TCU Baseball: Arizona, Washington State Midweek Preview
It's time to talk to your children about TCU Horned Frog baseball. At 7-0, TCU completed an impressive sweep of No. 20 UCLA this weekend, culminating in a run-rule finale. The Bruins were supposed to be a difficult test and the Horned Frogs made them look pedestrian. Now, they turn their sights to two midweek matchups with the Arizona Wildcats (4-3) and Washington State Cougars (5-2).
Washington State is up to bat first, playing TCU on Tuesday starting at 6:00 p.m. CT. Arizona follows on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be available to stream on ESPN+, on the radio at 88.7 FM KCTU, and come from Lupton Stadium.
TCU Vs. Washington State: NCAA Baseball Preview
Wazzu boasts a rich baseball history, but times in Pullman have been tough lately. The Cougars haven't made the postseason since 2010, but had a run at the College World Series four times between 1950-67.
This is Year 1 under head coach Nathan Choate and Wazzu is off to a strong start. They're 5-2 with losses to Texas State and Utah Tech and just last weekend won the Karbach Round Rock Classic. To earn that belt, the Cougars upended Kansas and Kentucky in a loaded field.
Pitching Matchups
Ben Hampton (0-0, 6.23 ERA) gets his second start of the year after a respectable outing against Texas State. The WVU transfer allowed eight hits, but just three of those turned into earned runs in 4.1 innings of work. How TCU follows up Hampton with relievers likely dictates who takes the mound Wednesday.
Washington State starts senior Duke Brotherton (1-0, 2.25) on Tuesday. He allowed three hits and one run in a game against Utah Tech, but struggled with his control. Two pitches went past home plate as wild pitches, he hit two additional batters, and walked two more in the outing.
Redshirt senior Chase Grillo (2.25 ERA) is Wazzu's primary closer this season. He's allowed just one run and an opposing .167 batting average in three appearances (four innings pitched, one save).
Power At The Plate
Through seven games, offense has been very consistent for Washington State. As a team, they have 75 hits, although runs have been more modest (6.3 per game). We have yet to see a high ceiling with this offense, but the floor is pretty high.
Where the threat comes from is the power at the plate. Four Cougars have multiple home runs, led by outfielder Alan Shibley (three). Wazzu's lineup has 11 total homers, trailing TCU as a club by just two, despite an avalanche of runs from the Frogs in their first series.
Other top offensive threats include DH Casen Taggart (.417 average) and outfielder Nathan Swarts (.409). This is a team that looks to put baserunners on with savvy hitters, then clear the bases with power following. There's almost no threat of baserunners stealing and the lineup is average in walks drawn and well as strikeouts.
The Bottom Line
Washington State is a ball club you cannot let hang around. That's sound advice for almost any team, but Wazzu is a team that'll erase a two- or three-run deficit with one swing of the bat almost anywhere in the lineup. They're seriously improved this season from year's past.
Could the Cougars being a stumbling block for the Frogs coming hot off the UCLA sweep? Given the depth we've seen so far for TCU, Wazzu will need its best effort of the season to steal a victory in Fort Worth.
However, it would be foolish to overlook Washington State on Tuesday.
TCU Vs. Arizona: NCAA Baseball Preview
Arizona is a baseball program with a very recent and rich history. The Wildcats made the NCAA Tournament three years running and last punched their ticket to Omaha in 2021. That came under coach Jay Johnson, who just won a National Championship with LSU last season. Since Johnson left Tucson, Arizona's gone 72-49 (.595) with two Regional exits.
Now head coach Chip Hale is looking to return UA to its former glory. This Arizona club is intimately familiar with TCU, as the Wildcats were beaten 12-4 in their opening game of the Fayetteville Regional just last year; they would go on to be eliminated in their second game.
Pitching Matchups
We're likely not going to hear about starters on the mound far in advance ahead of Wednesday's matchup. Head coach Kirk Saarloos declined to name a starter and, so long as TCU keeps a tight lip, Arizona likely doesn't announce one, either.
The Wildcats used seven pitchers in a 24-4 blowout over Utah Tech in their lone weeknight game on the year. Nobody went longer than two innings. Freshman RHP Bryce McKnight opened, giving up three runs in the first inning, while junior lefty Eric Orloff (1-0, 0.00) nabbed the win with two hitless innings. Already ahead 10-3 by the fourth inning, Hale decided to give everyone a shot on the mound.
Possible starters for TCU include Louis Rodriguez (five starts in 2023) and Braeden Sloan (10 starts), although it depends on how much work either get Tuesday. Sloan picked up a win Saturday with 2.2 good innings to preserve a TCU win over UCLA.
Early Struggles In The Desert
Expectations were fairly high for Arizona entering 2024. Although the Wildcats failed to appear in any preseason rankings, it was expected that Hale & Co. would build off their Regional exit a season ago. It's early and there's plenty of time to turn things around, but concerns are already being voiced in Tucson.
The Wildcats took an impressive series from Northeastern (a top-25 team) and clobbered Utah Tech in a pay-to-play weeknight matchup. Then, UA dropped two of three in San Diego – an interesting team, but a discussion for another article – fending off a ninth-inning rally by the home team to avoid getting swept.
With a four-game stretch this week consisting only of ranked teams – TCU, Dallas Baptist, Alabama, and Indiana – losing two of three to San Diego looms a bit larger. Even splitting this week (which by all means would be a win) puts the Wildcats at 6-5 entering Pac-12 play.
Expect supreme effort from Arizona to avoid being backed into a corner.
The Bottom Line
It's too early to be considered "desperate," but given the consistent expectations in Tucson, Hale needs an improvement in 2024 to avoid going on the hot seat. Seasons are defined in conference play, but league play is a fickle thing. After all, TCU finished just 13-11 in Big 12 play before making a run at the College World Series semifinal.
Even if used loosely, desperate teams are dangerous. Particularly when TCU pitched an extra game and is coming off a massive weekend series sweep. Arizona has the rest advantage and the pitcher availability advantage Wednesday.
Two hitters stand atop the lineup for UA: shortstop Mason White (three home runs, but also 14 strikeouts) and outfielder Emilio Corona (3 HR in nine hits). The rest of the lineup focuses on small ball. Second baseman Garen Caulfield is hitting .500 in 26 at-bats and outfielder Brendan Summerhill adds 14 hits himself.
This offense is nearly a mirror opposite from what TCU will see the night before.
We will return with Player To Watch for the next weekend series.
How To Watch TCU Vs. Washington State
When: Tuesday, Feb. 27 6:00 p.m. CT
Where: Lupton Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
TV/Streaming: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: KTCU 88.7 FM
How To Watch TCU Vs. Arizona
When: Wednesday, Feb. 28 6:00 p.m. CT
Where: Lupton Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
TV/Streaming: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: KTCU 88.7 FM
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