TCU Baseball Upcoming Series Against Texas
Now ranked as the third team in the nation, Horned Frog Baseball has climbed to its highest ranking since the 2018 season. The door is wide open for the Horned Frogs to eliminate all doubts about their legitimacy atop the Big 12 and the rest of the college baseball landscape. They only have one hurdle left to overcome, the upcoming series against the Texas Longhorns.
UT is coming off a series loss where they got punched in the mouth by Texas Tech. The Red Raiders attacked Texas’ pitching and annihilated the Longhorns hitting. This may not be such a good thing for TCU, though. Texas needs this series just as severely as the Frogs, so the competition will be fierce for both sides.
Horned Frog Baseball Keys to Winning
The Horned Frogs will once again have to control the pace of the game. That has been the main strength of this team this season. Tempo will make sure that the Texas hitters don’t get hot and ease TCU’s hitters’ pressure. TCU has the home field advantage this series, and they have been dominant at home, earning a record of 17-3 in Fort Worth.
I like the matchups in the series for TCU in terms of pitching. River Ridings, an LHP Freshman, has over 25 innings pitched, and his ERA is .39, making him one of the best closers in college baseball. Austin Krob remains the best starter, but his ERA is above 3.0, making me a little nervous. The best strategy for this series would be to have the starter pitch a maximum of 4 innings unless they are really hot.
Final Thoughts
Texas has beaten their opponents by getting after the starting pitcher early and rattling off run after run while he’s still in, so relying on the bullpen is the best way to beat them. The bullpen has been the most vital part of TCU’s game, and there won’t be anything there to stop them.
This series is going to be a split, no doubt about it. Both these teams are capable of beating anyone on any given day. The only reason I give TCU the edge is that the series is in Fort Worth, and the Horned Frogs simply rarely lose at home.
Story by, Ryan Scott, Campus Live Intern
