TCU Baseball Positional Preview: Outfielders
Just a month out of Opening Weekend, KillerFrogs is beginning their coverage of the TCU baseball team. The Frogs were selected as hosts in last year's Fort Worth Regional, but their dreams of Omaha came up just short.
A young but experienced group of outfielders look to lead TCU back to the postseason in 2022. What can we expect from this unit this season?
Plenty of Returning Talent
A pair of injuries last year thinned out an initially-deep group of outfielders for TCU. Those players are back in action and ready to play serious time for the Frogs.
Sophomore Sam Thompson suffered an injury before the 2021 season began, limiting him to just five games. As a true freshman in 2020, Thompson hit 0.304 in eight games (note: the 2020 season was canned after 15 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Garrison Berkley also missed most of the season, prompting a redshirt designation. The now-redshirt freshman returns this season after making one start in right field last year. Be on the lookout for a new number for Berkley -- he will now don No. 11 after wearing No. 48 last year.
Of course, injuries don't define this group: experience and talent does. Sophomore Elijah Nunez leads the group after being named to the 2021 All-Big 12 Freshman team. He started 49 games as a true freshman, 31 of which came in center field. Nunez was the primary leadoff hitter last season and will likely be again. He recorded 18 RBI, 10 stolen bases, and reached base safely in 41 of 52 games.
Sophomore Luke Boyers made 42 starts last season all over the outfield. He made 18 starts in right field, 15 in left field, and nine in center. Boyers hit 0.307 with 46 hits, 22 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. He was named to the 2021 Fort Worth All-Regional Team and will now sport No. 6 (was No. 45 last season).
Redshirt sophomore Porter Brown was a late-season hero for TCU. He was named the Big 12 Tournament MVP after coming up huge on multiple occasions. Brown also earned All Academic Big 12 honors last season. He made 27 starts in left field while batting 0.342 (3 home runs).
The Newcomer
Logan Maxwell joins TCU as a true freshman after an incredible high school career. Out of Lima, Ohio (northwest quadrant of the state), Maxwell was named the Division-II Player of the Year. Note: Ohio flips their high school divisions, with DII being the second-largest schools.
The state's No. 1 outfielder recruit bat a ridiculous 0.600 his senior season with 10 home runs. Maxwell brings a power hitting aspect to an ultra-efficient hitting group in the outfield.
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