TCU Baseball: Texas Southern Preview

As far as I know, this game is still happening. And despite it being terrible weather, which makes it lame for both the team and the fans--no one likes sitting in this weather and no team likes playing in an empty house--but going into this weekend, I'd much rather have four games under my belt than three, two, one, or possibly none at all. The Frogs are coming off a great series win, and with a very important slate of games beginning next Tuesday against Rice, it'd be much more beneficial to go into that game having played the full schedule.

Is Texas Southern that important of a game in the long run? No. But, having Traver get what should be another easy win and the opportunity for a big confidence boost the week before he plays Rice is a huge plus.

TCU

Over the weekend, I also talked about how this team's baserunning has been superb. The Frogs converted 6 of 7 steals over the weekend, and currently lead the Big 12 with 14. Not so much in stats--though, that'd be nice too--but more so in execution, the base running is something that could shine, and be polished, in the murky weather tonight. Defensively, TCU's also been more than solid and have committed only 4 errors this season. So, the chance of losing this game on account of errors and stupid mental mistakes is very unlikely.

The offense did its job in every game against great pitching in Tempe, so tonight should be fun. Odell and Cody Jones have reached base safely in every game this season, and Odell is hitting like he did at the end of his freshman year; the College Station Regional comes to mind.

Impact Player: Mitchell Traver

Let's talk about Traver. Rice is a really good team, and it'll be fun to dive into their world next week. But you'd think with TCU's hitting going the way it is, and Traver looking like he did in his first outing; both are only going to get better. A few more games against UT-Arlington, Incarnate Word, and the um (insert your own adjective) Dallas Baptist, is what's on slate for Traver. Until it comes tournament time, Traver could very be undefeated come the regular season's end...

Texas Southern

Pitching and fielding wise, Texas Southern is a bit of an anomaly. They've made over a dozen errors, yet they've only allowed 4 unearned runs. They're averaging over 10 strikeouts per game, yet they're ERA is 5.29 and they've given up 9 homeruns. They haven't seen a team anywhere near where TCU is, so tonight could get out of hand quick...

Impact Player: Robert Garza

Even though they're sitting at 4-4, the Tigers can hit--and have collected 82 so far this season. They've also racked up 9 homeruns, divided among six players. Joel Rosario can get on base, and boasts a .543 OBP, in addition to his 10 hits, 5 RBIs, 2 homeruns, and 9 runs. But the bread and butter of this lineup is Robert Garza. The senior from McAllen boasts a .394 BA, 13 hits, 2 homeruns, 9 runs, and a team leading 10 runs scored.

Prediction:

Cold weather may ignite some minimal drama, but TCU still wins with relative ease, 5-1.