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Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships Start Thursday

2013-05-23T12:13:56Z

Date (Time)	Thursday: May 23 vs. Oklahoma State (7:30 p.m. CT) Friday: May 24 vs. West Virginia (4 p.m. CT) Saturday: May 25 vs. Kansas (7:30 p.m. CT)
Location	Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark \| Oklahoma City, Okla.
TV	Fox College Sports
Starting Pitchers	Thursday: Preston Morrison vs. Jason Hursh
Radio Listing	KTCU 88.7 FM
Listen/Listen Online	Thursday \| Friday \| Saturday
Livestats	Tournament Central
Game Notes	TCU
Twitter Updates	Baseball Twitter

The 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships are slated to begin Thursday. TCU will open pool play against the tournament's No. 2 seed Oklahoma State at 7:30.

TCU NOTABLES
• TCU finished its inaugural season in the Big 12 with a 12-12 record, tied for sixth with Kansas.
• The Horned Frogs went 5-3 in Big 12 series this season.
• TCU is one of the hottest teams in the month of May with a 7-3 mark heading into the conference tournament.
• TCU's pitching staff finished the regular season with the league's second-best ERA at 2.73, a mark that ranks 14th nationally.
• Preston Morrison has thrown 16 1/3 inning without allowing an earned run dating back to his start at USC.
• Morrison's 1.22 ERA is fifth nationally.
• The Frogs ended the regular season as the top defensive team in the league with a .976 fielding percentage. That ranks 23rd nationally.
• Keaton Jones has reached base safely in 13 straight games.

INSIDE TCU'S BRACKET
• TCU's side of the bracket features No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 3. West Virginia and No. 6 Kansas.
• The Frogs posted 2-1 series victories over Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
• Kansas took a 2-1 series decision in the Frogs inaugural Big 12 series back in March.
• TCU is a combined 5-4 against its side of the bracket.
• The other bracket features No. 1 Kansas State, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Baylor and No. 8 Texas Tech.
• TCU was a combined 5-7 against the teams that comprise the other bracket.

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT NOTABLES
• For just the third time under Coach Schlossnagle, the Horned Frogs failed to win the tournament crown in 2012. The only other seasons they didn't win were 2009 and 2011 .
• TCU has won six titles in the last nine years.
• TCU is 25-8 in conference tournaments under Jim Schlossnagle.
• TCU has had 36 players honored on the all-tournament squads over the last eight years.
• Kevin Cron, Derek Odell, Jerrick Suiter and Jantzen Witte all have all-tournament plaques on their resumes.
• TCU is 20-5 in road tournament games since the 2004 season.
• Three of TCU's eight losses in the conference tournament have come at Lupton Stadium, one was in Houston in 2004 and four in Las Vegas in 2011.
• The Frogs have won tournament titles at Houston, at Southern Miss, at UNLV twice, at TCU and at San Diego State.

NEUTRAL SITE NOTABLES
• TCU is 52-25 in neutral site contests under the direction of head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
• The Frogs have played in one neutral site game this season and are 1-0.
• TCU and UT Arlington squared off at The Ballpark In Arlington on March 19.
• The Frogs took a 5-4 decision over the Mavericks.
• Jerrick Suiter drove in two of the five runs and Stefan Crichton was the winning pitcher.

TURNING UP THE HEAT
May has been the best month of the season for the Horned Frogs as they have seven wins in 10 games. The 3-1 week last week helped the Frogs climb over the .500 mark for the first time this season.

Offensively, the bats have come to life as the Frogs are hitting .267 as a team and are averaging five runs per game. TCU has smoked 21 doubles, led by four each from Jantzen Witte and Boomer White. Derek Odell is the hottest hitter of the month with a .407 average.

On the mound, the Frogs have remained consistent with a 2.76 ERA. Riley Ferrell (0.00), Preston Morrison (0.86) and Alex Young (0.87) all have sub-1.00 ERA.

Defensively, the Frogs have committed just eight errors for a .979 fielding percentage. The Frogs have played five errorless games.

