Can TCU's Pitching Quiet Texas Tech's Red-Hot Bats This Weekend

It's going to be another packed weekend for TCU Athletics, and TCU baseball is coming off a great win against its rival DBU. The Horned Frogs will return home this weekend in search of their first Big 12 series win this season against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Frogs need to turn things around, and no better way than to beat one of their longtime rivals. The Frogs aim to build on Tuesday's midweek win and get something going.

The first series pitch will be at 6 p.m. Friday at Lupton Baseball Stadium & Williams-Reilly Field in Fort Worth.

The Frogs will continue in Fort Worth against Tech at 2 p.m on Saturday for game 2, before closing out the final game at 1 p.m. Sunday.

They will need your support, so get out to Lupton for some good baseball. Here is a glimpse at the matchup.

On the Mound: Starting Pitching Will Once Again Set the Tone for This Rivalry

Starting pitching will no doubt set the tone for the weekend once again. The Red Raiders have the slight edge in this category, holding the edge in starting ERA just narrowly, as they have a 7.36 ERA compared to TCU’s 7.56 ERA.

Both teams are more than capable of scoring tons of runs, but pitching will once again likely be the determining factor. Lukas Pirko, Connor Mohan, and Jackson Burns will probably be the three starters for the Red Raiders once again this weekend.

The three pitchers haven’t been perfect, but they have been serviceable, providing the Red Raiders with 3–4 decent innings. Pirko is the most reliable arm and will aim to get Texas Tech on the right foot. Mohan is a solid pitcher and can get up there in the strikeout count, but he is more of an inning-eater type of pitcher. Burns is a new addition to the weekend rotation, having previously been a midweek pitcher, but he has done well and is now moving into a weekend starting role.

As for TCU, I don’t think any of the starters besides Lance Davis are safe. However, I do think Mason Brassfield will get another go because he is talented and has great upside.

The Horned Frogs need this series win big time, so I feel like Kirk Saarloos will use every arm he has in the first two games to get the win, and then pitch whoever is available on Sunday. Anything is possible, and it’s hard to tell who will be on the mound for the Frogs.

Neither team’s starters are particularly dominant, but the winner will be the team whose starters can throw the most quality innings and are able to preserve the bullpen this weekend.

Here is my best guess at the rotation matchups:

Friday: Mason Brassfield 8.06 ERA vs Lukas Pirko 5.46 ERA

Saturday: Lance Davis 6.31 ERA vs Connor Mohan 7.23 ERA

Sunday: Nate Stern 2.63 ERA vs Jackson Burns 9.00 ERA

Bullpen Battle: Relief Arms Could Decide TCU–Texas Tech

As I stated previously in this article, starting pitching hasn’t necessarily been a strong suit for either team this season, so the use of both teams’ bullpens early is definitely a high possibility. So the fate of this series could definitely be decided by which relievers step up for either team.

TCU has a few arms who have stepped up in the bullpen as of late, such as Nate Stern, Tanner Sagouspe, and Walter Quinn, which has definitely helped close out games such as DBU, but it is a bit inconsistent.

Even though statistically the Frogs stand a little better in this relief pitching area, I still think they could use another name to step up and help them out. The Horned Frog bullpen has posted a 6.59 ERA, which is comparatively better than what their starters have posted, so they might once again turn to the bullpen to try and help them out.

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Will Bats Be on at Lupton: TCU and Texas Tech Bring Plenty of Power

Both teams bring a lot of offensive power to the table, and it will definitely be a show at Lupton this weekend. Texas Tech holds the edge in this category, but TCU has a lineup that is continuing to hit more and more as the weeks go on.

Entering the series, Texas Tech has a conference-leading .364 batting average, and the Red Raiders are looking to continue to hit and see the ball well against a TCU bullpen that holds the second-lowest ERA in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs are currently batting .248, which is significantly lower.

However, this shouldn’t worry fans, as players like Sawyer Strosnider, Colton Griffin, and Jack Bell, just to name a few, are only heating up. I expect the Horned Frog offense to have a great weekend at the plate. However, it won’t be easy to keep up with Texas Tech, which has 11 batters hitting over .300, which is insane.

What to Expect: Tight Margins and High Scoring

I am fully convinced this series will be extremely close, with three high-scoring games. I think both of these teams have strengths in hitting, which will allow their opponents to score runs. If both teams perform like they have all season, I think this will be a tightly contested series that could swing in either direction, depending on whether a pitcher can step up and hold off some of the hottest batters in college baseball. It shall be a fun series to watch.

Players to Watch: Key Contributors Who Could Swing the Series

For TCU, I expect Sawyer Strosnider to stay hot at the plate. He currently has 25 hits, 9 HRs, and 33 RBIs with a .313 batting average. He is on fire right now; expect him to be a factor in this game. Another dark horse candidate for the Horned Frogs' offense is Preston Gamster. He has been different this season, and I really liked his performance against DBU. I think he should be inserted into the weekend lineup, as he has had solid production with a .273 batting average. A pitcher I think should be on the radar this weekend is Tanner Sagouspe. He has been stellar this season with a 2.40 ERA, with 15 strikeouts in 15 innings of work. He had a great outing at DBU, earning a save, and I expect him to have a great weekend in the pen.

As for Texas Tech, I think Robin Villeneuve is a player to keep an eye on. He leads the team in home runs and currently holds a .375 batting average. He is one of many productive batters on this Texas Tech team. It’s hard to just select two because of how good their offense is, but another player I want to highlight is Linkin Garcia. He currently holds a .381 batting average and has the most doubles on the team with 10. He is definitely a player who can drive runs in, so keep a close eye on him. Again, I could put this whole Texas Tech team on this list, but these are two I think could swing this game.

This is slated to be a great rivalry series and is set to be one to watch! TCU has opened conference play 2–4 and needs to win this series to stay in contention. As for Texas Tech, they are looking to win their third straight conference series. Get to TCU this weekend—it’s going to be a series you won’t want to miss.