Killer Frogs

TCU Baseball: Strosnider Strikes in Extras as Frogs Take Rubber Match in Lubbock

Sawyer Strosnider continues his tear as TCU wins its first Big 12 series of the season

Ian Napetian

TCU Tops Texas Tech 9-5 in Extra Innings
TCU Tops Texas Tech 9-5 in Extra Innings / TCU Baseball on X

The TCU Horned Frogs (17-7, 3-3 Big 12) left Lubbock riding high after clinching the series with a 9-5 win. After losing the series to Arizona State a week prior and splitting the first two contests in Lubbock, Sunday’s rubber match felt like a must-win for TCU.

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Final
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Kole Klecker toed the rubber for the Frogs and pitched with a lead from the get-go as the Frogs struck in the first inning. With runners at first and second, Chase Brunson reached on a fielding error by Red Raider shortstop Coleman Ryan.

TCU shortly fell behind after Texas Tech scored four runs in the third inning. Despite nabbing back a pair courtesy of a Sawyer Strosnider two-run single, the Red Raiders regained their cushion out to 5-3 in the sixth.

Just as Texas Tech added to their lead, Strosnider crushed a two-run blast to tie the ballgame at 5-5 in the seventh. It was the freshman’s second longball of the season and knocked in his third and fourth RBIs of the day.

Despite the blast from Strosnider, the Frogs struggled to keep their momentum as reliever Trendan Parish stymied TCU at the plate.

It was not until the 11th inning that the Frogs blew the door wide-open with four runs. Strosnider launched yet another two-run shot to give the Frogs a 7-5 lead. Brunson then doubled home Noah Franco before Karson Bowen plated a run with an RBI single to extend TCU’s lead to 9-5.

Louis Rodriguez closed out the game in the bottom of the 11th and worked around a two-out walk to secure the series win for the Frogs.

Bright Spots:

Sawyer Strosnider is undoubtedly the Frogs’ hottest hitter at the moment. This weekend the freshman went 9-for-13, including two home runs and six RBIs in Sunday’s game alone.

Strosnider also rides a 13-game hitting streak, dating back to Mar. 4. In that stretch he is batting .519 (27-for-52) with 11 extra-base hits, including three home runs, and 20 RBIs. The freshman has raised his batting average by 208 points and is now swinging at a .375 clip.

While he has been accustomed to hitting at the bottom of the order, Strosnider has batted in the two-hole for three-consecutive games.

With Strosnider on an absolute tear, it is only right to commend the latest from freshman catcher Nolan Traeger, who has essentially assumed the role as everyday catcher with the recent struggles of Karson Bowen.

Traeger has gotten a hit in all but two games he’s played this season. Since Mar. 2, the freshman backstop rides an 11-game hitting streak and now bats a whopping .357.

He continues to get valuable reps behind the plate as he has now started and caught four games in a row. This weekend against the Red Raiders, Traeger  went 5-for-12 with two walks, three extra-base hits and four RBIs.

Concerns:

Struggles for TCU remain on the pitching front–primarily in finding a constant Sunday starter. With the recent injury to Caedmon Parker, the search continues, but TCU has done well in plugging its holes.

Tommy LaPour has excelled as a Friday night starter in two consecutive weeks while Noah Franco appears to be a mainstay in the rotation despite his struggles against Texas Tech on Saturday.

Aside from starting pitching specifically, the concern that looms largest is TCU’s susceptibility to the big inning. In the last five conference games, TCU has allowed four or more runs in seven different innings.

Lately, TCU pitching has shown a tendency to spiral when things don’t go as planned, which is something the Frogs must limit with conference play continuing to ramp up.

What’s Next?

The Frogs will now head back home to Fort Worth ahead of a two-game midweek set with UT Rio Grande Valley (17-5, 10-2 Southland Conference). The Vaqueros are coming off a series loss to the Houston Christian Huskies and have a chance to make noise at Lupton.

For TCU it will provide a solid opportunity to keep their momentum heading into a weekend trip down south to face the Houston Cougars (13-10, 2-4 Big 12).

The first game against UTRGV will be on Tuesday night with first pitch slated for 6 p.m. with streaming available on ESPN+ and the radio call available on 88.7 KTCU The Choice.

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TCU Baseball returns home with a two-game midweek series against UTRGV on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Ian Napetian
IAN NAPETIAN

Ian Napetian is currently pursuing a double-major in Journalism and Sports Broadcasting at TCU. He is the creator and host the sports-talk radio show Riff Ram Review on 88.7 KTCU The Choice. He also hosts pregame and postgame shows for TCU Baseball and Women's Basketball on 88.7 The Choice. Additionally, he enjoys attending TCU sporting events with his friends.

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