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GoFrogs: TCU Starts Road Stretch at Texas
No. 4 TCU (17-3, 3-0 Big 12) vs. Texas (9-12, 0-0 Big 12)
Date | Time Thursday, March 24; 6 p.m. | Friday, March 25; 6 p.m. | Saturday, March 26; 2:30 p.m.
Location UFCU-Disch Falk Field (Austin, Texas)
Radio Listing KTCU 88.7 FM
Live Audio Thursday | Friday | Saturday
Radio Talent Chuck LaMendola
Live Video Thursday | Friday
Live Stats Thursday | Friday | Saturday
Game Notes TCU Game Notes
FORT WORTH – No. 4 TCU will take its five game winning streak to the road starting Thursday night at Texas. The Horned Frogs will play 10 of their next 11 games away from Lupton Stadium. Thursday’s opener against Texas is set for 6 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
TCU NOTABLES
• For the second straight season, TCU opened Big 12 play with a series sweep.
• TCU stretched its winning streak to five games with a 6-4 win over Abilene Christian on Tuesday.
• The Horned Frogs are 11-2 in the month of March and are ranked in the top 10 of all the major polls.
• TCU leads the Big 12 with a .321 battinga average and ranks second with a 2.78 ERA.
• With its six-run first inning on Tueday, TCU has now score four or more runs in an inning 18 times this season.
• TCU has scored double-digit runs nine times this season after doing so only 11 times in 2015.
• Dane Steinhagen’s second home run of the season was the 17th for TCU, which is tops in the Big 12.
• Elliott Barzilli raised his average to .447. He tops the Big 12 with 34 hits on the season.
• Evan Skoug’s team-leading 11 doubles are tops in the Big 12.
• Luken Baker tallied eight RBIs in the the last four game and he now leads the Big 12 with 25.
TEXAS NOTABLES
• Texas is coming off a dominating 11-2 victory over UTSA on Tuesday night.
• The victory was just the Longhorns second in the last seven games.
• Texas is no stranger to close games, going 1-6 in one-run ballgames this season.
• All but five games this season have been played in Austin. Texas is 7-9 at home this year.
• Offensively, Texas is led by Travis Jones’ .333 average, while Tres Barrera has been the leading run-producer with 15.
• Texas ranks second nationally, just one off the lead, in sacrifice bunts with 29.
• On the mound, the staff boasts a 3.40 ERA and is limiting the opposition to a .234 batting average.
• Travis Duke ranks sixth nationally with 13 appearances on the mound.
• Texas has surrendered just 10 stolen bases.
SERIES HISTORY
• TCU and Texas will be meeting for the 261st time on Thursday.
• Texas holds a 161-95-4 series lead, but TCU has won six straight in the series dating back to 2014.
• TCU and Texas have played just 31 times since the demise of the Southwest Conference in 1996. The Horned Frogs hold a slim 16-15 lead in those games.
• TCU has won all three series against Texas (2-1 in Fort Worth in 2013, 3-0 at Texas in 2014, 3-0 in Fort Worth in 2015) since joining the Big 12.
• TCU is 11-5 against Texas under the guidance of head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
ROAD NOTABLES
• TCU will be playing just its second true road game on Thursday night. TCU will play 10 of its next 11 games away from Lupton Stadium.
• The Horned Frogs rallied to defeat Rice 6-4 in its lone road contest this year.
• Under the guidance of Jim Schlossnagle, TCU is 172-106 in games played on the opposition’s home field.
• TCU is 28-13 on the road over the last two seasons.
STEPPING UP
Brian Howard had made just four starts in his career prior to this season, all four coming as a sophomore. TCU has a perfect 9-0 record in games Howard has started over his career. As a starter, Howard is 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA over the course of 46 2/3 innings pitched.
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Injuries have left a couple holes in the lineup this season, but the Horned Frogs haven’t missed a beat. Austen Wade and Michael Landestoy have filled the holes both offensively and defensively.
Wade has started the last 12 games in right field. Since joining the lineup as a regular, Wade is TCU’s leading hitter with a .400 average. He’s notched six doubles and tallied four RBIs.
Landestoy has started five of the last eight games at first base and has played in all eight. He’s hitting .400 during that stretch with seven RBIs. Both have played flawless defense at their respective positions.
MORE IS BETTER
Evan Skoug has found his power stroke over the last 13 games. The sophomore had no extra base hits through the first six games of the season. Since then, 13 of his last 17 hits have gone for extra bases. Included in that total is 11 doubles, one triple and one home run. His 11 doubles lead the Big 12 and rank sixth nationally, just two off the national lead.
A HOT START
Elliott Barzilli has stormed out of the gates, hitting .447 through the first 20 games of the season. His 34 total hits are the most in the Big 12 and rank 34th nationally.
Through his first two collegiate seasons, Barzilli had just 51 hits over the course of 67 games played.
Barzilli leads the team with 12 multi-hit games and nine multiple-RBI contests. He has hit safely in 18 of 20 games and reached base safely in 19.
A GRAND SWING
On Sunday, Luken Baker launched his third home run of the season in the first inning, a grand slam that put the Horned Frogs in front to stay. It had been 198 games since Jantzen Witte hit TCU’s last grand slam back on March 2, 2013.
The last TCU grand slam hit at Lupton Stadium was by Aaron Schultz on March 26, 2011 against Houston, a span of 309 games. TCU has hit 16 grand slams since the start of the 2004 season.