#2 TCU Baseball 2015 Preview


TCU Horned Frogs

Overall Rank: #2
Conference Rank: #1 Big 12  
#2 TCU Baseball 2015 Preview
TCU Team Page

 

TCU continued to assert itself as one of the top programs by making a return trip to the College World Series. There they went 1-2, but had every opportunity to win all three of their games in Omaha. With four starting position players returning and a deep pitching staff back as well, the Horned Frogs should be the Big 12 favorites and a serious threat to break through and win the National Championship.

2014: 48-18, 17-7
2014 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jim Schlossnagle

Field Players:
TCU will never overpower you with the long ball, but their execution offensively with their small ball approach is one of the best in the nation. Outfielder Cody Jones is going to set the tone for the Horned Frogs and he is one of the best returning bases stealers in the country, swiping 29 bases in 34 attempts. Jones also drove in 18 runs and had a .389 on-base percentage. Infielder Derek Odell is another key run producer that will be back in the lineup this season. Odell hit. 265 with one homerun and drove in 35 runs for TCU. Infielder Garrett Crain is back too and will be a key cog in the Horned Frogs lineup after hitting .324 and driving in 19 runs while starting 49 games last season.

Pitchers:
Despite the loss of Brandon Finnegan, who ended up ended up being a key contributor to the Kansas City Royals’ run to the World Series, If TCU is going to win the national championship it will more than likely be due to the deep starting rotation. Preston Morrison is back and will probably be the Friday Night starting pitcher during weekend series. Morrison was a workhorse last season and threw over 129 innings, with five complete games, and was 9-4 with a 1.32 earned run average. Tyler Alexander will be looking to build off of a 10 win season as a freshman and was outstanding at attacking the strike zone, as he only walked 11 batters in 99 innings pitched.

Who to Watch:
Outfielder Jeremie Fagnan has some interesting potential as a power hitter. Fagnan hit two homeruns and drove in 11 runs, while just playing in 28 games. If Fagnan can play more throughout the 2015 season, he will have a great chance to hit at least five to seven homeruns and drive in 30 runs. Riley Ferrell will be back as the closer and Ferrell was clutch last season, collecting 15 saves with a 0.79 earned run average.

Final Projection:
The second weekend of the season will send the Horned Frogs over to Tempe, Arizona to battle an Arizona State team that is always tough to deal with. Cal Poly visits Fort Worth the following weekend in what should be a battle of two great pitching staffs. A trip to Los Angeles to play USC, UCLA and defending national champion Vanderbilt at Dodger Stadium will be a great opportunity for TCU to make a huge statement to the rest of the nation about how good they are. A huge battle with Oklahoma State during the third weekend in March in Fort Worth will set the tone for the rest of the Big 12 schedule as a series win would be very big for the Horned Frogs. A trip to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech will start off the month of April as the Red Raiders will be looking to avenge their loss to TCU in the 2014 College World Series. Texas visits at the end of April in another series that could determine the Big 12 regular season championship. In short, the pitching should be dominating enough to get the Horned Frogs back to Omaha and it will be up to the offense to execute just a little bit better this time around in order to have a shot at the national championship.
 
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament

Returning Leaders:
At Bats: Cody Jones, OF, 257
Hits: Derek Odell, IF, 67
Home Runs: Jeremie Fagnan, OF, 2
RBIs: Derek Odell, IF, 35
Runs: Derek Odell, IF, 34
Stolen Bases: Cody Jones, OF, 29

Wins: Tyler Alexander, P, 10
Innings Pitched: Preston Morrison, P, 129.2
Strikeouts: Preston Morrison, P, 95
Saves: Riley Ferrell, P, 15

Madness 2015 MLB Draft Rankings:
#18 Riley Ferrell
#33 Alex Young

 

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