What Did We Learn After TCU Baseball Swept Houston?

Welcome back to another edition of What Did We Learn. With the return of the baseball season, my weekly article returns, a two-year-long tradition now. At the end of every weekend, I release my weekly "what did we learn"—an opinionated editorial detailing what Frog fans can take away from the week before that might not appear in the box score.

The TCU Horned Frogs are rolling. They have won four out of their last five series, including their most recent performance of a sweep over the Houston Cougars, fueled by a dominant game three to cap the weekend off.

At a critical point of the season, with three weekends left, what did we learn from this past series, and what does the rest of the season outlook look like as the Frogs enter crunch time?

How Two Returns Change the Entire Season

Tommy LaPour's Return — TCU Horned Frogs Starting Pitcher Tommy Lapour | TCU Baseball X

If I told you that with three weeks left in the season, Sawyer Strosnider would have the third-lowest batting average on the team (among qualified hitters), and Tommy LaPour had only thrown six innings on the year, you would have asked just how bad the team was. If I followed that up by noting that the Frogs' record was 28-15 overall and 13-8 in Big 12 play, you would have asked: "How?"

The answer there is both simultaneously simple and complex. Multiple players are living up to the expectations that many thought they would last season, and despite it being a season later, those players have arrived at one of the best times for the Frogs. Jack Bell and Colton Griffin are both hitting .300 on the season. Bell has a .982 OPS, the third-highest on the team.

Preston Gamster continues to be an electric plug-in while playing a stellar third base. Brady Dallimore is an impressive freshman who is only growing better each week. The talent on the roster, which many have been eagerly anticipating seeing live up to the lofty expectations placed upon them, is here, and they aren't just here for one week, but consistently.

Strosnider, despite his .280 batting average, is still leading the team in slugging percentage and is second in OPS. Since the DBU game on March 24, over a full month ago, Strosnider has a .250 batting average (20-80) with just two home runs. Despite that, the Frogs went 15-5.

TCU is firing on all cylinders as the regular season nears its end — TCU sweeps Houston in Lupton Stadium. Colton Griffin was a big part of that. | Emma Swinney for KillerFrogs.com

So during that stretch, where over 50 percent of their wins from the season came, Strosnider was in a slump. With the talent, obviously, still there, as his bat gets hot again, and if the rest of the lineup can maintain the pace they've set, this offense could get extremely dangerous for opposing pitchers over the course of the season.

Also, take into account that LaPour is back, and while he might not be a starter again this season, his stuff would allow him to be one of the most electric closers in college baseball, giving head coach Kirk Saarloos his pick of the litter to close out games.

Remember those weeks ago when I said not to panic? Because there was too much talent on the roster for them to fail? Well, those that stuck around are seeing the fruits of their labors pay off, and buckle up, because this ride might get a little crazy.

Weekly Mailbag

Kirk Saarloos TCU Baseball TCU Horned Frogs — Kirk Saarloos looks on during the series-opener vs the Kansas Jayhawks. | Brian McLean/KillerFrogs (TCU On SI)

A new part of the "WDWL" that will most likely stick around for the rest of the year, and most likely into football season as well. I asked on X if any fans had questions they wanted answered, and then I'd pick 2-3 to answer here. If you want your question answered, drop them when I ask next Sunday night at @Jdandress11 on X.

"Is Zack James the Savior" (from @Diamond TCU):

While it's easy to say a resounding yes to this question, the "why" is where the response becomes a little bit more fun. At the beginning of the season, when the pitching staff was struggling, Saarloos said no one was pitching with confidence. Oftentimes, that led to pitches left over the middle or to chasing a small zone they were missing.

James didn't come in and reinvent the wheel on the team. Rather, he trusted his stuff, pitched with gusto, and it worked out. At the end of the day, these players are top recruits, playing at an elite program with two great minds over them. The talent was always there. James was just the first to do it, and it resonated with the staff, and has turned into success down the stretch.

"Projections for LaPour the next few weeks" (from @_Coach_Rhino):

I talked about it briefly up top, but with three weeks left in the season, and then the Big 12 tournament before regional play, getting LaPour back in shape for the rotation was always going to be a tough task. With that said though, a back-end, or high-leveration bullpen peice, could be an even better slot for him to fill into.

Tanner Sagouspe and Walter Quinn have been heavily leaned on, and for good reason, too, but the scouting report will be all over them. LaPour, given a chance to throw under 30 pitches, would not have to conserve energy, meaning he might be able to get his fastball into triple digits. If he can do that, he's an elite closer to add to the mix.

Why This Team May Be Built For June

That's what makes the next few weeks intriguing: TCU may still have another gear left. Zack James has helped unlock confidence in the mound, LaPour could become a postseason x-factor, and the Frogs are beginning to look like a club nobody wants to draw in June. For a team that spent early spring searching for answers, there may suddenly be a lot more reasons to believe.

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