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Baseball Set For First Road Tests in 2016
No. 13 TCU @ Shriner’s Hospitals for Children College Classic
Date | Time Friday vs. La.-Lafayette, Feb. 26; 3:30 p.m. | Saturday vs. Rice, Feb. 27; 7 p.m. | Sunday vs. Houston, Feb. 28; 2:30 p.m.
Location Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas
TVÂ MLB Network (Blackout Restrictions)/ROOT Sports SW
Radio Listing KTCU 88.7 FM (Friday/Sunday), FrogVision
Listen Online Listen Live
Radio Talent Chuck LaMendola
Game Notes TCU Game Notes
FORT WORTH – The 13th-ranked TCU baseball team hits the road for the first time this season Friday when it begins play in the Shriner’s Hospital for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday:Â TCU vs. La.-Lafayette at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday:Â TCU vs. Rice at 7 p.m.
Sunday:Â TCU vs. Houston at 2:30 p.m.
TELEVISION INFORMATION
All nine games of the Shriner’s Hospital for Children College Classic will be televised on MLB Network in conjunction with ROOT Sports SW. Due to blackout restrictions, the broadcast on MLB Network will be unavailable in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. Fans in those areas will be able to find the game on ROOT Sports SW. You can check channel availability: here.
TCU NOTABLES
• TCU took a 2-1 series victory over Loyola Marymount Opening Weekend.
• TCU stretched its winning streak to three games with a 17-3 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday.
• The 17 runs scored by TCU are the most in a game since the 2014 season.
• TCU has utilized 15 newcomers this season, including eight on the mound.
• Ten different Horned Frogs have tallied an RBI this season.
• With two shutouts this season, TCU upped its shutout total to 26 games since the start of the 2014 season, a mark that is tops in the NCAA.
• On Sunday, head coach Jim Schlossnagle became the all-time winningest coach in TCU baseball history with his 518th win in the Purple and White.
• Luken Baker earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after tossing six shutout innings and hitting a home run on Sunday.
• Elliott Barzilli burst out of the gates offensively with a league-leading .688 batting average in the first four games of the season.
NEUTRAL SITE NOTABLES
• TCU is playing at a neutral site for the only time in the regular season.
• TCU is playing in a Major League stadium for the fourth straight season (2013 – Ballpark in Arlington; 2014 – Minute Maid Park; 2015 – Dodger Stadium).
• TCU is 56-35 in neutral sites under the guidance of head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
COLLEGE CLASSIC NOTABLES
• 2016 marks the program’s sixth appearance in the tournament and its first since the 2014 season.
• TCU previously appeared in 2001, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014).
• The Horned Frogs own an 8-7 record in the tournament.
• TCU has played Rice three times (‘06, ‘10, ‘14) and Houston (‘06, ‘14) twice in previous tournaments.
• The Frogs are 19-15 in regular season tournaments under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
SERIES HISTORY
• TCU will be facing Louisiana-Lafayette for the first time in program history on Friday.
• La.-Lafayette is one of three opponents the Horned Frogs will be facing for the first time this season.
• TCU and Rice will be meeting for the 241st time on Saturday.
• Rice holds a 123-116-1 lead in the all-time series.
• Rice is 10-2 against the Horned Frogs since the start of the 2004 season.
• TCU and Rice are meeting for the third consecutive season.
• TCU won the last meeting 3-1 in Fort Worth on March 3, 2015.
• TCU and Houston are meeting for the 101st time in program history.
• Houston holds a 53-45-2 record in the series.
• TCU is 13-4 against Houston under the guidance of head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
• The Frogs won the last meeting, 5-1, against the Cougars at Minute Maid.
NEW FACES GALORE
The first weekend of the season saw the coaching staff utilize 15 new faces on the diamond in some capacity.
Seven of the new faces appeared in the lineup, while the other nine debuted on the mound. Six of the seven field players appeared in the starting lineup in at least two games, while three newcomers earned a start on the mound over in the first four games.
NO RUNS FOR YOU
TCU’s new-look pitching staff picked up where it left off a year ago. After surrendering five runs in the season opener, the group bounced back with a pair of shutouts.
TCU’s 26 shutouts since the start of the 2014 season are tops in the NCAA. TCU has limited opponents to two or fewer runs 81 times over the last 135 games played. The staff has surrendered five or more runs just 34 times.
SLICK FIELDING TEAM
Each of the last two seasons have seen the Horned Frogs set a school record fielding percentage. In 2015, the Frogs set the standard with a .978 fielding percentage, ranking eighth in the NCAA.
Over the last 2+ seasons, the Frogs have produced a combined .978 fielding percentage. The Frogs have one or fewer errors in 105 of their last 136 games played.
HOT START
Elliott Barzilli has busted out of the gates at the plate, hitting a robust .688 after the first four games. He paces the Big 12 field with his average. His 11 hits on the season are tied for tops in the league.
Since coming to TCU in the fall of 2014, Barzilli is hitting .310 in 37 games played. He has started at least one game at three of the four infield positions since coming to TCU and all four positions in his collegiate career.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Luken Baker became the first Horned Frog under the tutelage of Jim Schlossnagle to start a game on the mound and also be in the starting lineup as a hitter.
He’s just the fourth two-way player since Schlossnagle took over in 2004. He joins Bo Cogbill, Shawn Ferguson and Jerrick Suiter as the only Horned Frogs to see time on the mound and at the plate. Jerrick Suiter is the lone member of the group to have started a game on the mound.
RUNNING WILD
After getting just two stolen bases in the first three games, TCU exploded with five in Tuesday’s win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Over the last two seasons, TCU has been one of the most prolific base-stealing teams. The Horned Frogs are one of just eight teams to have stolen over 200 bases over the last 2+ seasons. The 218 stolen bases ranks fifth in the nation.
AMONG THE BEST IN TEXAS
Since taking over the program in 2004, head coach Jim Schlossnagle has done nothing but win. In 12+ years under his guidance, the Horned Frogs are 519-237. TCU has posted nine seasons with at least 40 wins and has appeared in 11 NCAA Regionals.
The 519 wins rank third among Division I programs in the state of Texas as does the .686 winnings percentage.