TCU Baseball: A Revamped Pitching Staff Heading to Omaha
On April 23rd, TCU pitching gave up 17 runs to West Virginia in a loss which would see their record drop to 22-18 and 7-8 in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs had to use eight pitchers to get through that game and it seemed all hope was lost.
The same story was being thrown around over and over again about the lack of consistency from TCU pitching and blame was being tossed everywhere. It all seemed to change in the series against Cal State Fullerton. Despite losing the first game, the Horned Frogs only surrendered one run and would go on to win the series. Since May 2nd, the pitching staff has had one game where they gave up more than five runs.
The freshman Kole Klecker has been pretty consistent for TCU but even he ran into some trouble mid-season. However, in game one against Indiana State, he threw seven innings, with no runs and nine strikeouts. After having an ERA of 6.91 heading into April, Ben Abeldt has been a massive piece in the bullpen and his unique arm angle continues to fool hitters.
It's a pitching staff that has been so resilient. Sam Stoutenborough got roughed up in the first couple innings against Indiana State. He settled in and gave TCU a chance to advance. Every pitcher was going through some trouble, but now you could never tell that happened.
It is certainly nice to have an ace to rely on to carry a team to victory. We saw that just last night where Stanford's Quinn Mathews threw a complete game, 16-strikeout performance against Texas while throwing an absurd 156 pitches.
While the Horned Frogs have gotten strong outings from its starters, it seems to be a collective effort. One pitcher feeding off the other and it suddenly becomes contagious. Confidence so high that you can throw any pitch in any part of the strike zone. It's no longer overthinking about ways to pitch around a guy but rather realizing you can overpower each hitter.
A strong pitching staff is arguably the most important piece to capture a title and while this Horned Frog group isn't perfect, they look rebranded and can help this team go all the way.
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