STREAKING
Keaton Jones enters the weekend carry a 13 game streak of reaching base safely. He has hits in 10 of the 13 games. Over the course of the streak, Jones is hitting .364 to raise his average to .238 on the season.

Even more impressive is his .451 on-base percentage. In addition to his 16 total hits, Jones has draw five walks and been hit by a pitch twice.

MR. RELIABLE
Preston Morrison has been a model of consistency this season. He leads the Big 12 with an average of 7.38 innings pitched per appearance.

His eight shutout innings against Texas this past Thursday helped him lower his ERA to 1.22 on the season. That's a mark that ranks fifth nationally and tops in the Big 12.

Morrison has lasted at least 5.2 innings in each of his starts this season and has gone seven in 11 of his 14 starts. Even more impressive are the seven starts that have lasted at least eight innings.

The sophomore has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his 14 starts. Twice he has allowed four runs. Opponents are hitting just .213 against him.

He enters this weekend with a streak of 16 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

HOLDING THEM IN CHECK
The TCU pitching staff has done a phenomenal job of keeping the Frogs in every game they've played this season. Only once has an opponent scored nine runs and just five times they have score seven or more.

TCU has held opponents to an average of 3.55 runs per game. Twenty two times, the opponent has scored two or fewer runs and 15 times, they have scored one or no runs in a game.

NO STRANGER TO CLOSE GAMES
Eighteen of TCU's last 25 games have been decided by three runs or less. The Frogs are 15-10 in those contests.

Sixteen of the Horned Frogs 54 games this season have been decided by one run. The Frogs own a 8-8 record in those contests, including wins in five of the last eight games decided by one run.

Additionally, the Frogs have played in seven games decided by two runs. Overall, TCU is 14-20 in games decided by three runs or less.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
The bullpen has been a strength of the team in 2013. TCU has used 11 pitchers in relief this season. In 209 1/3 innings pitched, the bullpen has put up a 2.41 ERA and held opponents to a .216 batting average. The group has struck out 198 and issued just 56 walks.

Leading the charge out of the bullpen has been Trey Teakell who has not allowed an earned run in 16 2/3 innings pitched. Trevor Seidenberger has been equally as effective with a 1.11 ERA in 14 appeances.

In the series against Texas, the Horned Frog bullpen tossed 10 2/3 innings. They allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits. The group issued four walks and struck out six.

ELIMINATING THE MISCUES
TCU leads the Big 12 with a .976 fielding percentage. The Frogs have done a good job minimizing the miscues. The Frogs have allowed a runner to reach base via an error only 29 times this season. TCU has surrendered 33 unearned runs this season.

Links O' War: May 23rd, 2013

2013-05-23T12:09:09Z

Here are your morning links!

Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships Start Thursday - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
The 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships are slated to begin Thursday. TCU will open pool play against the tournament's No. 2 seed Oklahoma State at 7:30.

Tan Upsets No. 17 Oyen at NCAA Championships - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
TCU women's tennis sophomore Stefanie Tan posted the first big upset of the NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championships Wednesday morning with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Florida's Sofie Oyen.

Cole Named Capital One Academic All-District - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
TCU senior men's golfer Eli Cole was named to the Capital One Academic All-District VII First Team this week by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

TCU Ready for NCAA West Preliminaries - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
It is all about advancing to Oregon this weekend for the TCU track and field programs.

Notes On A Scorecard - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
TCU director of intercollegiate athletics Chris Del Conte discusses the hot topics around the Horned Frogs.

TCU women’s tennis player reaches second round of NCAA tournament | Dallas-Fort Worth ...
TCU’s Stefanie Tan upset No. 17-ranked Sofie Oyen of Florida on Wednesday in the first round of the NCAA women’s tennis championships in Urbana, Ill.

TCU feels confident about winning Big 12 baseball tournament, saving season | Dallas-Fort Wor...
All the frustration, anguish and empty feeling in the gut would vanish for Kevin Cron.

