Monday Morning Manager: Baseball streaks to 8 straight, Mash For Micah getting pricey

I’ve never been happier to see my bank account get smaller. With five more home runs last week, including the first and second grand slams of the season, the #MashForMicah count is now up above $19,000 for the season.

28 runs in two games against UT Rio Grande Valley made us all wonder if the bats were back for good, as the team hit a combined .406 against the overmatched Vaqueros.

The second game against UTRGV started a 27-inning scoreless streak for TCU’s opponents, as Frog pitchers really found a groove going into the weekend against Kansas State.

Thanks to stellar performances on the mound, the Frogs took the series in Manhattan for the first time since joining the Big 12. Oddly enough, though, it was the third time TCU had swept the season series with Kansas State in that same time frame. A three game, combined 18-4 drubbing of a conference opponent is never a bad thing, and now that TCU is sitting at 21-5, 8-1, the Frogs are really starting to look and act like the No. 1 team in the country, even if that ranking is no longer theirs.

Barzilli is finding his bat

Barzilli has recorded a hit in five straight games, batting .353 with four RBI and five runs scored. the third baseman looks infinitely more comfortable at the plate, and has his batting average back up above .200 (.202) for the first time this season.

It’s a huge sign of good things to come for the Frogs if Barz can continue to be a monster at the plate. His bat was critical to TCU’s College World Series run a season ago.

Jared Janczak is a monster

Janczak (5-0) kicked off the weekend with another ace performance. He carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning (for his second consecutive start) as he completely shut down the Wildcat bats on Saturday night. Unfortunately for him, TCU’s bats were just as tempered as Kansas State’s, so his 9-inning, two hit, seven strikeout performance was rewarded with a no decision.

His ERA improved to 2.05 on the season, the best on the team by a pitcher who has started at least one game this season. The most impressive thing about Janczak this season though, is how frequently he’s missing bats.

Janczak has 50 strikeouts through 48.1 innings this season, and he’s had five games with at least five strikeouts. Six of his seven starts have been quality starts, with the lone non-quality start still seeing him go five innings with five strikeouts, and just two runs allowed.

Twice Janczak has eclipsed the 10-strikeout mark in a game this season. He recorded 10 strikeouts in a win over Ole Miss during the Shriners Childrens Classic down in Houston, and he dominated Kansas to the tune of 14 strikeouts in TCU’s second Big 12 game of the season.

First time dinger hitters

A big shoutout goes to Mason Hesse and Zach Humphreys, as both tallied their first career home runs with TCU this past week. Humphreys, a freshman, has seen action in seven games, including five starts in relief of Evan Skoug, and is hitting .353 on the season.

Meanwhile, Hesse, who has been a faithful role player into his second season at TCU, is hitting .286 with seven RBI in limited time.

Both guys clearly reflect the insane level of depth on this Frog squad.

Up Next

TCU is coming up on a five-game non-conference stretch, with UT-Arlington Tuesday, followed by a three game series against Murray State this weekend, followed by a game against Dallas Baptist next week.