May 10, 2004
Fort Worth, Texas -
The Frogs are coming off of the first series loss since being swept by Southern Miss at the beginning of April as UAB took two-of-three this past weekend. TCU hopes to rebound and hit the road on winning note as they head to No. 6 East Carolina this weekend. The Frogs and the Patriots have met on the diamond three times already this season, with TCU taking two of those meetings.
* The Series
The Frogs and the Patriots will meet for the fourth time this season and the 35th time in the school's history. TCU leads the season series 2-1 and the all-time series 30-14.
In their earlier meetings this season, both teams picked up one-run victories as TCU won the opener 13-12 and DBU took game two 10-9. The Frogs took the lead in the series with a 6-1 victory over the Patriots in the Southwest Diamond Classic hosted by Dallas Baptist at LaGrave Field.
Ryan Weems and Eugene Espineli have each recorded victories over the Patriots this season.
* The Patriots
The Patriots have had a respectable first season in Division I competition, coming into Tuesday night with a 38-16 mark. Dallas Baptist has notched some big victories this season, including three wins over Fresno State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. They have been struggling of late, winning twice in their last nine games.
Dallas Baptist has been solid in every facet of the game this season, hitting at a .319 clip, pitching to the tune of a 3.50 ERA and fielding .971 as a team. Offensively, they use their speed on the base paths, having swiped 107 bags this season in 135 tries.
The leading hitter for DBU is Ben Zobrist who is hitting .392 this season. Cody Montgomery is their speedster on the bases, swiping 22 bags in 27 attempts. Ryan Olivo and Drew Holder are the power guys connecting for eight home runs apiece.
Pitching-wise they rely on Lance Broadway and Jeff Gilmore. Broadway is 8-2 in 14 starts with two complete games and 86 strikeouts, while Gilmore is 10-3. Both have ERA's just over three.
* Fab Four
For the first time in a long time, the Horned Frogs feature at least three true freshman, sometimes four in the starting lineup. The four freshman have been huge so far as they are hitting at a .342 (228-666) clip and have a slugging percentage of .566. They have slugged 31 home runs and collected 126 RBI to go along with 48 doubles. As a group they have an on-base percentage of .434. Collectively, they have scored 172 runs.
* Frogs vs Patriots
The Frogs have enjoyed playing the Patriots this season as they are hitting .336 against DBU pithchers. In three game, TCU has averaged 9.3 runs per game. TCU collected 16 extra base hits off the Patriots pitching staff that posted a 7.24 ERA against the Frogs. The TCU pitching staff has a 5.46 ERA and struck out 31 batters and held the Patriots to a .284 batting average. The Frogs were successful in 3-of-4 steal attempts, while DBU was 3-for-6.
* Struggling Starters
The Horned Frogs stuggled in the starting pitching area this past weekend, which led to a series loss to the UAB Blazers. TCU starters averaged only 2.2 innings in the three game series and had an ERA of 16.20. The Frog bullpen racked up more innings (18.2) this weekend then did the starters. On the season, Frog starters are averaging five innings per start. Clayton Jerome leads all pitchers with an average of six per game.
* A New Look
On Saturday, with the Frogs bullpen already over-worked, Coach Schlossnagle put a new arm on the mound in the person of Bo Cogbill. Cogbill made two appearances this weekend, pitching four innings. In his first appearance he struck out the side, working around a walk and a hit batsman. He allowed only one hit and gave up a single, while striking out five. Opponents are hitting .077 off of him.
* Breaking Out of a Slump
Chad Huffman put a recent slump behind him as he tore up UAB pitching over the weekend and raising his batting average 15 points from .378 to 393. After hitting .178 in his previous six contests, Huffman hit .636 over the weekend (7-for-11). He is ranked fifth in Conference USA with the .393 batting average. He also leads the league in hit-by-pitches as he has been hit 19 times. He is in the midst of a four-game hit-streak.
* Lights Out
In three of his last four appearances on the mound, Robbie Findlay has picked up a victory for the Frogs. Findlay has a 4-1 record this season to go with his seven saves and is the top relief pitcher in Conference USA. Since moving to the bullpen early this season, Findlay has a miniscule 1.193 ERA in 22 appearances. In conference play, he has been even more dominating as he leads all relievers with a 0.41 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .235 off of the righty.
* Tuesday's Starters
Omar Arif will get his second start of the season as he gets the call on Tuesday night to square off against Lance Broadway and the Dallas Baptist Patriots. Arif has appeared in nine games this season season and has a 3.55 ERA. He has struck out nine batters in 12.2 innings of work. TCU is 1-0 in his only start of the season. Broadway picked up DBU's only win against TCU this season and is 8-2 on the season. He has a 3.02 ERA in 95.1 innings pitched. He leads the DBU staff with 86 strikeouts.
