Road Swing Begins Tuesday At Dallas Baptist
4/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
FORT WORTH -Riding an eight-game winning streak, the TCU baseball team will hit the road for four straight beginning Tuesday night at Dallas Baptist. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. Mitchell Traver will get the start for the Horned Frogs.
TCU NOTABLES
• Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle will be vying for his 500th win as the TCU skipper on Tuesday.
• TCU wrapped up its seven game homestand with a perfect 7-0 record after sweeping Texas to move within half a game of the top spot in the conference.
• The Frogs have matched their longest win streak of the season with eight straight dating back to a road win at UTA on April 14.
• Connor Wanhanen continues his dynamic freshman campaign with a Big 12 leading .402 batting average.
• Preston Morrison made his 54th career start, tying him for the school record held by Clayton Jerome and Shawn Thompson.
• TCU continues to lead the league in all three major categories (.293 batting average, 2.21 ERA and a .980 fielding percentage).
• Cody Jones was 3-for-3 in stolen bases to push his season total to 19, a mark that leads the Big 12.
• The Frog pitching staff continues to be one of the best in the nation ranking first in WHIP (1.02); second in ERA (2.21) and K:BB ratio (4.40) and third in BB/9 (1.99 and shutouts (8).
DALLAS BAPTIST NOTABLES
• Dallas Baptist is coming off a road conference sweep of Southern Illinois.
• The Patriots boast the No. 2 RPI in the nation.
• Home field has been a big advantage for Dallas Baptist as it is 16-2 this season.
• Dallas Baptist is one of the top power teams in the nation with 91 doubles, 14 triples and 39 home runs.
• David Martinelli and Trooper Reynolds have eight and seven home runs, respectively.
• Drew Turbin is the top average hitter at .350, while Camden Duzenack leads the team with 35 RBIs.
• On the mound, the staff boasts a 3.35 ERA and is limiting opponents to a .249 average.
• Brandon Koch has 10 of the Patriots' 15 saves. He is tied with Drew Smith with 18 appearances out of the bullpen.
• Defensively, the team is fielding at a .976 clip. They have allowed just 23 stolen bases in 40 attempts this season.
SERIES NOTABLES
• TCU and Dallas Baptist are meeting for the 66th time in program history.
• The Frogs hold a 421-23 lead in the all-time series.
• 2015 marks the 12th straight season that the two programs have met on the diamond.
• TCU won the first meeting of the season, taking a 6-2 win in Fort Worth.
• After sweeping DBU in 2015, the Horned Frogs have won three straight against the Patriots.
• TCU is 4-2 against Dallas Baptist in Dallas under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
ROAD NOTABLES
• TCU will play 22 games away from home this season. Only one of those games (Vanderbilt) will be played on a neutral site.
• TCU will play seven of its final 11regular season games on the road. • TCU is 10-6 away from home this season.
• TCU holds a record of 165-104 in road games under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
MILESTONE WATCH
Head coach Jim Schlossnagle recorded his 499th win at TCU in Sunday's 7-1 win over Texas. He will become just the second head coach in TCU history when he records his 500th victory in the Purple and White. The 12-year head coach trails the program's all-time winningest coach, Lance Brown, by 18 wins. Brown recorded 517 victories as head coach from 1987-2003.
INSIDE THE STREAK
Since dropping a 2-1 series decision to Kansas State two weeks ago, TCU has gone on an eight game winning streak. TCU has dominated in all facets of the game. Offensively, the Frogs are hitting .331 and have outscored their opponents 53-17. Defensively, the Frogs are fielding .974 and have yielded just two stolen bases. On the mound, the stuff has 1.50 ERA with 80 strikeouts and are limiting opponents to a .195 average.
TWO OUT MAGIC
TCU scored eight of its 23 runs against Texas this past weekend with two outs, including seven of the 11 in a come-from-behind win in game two on Saturday. This season, the Frogs have scored 92 of their 247 runs with two outs. Connor Wanhanen and Derek Odell co-lead the team with 13 two-out RBIs, while Keaton Jones is close behind with 12.
Conversely, the TCU pitching staff has really battened down the hatches. After allowing 57 two-out runs through the first 34 games this season, the Frogs have surrendered just four in the last eight games.
FAST START
TCU has scored a first inning run in each of the last four games. During the eight-game winning streak, the Frogs have scored in the first six times.
TCU has been a solid first inning club this season, outscoring its opponents 44-18. The Frogs have pushed across a first inning run 20 times this season. Cody Jones has been a big factor in getting the Frogs off to a good start. He has reached base safely in the first inning 20 times and has scored 14 times.
PIVOTAL INNING
The majority of TCU's game have been decided at the end of seventh inning this season. The Frogs are 33-0 when leading after seven and 0-7 when trailing. Twice the Frogs have been tied at the end of seven and they have split those contests.
NAILING IT DOWN
A big factor in TCU's 30-0 record when leading or tied after six is a dominating bullpen. The bullpen boasts a 1.29 ERA in games the Frogs win and has a 4.85 ERA in games they lose.
On the season, the bullpen boasts a 2.31 ERA to go along with a 7-2 record. They have fanned 150 batters while issuing just 36 walks. Opponents have just a .229 batting average.
