TCU Hosts Kansas In Big 12 Opener

TCU wraps up a nine-game homestand this weekend as it hosts Kansas in its inaugural Big 12 series. The Horned Frogs are riding a three-game winning streak heading into the weekend.

TCU NOTABLES
• TCU stretched its winning streak to three games with a midweek series sweep of Northwestern State.
• Wednesday's crowd of 5,612 was the third-largest in Lupton Stadium.
• TCU is 4-2 on its current homestand.
• As a team, the Horned Frogs hit .323 and outscored the Demons 22-8.
• Cody Jones drove in six runs, including five in the finale.
• Jones became the first Horned Frog since 2011 to hit two triples in a game.
• Kevin Cron and Cody Jones stretched their hitting streaks to four games.
• TCU drew 17 walks and was hit five times in posting a .488 on-base percentage in the two games.
• Alex Young and Travis Evans earned the wins on the mound in relief.
• TCU used 24 members of their roster in the two games.
• TCU has not allowed a hitter to reach base via an error for four straight games.

KANSAS NOTABLES
• Kansas comes into the weekend riding a five game winning streak that includes a four game sweep ot Niagara and a midweek victory over Jackson State.
• Offensively, the Jayhawks are averaging 6.7 runs per game.
• Michael Suiter and Jordan Dreiling are the go-to guys offensively, hitting .462 and .400, respectively.
• Dreiling and Alex DeLeon lead the team with 15 RBIs each.
• Speed is a big factor for Kansas as it has swiped 45 bags in 56 attempts, led by nine from Dreiling.
• On the mound, the Jayhawks have a team ERA of 2.90 and are limiting opponents to a .251 batting average.
• Jordan Piche' has two of the Jayhawks three saves.
• Defensively, Kansas is fielding at a .978 clip.

SERIES NOTABLES
• TCU and Kansas are meeting on the diamond for the seventh time in school history.
• The Horned Frogs lead the series 4-2.
• TCU and Kansas opened the 2011 season with a series at Lupton Stadium.
• The Frogs won the series 2-1, taking the first two games before dropping an extra inning game in the finale.

LUPTON STADIUM NOTABLES
• TCU wraps up a nine-game homestand this week ened when it hosts Kansas.
• TCU picked up its first home series win against Pacific this past weekend.
• The Horned Frogs have an all-time record of 238-82 at home.
• TCU owns a conference record of 105-28 in conference games at Lupton Stadium.
• After seven home games, TCU ranks 12th nationally in attendance, averaging almost 3,450 fans per game.

FAMILIAR FOES
Friday marks the Horned Frogs debut in its new conference. While TCU may be joining a new league, the foes will not be unfamiliar to the Horned Frogs and their fans. In fact, the Frogs will be renewing conference rivalries with four members of the Big 12.

TCU was conference foes with Texas Tech, Texas and Baylor from 1923-1996 when the Southwest Conference dissolved. From 1923-25, TCU and Oklahoma State met on the diamond as conference opponents.

Since the demise of the SWC, the Frogs have not shied away from competition, playing 145 games against current members of the Big 12.

TCU and Oklahoma have met each season on the diamond since 1996. The Frogs renewed their series with the Bears in 2000 and have played every year since. TCU has played Texas Tech in every season except 2006 and 2008.

CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The Frogs won seven conference titles in the SWC and seven in the Mountain West.

TCU has enjoyed success in each of the last three conferences. Since the demise of the Southwest Conference, the Frogs have posted a .675 (293-141) winning percentage in league play since 2007.

IN A PINCH
TCU sent four pinch hitters to the plate in the series against Pacific and three reached base. Kevin Cron tallied an RBI single on Saturday, while Derek Odell and Kevin Daniels each earned walks in Sunday's come-from-behind win.

The bench has been crucial to the Frogs this season. TCU has sent a pinch hitter to the plate 38 times and come away with 10 hits, five walks and one sacrifice. As a team they are hitting .290 as pinch hitters.