TCU baseball: What to watch for as Horned Frogs host Seton Hall

TCU baseball is back home today after going 2-2 in a four-game road trip, and fans itching for baseball at Lupton Stadium will be able to take in plenty of it this afternoon and evening.

The No. 19 Horned Frogs square off against Seton Hall for a three-game non-conference series — a series that now includes a Friday double-header after Saturday’s game was bumped up due to thunderstorms in the forecast.

Here is a quick rundown of what to expect in Fort Worth as TCU looks to get back in the win column following Tuesday’s loss at DBU.

No. 19 TCU vs. Seton Hall

When:

Game 1 — Friday, April 12 at 3 p.m. CT
Game 2 — Friday, April 12 at approx. 6:30 p.m. CT
Game 3 — Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m. CT

Where: Lupton Stadium; Fort Worth, Texas
Records: TCU - 20-10 (5-4 Big 12), Seton Hall - 14-15 (2-1 Big East)
Live Stream: HFTV
Radio: KTCU 88.7 FM

Projected Starters:

Game 1 — Nick Lodolo vs. Ricky DeVito
Game 2 — Charles King vs. David Festa
Game 3 — Brandon Williamson vs. Noah Thompson

Where TCU stands

Offense hasn’t been an issue for the Horned Frogs, who enter the weekend as one of just three Big 12 teams batting a collective .300 or better. TCU is also atop the Big 12 in OBP (.417). Pitching is a different story after the Frogs gave up 11 runs at DBU mid-week, a game in which TCU issued 10 walks — four of those on four-pitches. The outing prompted head coach Jim Schlossnagle to dub his pitching staff as “the worst he’s seen in 16 years” during postgame interviews. Of course, it’s not all bad, as Nick Lodolo — who will be sent to the bump in game one Friday — is 25th in the nation with a 1.25 ERA and 15th with 68 strikeouts on the year. But after TCU’s ace gets sent to the mound, the pitching staff has plenty of work to do in terms of getting back on track. The Frogs own a collective 4.30 ERA.

Where Seton Hall stands

Seton Hall — an opponent TCU has never faced before — knows a thing or two about playing on the road. All 29 of the Pirates’ games this season have been played away from home entering Friday — including 11 neutral-site matchups. The Pirates have found a bit of a groove entering the weekend, having prevailed in 7 of their last 10 matchups with a .257 team batting average and 3.90 team ERA on the season. Steve Grober and Casey Dana pose the two biggest threats at the plate, with Grober hitting a team-high .329 while Dana has homered six times in 2019.

The Pirates will be playing with heavier hearts this weekend too, as head coach Rob Sheppard will not be in the dugout — attending his father’s funeral. Shepard’s father, Mike Sheppard, was formerly the head coach at Seton Hall for 30 years (1973-200) and let the Pirates to a pair of College World Series appearances.