Road Trip Wraps Up At Texas Tech

TCU's stretch of seven out of eight road games ends this weekend with a three-game series at Texas Tech. Friday's series-opener is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be seen live on Fox College Sports.

TCU NOTABLES

• TCU winless streak reached four games as Dallas Baptist rallied for a 5-4 win on Tuesday night.
• Kevin Cron extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
• Despite being swept by Oklahoma last weekend, the Horned Frog pitching staff limited the Sooners to just 10 runs in the series.
• TCU and Oklahoma played a pair of extra inning contests, giving TCU four extra inning games this season.
• Runs have been at a premium this season. The Frogs have score five or fewer runs 18 times this season.
• TCU is no stranger to close games as 12 have been decided by two runs or less.
• The TCU pitching staff ranks fourth in the Big 12 with its team ERA of 3.05.
• Preston Morrison's 1.18 ERA ranks second in the league.

TEXAS TECH NOTABLES
• Texas Tech has just one win in its last four games.
• The Red Raiders lost a road series at West Virginia last weekend and a Tuesday contest to New Mexico State.
• Texas Tech will be hosting its first Big 12 series of the season. Along with West Virginia, the Red Raiders took a 2-1 series win at Texas.
• Offensivley, the Red Raiders have struggled, hitting just .248 as a team. • Devon Conley is the run producer with 21 RBIs.
• The Red Raiders have flashed speed on the bases with 30 stolen bases, half of which have come from Brett Bell.
• Trey Masek is the top pitcher in the Big 12 with a minsicule 0.22 ERA. He has allowed just one run in 40 innings pitched this season.
• The Red Raiders are used to playing close games as 13 games have been decided by two runs or less.
• Defensively, the Red Raiders are fielding at a .972 clip.

SERIES NOTABLES
• Friday's game will be the 149th meeting all-time.
• TCU leads the series 79-68-1.
• The Frogs are 14-3 against Texas Tech under Schlossnagle.
• TCU swept the Red Raiders in Lubbock in 2011 and have won 11 straight dating back to 2007.
• The Frogs swept the Red Raiders in a rain-shortened two-game series at Lupton Stadium in 2012.
• TCU has a 5-1 all-time record against Texas Tech in Lubbock under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
• TCU went 2-1 against the Red Raiders in Lubbock in 2004.

ROAD NOTABLES
• TCU will be playing its fourth series of the season on the road this weekend.
• The Frogs are in a stretch of playing seven out of eight games away from home.
• TCU is 30-7 in road conference series under coach Jim Schlossnagle.
• TCU owns a record of 137-91 on the road under the direction of Schlossnagle.
• TCU is 41-13 in road series victories under Schlossnagle.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
Since making the transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation in the middle of his freshman campaign, Preston Morrison has been nothing short of great.

Morrison has made 17 starts in his collegiate career. In 116 innings pitched, the sophomore has posted an 8-3 record to go along with a miniscule 1.86 ERA. He has issued just 16 walks and fanned 73.

Of his 17 starts, he has pitched into the seventh inning 11 times. All six of his starts in 2013 have lasted at least seven innings. Only three of his career starts have not made it to the fifth inning.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS
When TCU is good, it can be really good. This is demonstrated in the nine victories recorded by the Horned Frogs this season. TCU dominates in all three phases of the game, hitting at a .301 clip, pitching to the tune of a 1.54 ERA and fielding at a .975 rate.

In the 15 losses, the biggest difference comes from the offensive side of the ball. TCU is hitting just .209 in losses. Defensively, there hasn't been much change as it is fielding .971. On the mound, the staff has a respectable 3.92 ERA.

FREE BASEBALL
In each of the last two series, the Horned Frogs have needed extra innings to decide the victory. Against the Sooners, TCU needed extra innings to decide the victory.

It marked the 35th and 36th time under head coach Jim Schlossnagle that the Frogs have needed extra innings to decide a game.

The Frogs fell 3-2 in 12 innings on Friday, dropping them to 4-3 under Schlossnagle in games decided in 12 innings.

On Sunday, the Sooners took a 4-3 decision in 10 innings. In games decided in 10 innings, the Frogs are 14-9 under Schlossnagle.

Despite the two losses, TCU is still 23-13 under Schlossnagle in extra innings.