Links O' War: May 22nd, 2013

2013-05-22T12:17:55Z

Here are your morning links!

Eight Frogs Honored By The Big 12 - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
Eight members of the TCU baseball team were honored by the Big 12 coaches as all-conference performers. Jantzen Witte was named Big 12 Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Future Frogs Finish High School Careers Strong - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
The future of TCU's track and field programs are looking bright with its class of newcomers for the 2013-14 season having a successful end to their high school careers.

TCU feels like a perfect fit for 2015 DB Johnny Shaw - ESPN
Johnny Shaw (Center, Texas/Center) admitted that he got more than what he came for on Saturday.

Former Paschal teammates ready for Colonial debuts | Dallas-Fort Worth Sports News - Sports N...
Franklin Corpening has envisioned the scene so many times, he expects to be comfortable if his lifelong dream turns into reality.

TCU’s margin for error narrows with format change in Big 12 tournament | Dallas-Fort W...
TCU’s room for error at the Big 12 tournament narrowed Tuesday. The league announced the tournament’s start would be postponed a day until Thursday and will change from a double-elimination format to pool play. The league made the change after tornadoes caused a major disaster in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, Okla.

Links O' War: May 21st, 2013

2013-05-21T12:08:55Z

Here are your morning links!

The Future: Ventress Continues to Improve - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
GoFrogs.com takes a look at junior Natalie Ventress' second year in the women's basketball program.

Boschini: TCU stadium renovation the reason for drop in grant money for FY2012 | TCU 360
The amount of money that TCU received in grants and contributions in fiscal year 2012 was significantly lower than in FY2011, and with good reason- the university wasn’t actively fundraising to build a stadium in 2012.

College Confidential: Bus carrying TCU baseball team finally arrives in OKC after six-hour, storm-affected trip
A bus carrying the TCU baseball team to Oklahoma City Monday for the Big 12 tournament was forced to pull over at a rest area south of Pauls Valley and wait out storms. The team was scheduled to depart Fort Worth at 1 p.m. but didn’t leave until almost 2 p.m. That delay may have prevented the team from being in the path of the tornado that struck Moore, Okla. around 3 p.m. A tornado threatened Ardmore south of the team’s bus.

TCU catcher enjoying defensive turnaround since terse meeting with coach | Dallas-Fort Worth ...
It was April 19 after a 3-2 loss to Baylor when catcher Kyle Bacak got an earful.

Washington’s Chris Williams wins Ben Hogan Award as top collegiate golfer | Dallas-For...
During his freshman season, Washington golfer Chris Williams watched an Internet feed of the Ben Hogan Award ceremony when a teammate received the honor.

Morning Links O' War: May 20th, 2013

2013-05-20T14:08:09Z

Here are your morning links!

Scout.com: "It Just Felt Like Home"
Dallas Skyline's Ty Barrett now holds over 20 offers. The 6'4" 305 pound offensive lineman was in Ft. Worth Sunday to visit TCU and from the sound of things, the Horned Frogs made quite an impression.

College Confidential: TCU PA Jeff Smith named NCAA announcer of the year
TCU public address announcer Jeff Smith was named the first NCAA recipient of the Bob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year Award by the National Association of Sports Public Address Announcers.

TCU’s path to the postseason starts with Oklahoma State at Big 12 tournament | Dallas-...
TCU’s only path to the NCAA postseason has been set. The Horned Frogs, the seventh seed in the Big 12 tournament, open against No. 2 seed Oklahoma State at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

Golf roundup: TCU alums finish second, tied for third at Web.Com Tour event | Dallas-Fort Wor...
Former South Carolina player Mark Anderson won the BMW Charity Pro-Am on Sunday in Greer, S.C., for his first Web.com Tour title, closing with a 6-under 65 for a five-stroke victory.

TCU golfer Brun one of three finalists for 2013 Hogan Award | Dallas-Fort Worth Sports News -...
TCU golfer Julien Brun, a three-time winner in college events this season, will join California’s Michael Kim and Washington’s Chris Williams for Monday night’s live announcement of the winner of the 2013 Ben Hogan Award.

