TCU v. Texas Series Preview and Open Thread

Original Content via GoFrogs.com

TCU NOTABLES

• TCU scored a season-high in runs with a 13-0 win on Tuesday over Houston Baptist.
• It was TCU's seventh shutout of the season.
• TCU has won eight of nine games played in the month of April, including five of six league games to move up to third in the conference standings.
• Eight different Frogs drove in a run against Houston Baptist and nine hitters tallied at least one hit.
• Jordan Kipper was tabbed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. He tossed six shutout innings Tuesday to improve to 5-2.
• Kevin Cron collected his first-career multi-home run game last Friday. He leads the team with four.
• Boomer White leads the Big 12 with a .378 batting average.
• Cody Jones continues to lead the league with 16 stolen bases.
• TCU ranks second in the Big 12 with a 2.69 ERA, while it is one of two schools with 300 strikeouts (328).
• The pitching staff has tallied 10 or more strikeouts 16 times this season.

TEXAS NOTABLES

• Texas has won four in a row entering the weekend. 
• Additionally, the Longhorns have swept each of the last two conference series (vs. Baylor; @ Oklahoma).
• The Longhorns are ranked in the top 10 in all the major polls.
• Texas owns the best ERA in the Big 12 at 2.11.
• Nathan Thornhill boasts the top ERA in the league at 0.78 in 58 innings pitched.
• Offensively, the Longhorns are hitting .268 as a team and are led by Mark Payton's .348 average.
• Ben Johnson is the power threat with four of Texas' 10 home runs. He is a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases.
• Defensively, Texas ranks second in the league with a .978 fielding percentage. It has surrendered the fewest stolen bases in the Big 12 (14).

SERIES NOTABLES

• TCU and Texas will be meeting for the 255th time on Thursday.
• Texas holds a 161-89-4 series lead.
• TCU and Texas have played just 25 times since the demise of the Southwest Conference in 1996. The Longhorns are 15-10 in those games.
• TCU won the series 2-1 in 2013 when Texas came to Fort Worth.
• The Frogs and the Longhorns last met in Austin in 2010 when TCU took a 2-1 series win over in the NCAA Super Regionals to advance to their first-ever College World Series.

TURNING THE PAGE

Since the calendar flipped to April, the Horned Frogs have been on a tear to the tune of an 8-1 record. Included in that total is a 5-1 record in conference play. The Frogs have climbed all the way up to third in the Big 12 standings.

The Horned Frogs are no strangers to heating up at the right time as they boast a 140-46 record in the month of April under the guidance of head coach Jim Schlossnagle.

OFFENSIVE SURGE

Since entering the month of April, the Horned Frogs are hitting .337 as a team. The Frogs entered the month hitting .265 as a team. They have raised that to .283 over the course of the last nine games.

In seven of the nine games, TCU has notched 10 or more hits. Five of TCU's nine total home runs on the year have come this month.

Derek Odell is the hottest hitter on the team with a .485 (16-for-33) average. Boomer White is hitting .417 and leads the team with 11 RBIs. Three of Kevin Cron's four home runs this season have come in the last nine games.

DEFENSIVE PROWESS

TCU has played errorless baseball in four of the last five games. Even more impressive is that the Horned Frogs have committed just two errors in their last seven games played. The Frogs own a .993 fielding percentage over that stretch.

TCU has played 15 errorless games this season and in 27 games, they have committed one or fewer errors.

Seven of TCU's 34 errors on the season have come from the pitcher's mound. Take the pitchers out of the equation, the Frogs boast a .979 fielding percentage.

ON A TEAR

Derek Odell saw his 10 game hitting streak come to an end Tuesday. Despite the end of the streak, he has raised his batting average 83 points from .253 to .336. The junior is hitting .500 (20-for-40) with 11 runs in the last 11 games He's tallied seven multi-hit games.

Even more impressive is his .580 on-base percentage during the streak. He reached base in 29-of-50 plate appearances.

START ME UP

TCU has gotten strong starting pitching the entire season. On the weekends, the Frogs have used four pitchers. Combined they boast a 2.26 ERA in 167 innings pitched.

On the season, TCU has used six starting pitchers and collectively they have a 2.61 ERA.

In 27 of 36 games, the starting pitcher has lasted at least five innings. 20 of the 36 starts have been of the quality variety, while seven have gone eight or more innings.

LEADER OF THE PACK

Boomer White has been TCU's leading hitter from game one this season. After another solid weekend at the plate, White finds himself atop the leader board in the Big 12 with a .378 batting average. White is 54-for-143 this season. His 54hits are also tops in the Big 12.

White has hit safely in 32 of 36 games this season. Additionally, he has been on base in 35of 36 games. The only game he did not reach base in was the March 29th contest at Oklahoma State.

MOWING THEM DOWN

The Horned Frogs continue to set the pace on the mound in strikeouts. The Frogs are one of two pitching staffs with over 300 strikeouts as they boast 328 as a group. TCU has issued a league-low 85 walks.

Nationally, TCU's 3.9 K:BB ratio ranks second, while their 9.1 K/9 is fifth. The Frogs 2.36 B/9 ranks ninth nationally.

In 17 games this season, the Frogs have issued one or fewer walks. Additionally, the Frogs have fanned 10 or more 16 times.

Brandon Finnegan leads the league and is tied for second nationally with 84 strikeouts. His 12.33 K/9 ranks fourth nationally.

SLAMMING THE DOOR

Riley Ferrell collected a pair of saves over the weekend to give him six this season. He is 6-for-his-last-6 in save situations and 6-for-7 this season.

Ferrell made history last week as he was invited to the compete with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team for the second straight year. He is the only Horned Frog to earn two invitations to the National Team.

In the summer of 2013, he made nine appearances and tallied two saves. He fanned 15 and allowed just one hit in 8 2/3 innings of work.