, but have only yielded eight unearned runs.
SERIES NOTABLES
• TCU and Oklahoma State will be meeting on the diamond for the 34th time.
• The teams split four meetings a year ago. Oklahoma State won the regular season series 2-1, but TCU topped the Cowboys in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.
• TCU owns a slim 18-15 series lead. The Frogs are 4-2 in games at Lupton Stadium.
• The Horned Frogs are 10-7 against the Cowboys since Jim Schlossnagle took over.
• From 1923-25, TCU and Oklahoma State met on the diamond as conference opponents.
HOME NOTABLES
• The Horned Frogs will play 31 home games in 2015.
• TCU has won 12 straight at Lupton dating back to 2014.
• TCU holds an all-time mark of 288-100 at Lupton.
• TCU owns a 123-36 all-time record in conference games at Lupton Stadium.
• TCU has won 20 or more games at Lupton in 11 of 12 seasons.
• TCU ranks 11th nationally in attendance with an average of 3,625 fans per game.
INSIDE THE STREAK
TCU ran its win streak to eight games after sweeping UT Pan American in a midweek series. The Frogs are performing in all three facets of the game with a .296 batting average, a 1.75 ERA and a .987 fielding percentage.
Cody Jones (.464) and Nolan Brown (.423) have been the offensive catalysts for the offense. Cody Jones has a .559 on-base percentage of out of the lead-off spot, while Garrett Crain leads the team with six RBIs.
The pitching staff has surrendered more than two runs just once during the streak. Riley Ferrell has tallied four of his seven saves during the streak.
HOME SWEET HOME
TCU has enjoyed the friendly confines of Lupton Stadium this season to the tune of a perfect 11-0 record. Dating back to last season, TCU has won 12 straight home games.
In 2014, the Frogs started out the home schedule with a 9-6 record. TCU won 18 of its final 20 home games in 2014 and has now won 29 of its last 31 home games.
Offensively, the Frogs are hitting .310 at home, pitching to the tune of a 1.09 ERA and have just three errors for a .991 fielding percentage.
Cody Jones has a .568 batting average this season at Lupton Stadium, while Evan Skoug has three of TCU's five home runs at Lupton.
On the mound, Mitchell Traver paces the staff with a 3-0 record in five appearances. He has allowed just one run in 23 innings for a 0.39 ERA.
BREAKING OUT
Entering Tuesday's game against UT Pan American, Derek Odell was mired in a 1-for-27 slump that saw his average drop from .360 all the way down to .192. He had a breakout series against the Broncs, going 5-for-8 and boosting his average back up to .250.
STREAKING
Evan Skoug is in the midst of a 15-game hitting streak. In his short career, he has been held hitless in just one game. During the streak, Skoug is hitting .295 (18-for-61) with two doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs.
MOUND DOMINATION
The TCU pitching staff allowed just four runs over the weekend and has surrendered just 19 runs during its current eight-game wininng streak.
TCU boasts a Big 12 leading 1.71 ERA, a mark that ranks third nationally behind Tulane and Texas A&M. In 18 games played this season, TCU has held an opponent to two or fewer runs 14 times.
Opponents have struggled mightily to score runs against the pitching staff. Over the last 57 games played dating back to April 1, 2014, the Frogs have a 1.74 ERA and are an impressive 49-8.
DEFENSIVE PROWESS
TCU has played 11 errorless games this season and has committed just one error in its last five games played. The run of good defense has improved TCU's nation-leading fielding percentage to .986. The Frogs have committed two errors in a game just four times this year. TCU's 10 errors this season have led to just five unearned runs.
LIMITED FREE PASSES
TCU has issued a league-low 29 walks this season. The Horned Frog pitching staff leads the nation in K:BB ratio at 5.31.
Tyler Alexander has yet to issue a walk this season in 20 2/3 innings. Dating back to last year, Alexander has not issued a walk in his last 34 1/3 innings pitched.
IN A PINCH
TCU has received strong play from its bench players this season. As a group, the Frog pinch hitters are 3-for-13 (.231) with four RBIs.
Austin Wade has made four pinch hit appearances this season and drawn four walks. Elliott Barzilli is 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs.
EXTRA, EXTRA
TCU has played 42 extra inning games under the guidance of head coach Jim Schlossnagle. The Frogs hold a 27-15 mark in those games.
TCU's most recent extra-inning game was a 12-inning loss at USC on March 6.
The Frogs set a school-record with a 22-inning victory over Sam Houston State on May 31, 2014.