Sunday Afternoon Links O' War: May 19th, 2013

2013-05-19T17:59:21Z

Here are your morning links!

Texas Avoids Sweep; Tops TCU 3-0 - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
Texas avoided the series sweep with a 3-0 win over TCU Saturday afternoon at Lupton Stadium. The Longhorns scored three times in the first three innings and held on for the victory.

TCU Rallies for Runner-Up NCAA Regional Finish - TCU Horned Frogs Official Athletic Site
TCU finished off the weekend strong Saturday, climbing into second place at the NCAA Pullman Regional to claim a spot in the 2013 NCAA Championship. The Frogs earned their fourth NCAA berth in the last five years.

TCU can't complete sweep, falls 3-0 to Texas | TCU 360
C.J Hinojosa proved to be the thorn in TCU’s side, as the Horned Frogs couldn’t pull off the sweep, falling to the Texas Longhorns 3-0.

TCU seniors say goodbye to Lupton Stadium with 3-0 loss to Texas | Dallas-Fort Worth Sports N...
The finality hadn’t hit TCU third baseman Jantzen Witte. He was trying to soak in the fact that he had just played the last game of his career at Lupton Stadium, an easily forgettable 3-0 loss to Texas to close out the regular season in front of 4,694, the largest crowd of the year.

College notes: Brun’s 67 helps TCU claim NCAA berth | Dallas-Fort Worth Sports News - ...
TCU climbed into second place Saturday to claim a spot in the NCAA Championship at the NCAA Regional at Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash. The Frogs earned their fourth Championship berth in the past five years.

Texas Avoids Sweep; Tops TCU 3-0

2013-05-19T13:06:03Z

Texas avoided the series sweep with a 3-0 win over TCU Saturday afternoon at Lupton Stadium. The Longhorns scored three times in the first three innings and held on for the victory.
The Frogs found themselves down 1-0 two batters into the game. Brooks Marlow led off the game with a double and scored on a base hit by C.J. Hinojosa. A one-out walk to Erich Weiss followed by a stolen base had the Longhorns in business again. With two outs, Jacob Felts lined a single up the middle to extend the lead.

TCU had a golden opportunity to get back in the ballgame in the second inning. Kevin Cron singled with one out and moved to second on a base hit from Keaton Jones. Texas pitcher Nathan Thornhill battled back to retire the next two batters, stranding the tying runs on base.

Texas extended its lead in the third. The duo of Marlow and Hinojosa teamed up again to provide the insurance run. Marlow opened the inning with a double and scored on a Hinojosa base hit. With a runner in scoring position, the Horned Frogs went to the bullpen and called on Stefan Crichton. He needed just three pitches to get out of the inning without anymore runs scoring.

Twice TCU got the lead-off batter on, but each time Thornhill made the necessary pitches to get out of the innings unscathed. In the third, he got a double play ball and in the fourth he retired three straight to end the inning.

The Frogs final threat came in the fifth inning after a Brett Johnson bunt single with one out. Cody Jones grounded out to second to put Johnson in scoring position and a Boomer White infield singles put runners on the corners. They would be stranded as Thornhill got a ground ball to end the inning.

Trevor Seidenberger (2-3) started and took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings of work. Crichton tossed four shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Travis Evans retired the only two batters he faced and Riley Ferrell pitched two scoreless innings.

TCU finishes the regular season with a 28-26 overall record and wrapped up its first Big 12 campaign with a 12-12 record. TCU will find out Sunday who it will be matched up with in the opening game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Postseason Tournament. The field of eight will travel to Oklahoma City next week.

Crystal Ballin': The Texas Longhorns

2013-05-18T14:52:38Z

Fungo is busy, so instead of TELLING you what to think about the Longhorns, I give you game tape from the Longhorns/Horned Frogs last two games, which should help prepare you for the big 2013 throwdown.