GoFrogs: TCU begins Big 12 play hosting West Virginia

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GoFrogs: TCU begins Big 12 play hosting West Virginia

No. 7 TCU (12-3, 0-0 Big 12) vs. West Virginia (10-4, 0-0 Big 12)
Date | Time Friday, March 18; 6:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 19; 4 p.m. | Sunday, March 20; 1 p.m.
Location Lupton Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
Radio Listing KTCU 88.7 FM, FrogVision
Live Audio Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Radio Talent Chuck LaMendola
Live Video Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Live Stats Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Game Notes TCU Game Notes

FORT WORTH – TCU’s Big 12 title defense starts Friday night when the Horned Frogs host West Virginia in a three-game series. Game time for the series opener is set for 6:30 p.m.

TCU NOTABLES
• TCU concluded its eight game homestand with a 6-2 record.
• The Horned Frogs, down to their last five outs, rallied for a 6-4 win at Rice on Tuesday night.
• TCU slugged five home runs on the weekend to move its season total to 13, a mark that is tied for tops in the Big 12.
• TCU allowed double-digit runs in back-to-back games for the first time since March 22-23, 2014 at Texas Tech.
• The two home runs allowed in Sunday’s game were the first two surrendered this season.
• Evan Skoug’s nine doubles on the year are tops in the Big 12.
• Josh Watson hit two home runs against the Trojans, giving him a team-leading four on the year.
• Ryan Merrill carries an eight-game hitting streak into Tuesday’s game, while Evan Skoug has reached base safely in 11 straight.
• Elliott Barzilli continues to pace the Big 12 with a .435 batting average, a mark that ranks 34th nationally.

WEST VIRGINIA NOTABLES
• West Virginia has roared out of the gates with 10 wins in its first 14 games.
• Ten of the Mountaineers 14 games have been played away from home. They own a 7-3 mark in those games.
• West Virginia is second in the Big 12 in both batting average (.299) and ERA (2.48).
• The pitching duo of BJ Myers (1.98) and Ross Vance (1.99) rank eighth and ninth, respectively in the Big 12 in ERA and are a combined 5-1.
• Connor Dotson is 3-0 in six appearances out of the bullpen.
• Offensively, the Mountaineers have five hitters with averages above .300 led by KC Huth’s .333 average.
• Darius Hill leads the Mountaineers with 11 RBIs.
• West Virginia has surrendered the least amount of stolen bases in the league. Opponents are just 5-for-11 this season.

SERIES HISTORY
• TCU and West Virginia began their series in 2013 and will be meeting on the diamond for just the 12th time on Friday night.
• TCU is 9-2 all-time against West Virginia.
• The Horned Frogs have swept the regular season series each of the last two seasons.
• TCU is 3-0 against West Virginia at Lupton Stadium, sweeping the series in 2014.
• Head coach Randy Mazey was an assistant from 2007-2012, while Assistant Coach Derek Matlock was a volunteer coach at TCU from 2005-06.

TWO OUT MAGIC
TCU ranks 14th nationally with its average of 8.4 runs per game. A big part of that success has come with two outs. TCU has scored 54 runs with two outs this season, which makes up 41% of the total runs scored.

As a team, TCU is hitting .306 with two outs. Ten different Horned Frogs have tallied a two-out RBI, led by Josh Watson’s 10.

Conversely, TCU has allowed just 20 two-out runs.

MAKING A SPLASH
Josh Watson has burst onto the scene as a legitimate power threat in the middle of the lineup. He leads the team with four home runs after hitting two in the series against USC. The freshman has tallied 16 hits on the year, nine of which have gone for extra bases. He has two doubles and a team-high three triples.

MORE IS BETTER
Evan Skoug has found his power stroke over the last 10 games. The sophomore had no extra base hits through the first six games of the season. Since then, 11 of his last 12 hits have gone for extra bases. Included in that total is nine doubles, one triple and one home run. His nine doubles lead the Big 12 and rank 11th nationally, just two off the national lead.

NO EASY OUTS
Runs have come in bunches for the Frogs this season. TCU has pushed across a run in 53 of the 131 innings they’ve come to the plate. In 30 of those 59 innings, TCU has scored two-or more runs. In 14 of those 28 innings, the Frogs have scored four or more runs. Even when they aren’t scoring runs, TCU has had a least one base runner in 102 innings this season.

POWER HUNGRY
TCU boasts a Big 12-best .493 slugging percentage, a mark that ranks 17th nationally. The Horned Frogs have collected 35 doubles (1st in the Big 12), 11 triples (4th nationally) and 13 home runs (tied for tops in the Big 12).

TCU hasn’t had posted a slugging percentage over .400 since the 2011 campaign. The 13 home runs match the season total from 2013 and is just one behind the total from 2014. The Frogs hit 27 in 2015.


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