Texas BASEBALL v. TCU - Weekend Series Preview (SAT UPDATE)

ZachattheDisch · Apr 18, 2024

UPDATE:

TEXAS LONGHORNS vs. TCU HORN FROGS
April 19-21, 2024
Where: UFCU Disch-FalkField
Time: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 6 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
TV: ESPNU (Fridayy); ESPN2 (Saturday); Sunday (Longhorn Network)
Radio: AM-1300 The Zone/103.1 FM
All-time series: Texas leads, 235-77-2

BREAKDOWN

A matchup that should have been one of the most anticipated in the Big 12 conference slate, instead, both teams come in desperate for a series win. This matchup is one of two teams that have polar opposite strengths. TCU has solid front line pitching, where as the Horns have the hitting prowess that the Horn Frogs lacks. Looking at the hitting numbers, the Horns rank near the top in the Big 12 in most of the categories, whereas TCU ranks near the top in the pitching categories.
The Horns, unusually have lacked their normal record at Disch-Falk, but TCU has struggled mightily on the road. Something will have to give, but it should lend itself to a wild and potentially dramatic series.
Everyone knows about Texas Friday night struggles, having lost the last five (5) opening series games. In fact, the last time that the Horns have won a series opening game is back on March 8th against Texas Tech. On the season, the Horns are just 3-6 in opening series games.
Series is pivotal for the Horns because they cannot afford any more losses and need to stack wins against a Quadrant One team like TCU to keep post season dreams alive. For TCU, they need to continue to claw their way out of the bottom of the Big 12 standings after a horrid start, which a sweep over the Horns would certainly go a long way towards, especially as only the top 10 teams make it to the Big 12 tournament this season.

On the march to contend for post season play, the Horns have 17 remaining games. 15 of those 17 games are conference games. This is quite simply do or die time for the Horns. Compete and some games or pack up the locker and head to summer ball.

Here is a comparison of the Horns record through 38 games in a season during Coach Pierce's tenure at Texas. This is the worst record that Pierce has had to this point during his tenure.

2017: 23-15
2018: 24-14
2019: 23-15
2021: 30-8
2022: 26-12
2023: 26-12
2024: 22-16

RECORDS:

Texas: 22-16 (9-6 Big 12)
TCU: 22-13 (7-11 Big 12)

Texas Records Breakouts

Home: 15-10
Away: 7-3
Neutral: 0-3

TCU Records Breakouts

Home: 16-4
Away: 3-9
Neutral: 3-0

RPI / SOS

Texas: 76 / 47
TCU: 38 / 42

Texas Quadrant Records:
Q1: 4-4
Q2: 5-3
Q3: 1-1
Q4: 12-8

TCU Quadrants Records:
Q1: 2-5
Q2: 6-6
Q3: 4-2
Q4: 10-0

SERIES MATCHUP:

First meeting 1897
235-77-2 overall series lead
- Home: 135-30-0
- Away: 87-41-2
Under David Pierce, Texas is 4-2 against TCU, with the loses coming in 2017 and 2019
Horns currently have a 3 game losing streak and the Frogs have a 7 game away losing streak
Horns have won the last three series against the Frogs

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP

FRIDAY–Texas RHP Max Grubbs (4-2, 3.73 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 8 BB, 28 K, .269 B/avg) vs. TCU LHP Payton Tolle (3-3, 3.91 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 21 BB, 83 K, .197 B/avg)
SATURDAY–Texas LHP Ace Whitehead (3-0, 3.86 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 11 BB, 29 K, .225 B/avg) vs. TCU RHP Louis Rodriguez (3-1, 3.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 10 BB, 40 K, .235 B/avg)
SUNDAY–Texas RHP Lebarron Johnson Jr. (1-3, 5.57 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 26 BB, 49 K, .294 B/avg) vs. TCU RHP Mason Bixby (1-0, 3.21 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 11 BB, 21 K, .188 B/avg)

TCU Top Relievers:

Ben Abeldt (2-0, 3 saves, 1.64 ERA, 22 IP)
Hunter Hodges (0-0, 1 save, 2.45 ERA, 11 IP)
Parker Caedmon (1-0, 1 save, 3.66 ERA, 19.2 IP)
Zachary Cawyer (5-1, 1 save, 4.30 ERA, 23 IP)
Chase Hoover (0-0, 1 save, 6.39 ERA, 12.2 IP)
Kole Klecker (0-0, 1 save, 6.39 ERA, 32 IP)
Ben Hampton (1-1, 7.11 ERA, 19 IP)

TCU Offensive Leaders:

Logan Maxwell (.350 avg, .966 OPS, 13 RBI, .485 SLG%, 24 BB, 14 K, .481 OB%, 7-8 SB)
Sam Myers (.319 avg, .790 OPS, 1 HR, 14 RBI, .415 SLG%, .375 OB%, 2-5 SB)
Chase Brunson (.313 avg, .880 OPS, 4 HR, 20 RBI, .470 SLG%, .410 OB%, 3-4 SB)
Luke Boyers (.299 avg, .805 OPS, 3 HR, 15 RBI, .423 SLG%, .382 OB%, 9-9 SB)

LOOK AT THE NUMBERS:

STAT	TEXAS	TCU
Batting Average	.294	.268
OPS	.918	.769
Doubles	92	67
Triples	5	6
Home Runs	75	27
RBI	268	189
SLG %	.538	.405
Walks	152	148
Strikeouts	359	262
On-Base %	.380	.364
Stolen Bases	30-35	45-56
ERA	5.12	4.94
WHIP	1.50	1.49
Bases on Balls	162	154
Strikeouts	318	389
Wild Pitches	35	30
B/Avg Against	.267	.256
Home Runs Against	51	28
Errors	34	29
Fielding %	.976	.976

BIG 12 RANKS	TEXAS	TCU
Hitting Avg	5th	12th
Hits	2nd	12th
Home Runs	1st	13th
RBI	2nd	12th
SLG %	2nd	13th
Base on Balls	10th	12th
Strikeouts	12th	3rd
Stolen Bases	9th	6th
Fielding %	3rd	4th
ERA	7th	5th
Walks Allowed	8th	6th
Strikeouts	9th	3rd
HR Allowed	13th	3rd
Hits Allowed	11th	4th

PREDICTION

Texas loses the series to TCU 1-2
On the season, I am 27-11 with my picks

WEEKEND AHEAD IN THE BIG 12

West Virginia at Texas Tech
Oklahoma at BYU
Oklahoma State at Kansas State
TCU at Texas
Kansas at Baylor
Houston at Cincinnati
Central Michigan at UCF

BIG RANKINGS

West Virginia (11-4)
Oklahoma (11-4)
Oklahoma State (10-5)
Texas (9-6)
Baylor (8-7)
Texas Tech (9-9)
Kansas State (7-8)
Kansas (7-8)
Cincinnati (7-8)
UCF (8-10)
TCU (7-11)
BYU (6-12)
Houston (5-13)

COLLEGE BASEBALL SERIES TO WATCH

#14 Louisiana at #19 Coastal Carolina
#8 Florida State at #12 Wake Forest
#4 Tennessee at #3 Kentucky
#7 Duke at #23 Virginia Tech
Florida at #13 Vanderbilt
#2 Arkansas at #20 South Carolina
#1 Texas A&M at #18 Alabama

PaulieD · Apr 18, 2024