#7 TCU –

Record: 6-1 Overall
Ranking: 7th Overall
Stats: .365 BA and 9.29 runs per game on Offense, 3.6 ERA pitching, .961 Fielding %

TCU Scouting Report

TCU is coming into the weekend after starting the season by winning six of their first seven games. The #7 ranking by Baseball America is the highest in school history. This is the 3rd appearance for TCU in the Houston College Classic, one of the premier college tournaments in the nation. This will be the second straight weekend that TCU will be on the road. However, this will feel more like a homecoming for most of the team, as 14 of the 32 players on the roster are from the Houston area, including the three starting pitchers.

The Horned Frogs are hitting .365 as a team, led by freshman Josh Elander. Elander is hitting .556, driving in nine runs, and going 5 of 7 on the base paths. The reigning MWC Hitter of the Week Jason Coats is hitting .500 with a .933 slugging percentage, with three home runs, and driving in 11 runs. Coats drove in seven runs in the victory against UT San Antonio on Tuesday night. Four of the seven Horned Frogs that have played in every game have hit safely - Elander, Coats, Matt Curry, and Bryan Holaday.

The pitching staff has a 3.60 ERA, and opponents are hitting .241 off of them. In 60 innings, the staff has 60 strikeouts. Steven Maxwell and Kyle Winkler have both given up just one earned run in two appearances, both starting the season 2-0. Kaleb Merck has been a bright spot out of the bullpen, giving up no runs in three appearances totaling five innings. Batters are hitting just .143 off of Merck. Trent Appleby has looked good after coming off shoulder surgery, pitching 6 1/3 innings in three appearances, giving up no runs while striking out seven.

One area of concern coming into the season was defense, and it still is. The Horned Frogs have a .961 fielding percentage, committing 10 errors. After committing 27 errors last season, Taylor Featherston has looked sharp so far.


#7 TCU vs. Texas Tech –

Date: Friday, March 5, 2010
First Pitch: 12:00PM
Where: Minute Maid Park

Texas Tech –

Record: 7-2
Ranking: n/a Overall
Stats: .352 BA and 9.44 runs per game on Offense, 5.85 ERA pitching, .984 Fielding %

Last Meeting – April 13, 2009, TCU 12 Texas Tech 5

Expected Starters –
Steven Maxwell (2-0, 0.82 ERA) vs. Chad Bettis (2-0, 3.21 ERA)

Texas Tech Scouting Report

Texas Tech is coming into the weekend with a 7-2 record. This will be their first trip away from Lubbock. Coming off a 7th place finish in the Big 12, the Red Raiders were picked to finish last this year.

The Red Raiders are hitting .352 as a team. 44 of their 106 hits have gone for extra bases. Left fielder Michael Reed leads the team with a .480 BA with 15 runs scored. He has a 1.440 OPS. DH Scott LeJeune is hitting .405 driving in a Big 12 leading 16 runs. Seven Red Raiders have at least 10 hits, and 8 of the 9 starters have a batting average of at least .324. The team has 15 stolen bases in 22 attempts.

The pitching staff has a 5.85 ERA, and opposing batters are hitting .285 off of them. Chad Bettis will be starting the game on Friday for Texas Tech. In two starts, he has a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings, with six walks and nine strikeouts. Justin Cooper leads the bullpen with a 1.80 ERA in five innings, recording two saves in two appearances. Jay Johnson is the workhorse out of the bullpen, pitching in seven games so far this season. Johnson has a 6.23 ERA in 8 2/3 innings.

The defense has gotten off to a great start, with a .984 fielding percentage. They have committed just six errors. They are coming off a season in which they fielded just .959.

Prediction – Frogs win.


#7 TCU vs. Missouri –

Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010
First Pitch: 12:00PM
Where: Minute Maid Park

Missouri –

Record: 4-2
Ranking: n/a Overall
Stats: .299 BA and 7.67 runs per game on Offense, 5.40 ERA pitching, .980 Fielding %

Last Meeting – March 1967, Missouri 4 TCU 2

Expected Starters –
Matt Purke (1-0, 8.59 ERA) vs. Nick Tepesch (1-0, 9.90 ERA)

Missouri Scouting Report

Missouri is coming into the weekend with a 4-2 record. Including this weekend, they will open with their first nine games away from home. All but one of those is at a neutral location. The Tigers were picked to finish 8th in the 10-team Big 12 this year. They will be looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the 8th straight year.

The Tigers are hitting .299 as a team. They are led SS Michael Liberto, who is batting .571 with 7 RBI. First baseman Aaron Senne is coming off a week in which he was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, hitting .462 with three home runs and two doubles, driving in six runs. The team has five stolen bases in six attempts.

The pitching staff has a 5.40 ERA, and opposing batters are hitting .318 off of them. Nick Tepesch will be starting the game on Saturday for Missouri. In two starts, he has a 9.90 ERA in 10 innings, with three walks and six strikeouts. Tepesch is coming off a season in which he went 6-5 with 6.27 ERA. Tyler Clark leads the bullpen, pitching 3 1/3 innings in four appearances, giving up one hit and no runs. Zack Hardoin has also pitched well in relief, with a 2.08 ERA in four appearances.

The defense has gotten off to a great start, with a .980 fielding percentage. They have committed just five errors. They are coming off a season in which they fielded just .964.

Prediction – Frogs win.


#7 TCU vs. #9 Rice –

Date: Sunday, March 7, 2010
First Pitch: 6:00PM
Where: Minute Maid Park

#9 Rice –

Record: 5-4
Ranking: 9th Overall
Stats: .272 BA and 5.89 runs per game on Offense, 5.26 ERA pitching, .973 Fielding %

Last Meeting – June 3, 2007, @ Rice 3 TCU 1

Expected Starters –
Kyle Winkler (2-0, 1.00 ERA) vs. Boogie Anagnostou (1-1, 5.56 ERA)

Rice Scouting Report

Rice is coming into the weekend with a 5-4 record. After starting the season with four losses, the Owls have won five in a row. .

The Owls are hitting .272 as a team. They are led LF Michael Fuda, who is batting .455 with eight RBI. Third baseman Anthony Rendon was voted the CUSA Pre-season Player of the Year. Rendon is hitting .348 with five RBI. He has a .625 on base percentage, walking 16 times in nine games. Only three regulars are hitting above .300. The team has six stolen bases in ten attempts.

The pitching staff has a 5.26 ERA, and opposing batters are hitting .255 off of them. They have walked 36 batters while striking out 54. The Owls will be starting a familiar face to the Horned Frogs, Boogie Anagnostou. Anagnostou pitched for TCU in 2008, pitching 13 innings in seven appearances out of the bullpen. He had a 4.85 ERA with six walks and ten strikeouts. This season, he is 1-1 with a 5.56 ERA in 11 1/3 innings, giving up 11 hits and six walks while striking out four. Opposing batters are hitting .262 off of him. Jared Rogers is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA with one save.

The defense has gotten off to a great start, with a .973 fielding percentage. They have committed nine errors. SS Rick Hague has committed four errors in 52 chances. They are coming off a season in which they fielded .971.

Prediction – Frogs win.