TCU Baseball: Santa Clara Series Preview

The Santa Clara University Broncos come to Fort Worth for the last TCU homestead of the regular season.

Michael Clements

It could be the last chance to catch TCU baseball at Lupton Stadium this year. With the Texas A&M Aggies shooting up the Top 25 rankings over the last few weeks while TCU has scuffled, many are expecting a College Station Regional instead of a Fort Worth Regional. Lubbock and Stillwater are also expected to host Regionals. Even if the Horned Frogs are able to sneak away with the Big 12 regular-season title, TCU could find themselves on the outside looking in come Selection Monday, May 30 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. There is still plenty of baseball to be played, however, and the Frogs just need to keep winning and let the chips fall where they may.

The Santa Clara Broncos canter into For Worth for a three game series beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. It is Senior Weekend for TCU. 

Game 1: Thursday, May 19 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+

Probable Starters: SCU RHP Cole Kitchen (4-4) 4.15 vs TCU RHP Cam Brown (4-2) 4.97

Game 2: Friday, May 20 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+

Probable Starters: SCU RHP Skylar Hales (3-2) 4.15 vs TCU RHP Marcelo Perez (5-2) 3.71

Game 3: Saturday, May 21 at 12 p.m. CT ESPN+

Probable Starters: SCU LHP Nick Sando (4-4) 2.81 vs TCU RHP Riley Cornelio (3-4) 4.28

By now TCU baseball fans are familiar with the top four hitters in the lineup: CF Elijah Nunez, SS Tommy Sacco, 3B Braydon Taylor, and 1B David Bishop have been the stalwarts all season. 

Who do the Santa Clara Broncos rely on for their offensive production?

Batter	AVG	R	RBI	HR	SB
RF Micheal OHara	.327	20	13	0	2
DH Eamonn Lance	.323	22	24	5	1
CF Coleman Brigman	.303	38	34	5	11
LF JonJon Berring	.219	35	16	2	19

JonJon Berring (25) and Eamonn Lance (23) lead the team in base on balls and TCU pitchers will need to throw strikes to keep them off the bases. They will especially want to keep Berring from reaching base as he also leads the Broncos with 19 stolen bases. The other Bronco that is a threat to steal a base is Coleman Brigman with 11. West Virginia and Oklahoma's success against TCU on the base paths were a big reason TCU dropped those series.

The Broncos have 3 quality arms from the mound in Cole Kitchen, Skylar Hales and Nick Sando. 

Kitchen will almost assuredly get the start Thursday and went 6.1 innings allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five in his outing last Friday at Gonzaga. Kitchen has a 4.15 ERA on the year and leads the Broncos with 97 strikeouts. 

Sando leads the team with a 2.81 era and has racked up 79 K's in just 51.1 innings. He holds a 4-4 record with four saves and five starts on the year. 

Hales went seven innings allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out two in his outing last week at Gonzaga. He sits third on the team with 71 strikeouts through 65 innings.

While Santa Clara's starting pitching has been up to the task for the most part this season, it is their bullpen outside of Sando that has let them down. If the Frogs can get to the Broncos bullpen with a lead they should be able to close out the season with momentum heading into post season play. 

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