TCU Baseball Hosts Baylor In Penultimate Series

Just two series remain on the schedule for TCU, who hits just outside striking distance for the Big 12 lead.

Seven games remain on the schedule for the TCU Horned Frogs (27-21, 8-10 Big 12) until the postseason. A promising year as thus far fell flat, and the Frogs sit five games behind West Virginia for the top of the Big 12 lead. They'd need a miracle to catch them.

At least the schedule cuts them a break – TCU hosts the last-place Baylor Bears (16-32, 7-15) this weekend in their penultimate series. Friday's first pitch has been moved back to 3:30 p.m. CT to avoid impending weather. Saturday's Game 2 has also been moved to a 7 p.m. at Globe Life Field. And Sunday's game is back at Lupton at 1:00 p.m. Catch the series on ESPN+ or 88.7 FM KTCU.

It's the final home series and almost certainly the final games at Lupton Stadium of the year, save for Tuesday's home stint with Texas State.

How TCU Can Capture A Third Straight Big 12 Title

As mentioned, it'd take a whole 'lotta luck. First and foremost, TCU needs to the weather to hold up and all three games to be played this weekend. If any of those pitches gets cancelled, there's a chance TCU is mathematically eliminated from the regular season title.

Secondly, they have to go at least 6-1 down the stretch. At least. Beyond Baylor, the Frogs face Kansas State (tied for second in the Big 12) and Texas State, who's flirted with the top 25 all season long and beat TCU in March.

The third leg is beyond their control. Luckily, Kansas State and Oklahoma State beat up on each other this weekend while TCU gets a direct crack at K-State in the season finale. Texas and West Virginia also beat up on each other while the Mountaineers host Texas Tech this weekend. In short, they need a bunch of losses ahead of them.

The more realistic path to a title would be to make a run through the Big 12 Tournament at Globe Life Field at the end of the month. Oklahoma made an unlikely go of it last year and caught fire all the way to the College World Series final. If last week's series wasn't a one-off, TCU could be catching that similar stride.

Knuckle-Crack Opportunity

With Baylor sitting at the bottom of the conference and the notion of "bigger fish to fry" around this TCU team, it could be a prime trap spot.

As a team, Baylor is unsound from the mound and uninspiring at the plate. They have the highest team ERA (6.73!) and the lowest batting average (.257) in the conference. The Bears have hit by far the fewest home runs (37 – nearly half of what TCU has) and have issued the most walks.

And yet, they've stolen games from Texas, Texas Tech, and Kansas State (taking two of three!). Should the Frogs' pitching staff play as well as they did last weekend, the Frogs should take all three from Baylor. And they really should.

But taking an unserious team unseriously could cost TCU a shot at the Big 12 title, momentum heading into the postseason, and seeding in the Big 12 Tournament. This is an opportunity to make an example, not a mistake.

Pitching Matchups For TCU Vs. Baylor

As has been the case for the entire back stretch of the season, Saturday and Sunday's starters have not yet been announced for either team. We do know Kole Klecker (7-4, 4.53 ERA) is likely to assume one of those spots. If TCU gets the win Friday and needs another win to stay alive, Klecker probably falls in Sunday.

For the past two weekends, Sam Stoutenborough (1-0, 5.02) took the mound one of the weekend days. Cam Brown (3-2, 5.40 ERA) has been moved to relief work and Ryan Vanderhei (4-3, 6.75 ERA) has been mostly relegated to weekend relief spots. However, against a winnable opponent and if the Big 12 season title is out of reach, either one may get worked into the rotation to warm up ahead of the postseason.

Louis Rodriguez (1-1, 4.46) gets the start Friday against Baylor junior Will Rigney (3-2, 3.55). Rodriguez picked up a tough first loss of his collegiate career in his last Friday start, only allowing two runs to Cal State Fullerton, but getting just one run in support from the offense.

Keep an eye on TCU Baseball's Twitter account for starting pitching for the remainder of the weekend.

Player To Watch

His role is TBD, but I'd really like to see Brown mixed back in the rotation. Realistically, the Big 12 regular season title is out of reach, and TCU needs to catch their stride for the postseason. As it stands today, this team has no idea what their starting pitching rotation looks like. It's been inconsistent and moved around so much, I can't even make an educated guess at who we'll see Saturday and Sunday.

Getting Brown some starting work again and at least have a third anchor in this rotation is critical. Pitching staffs win in the postseason.

I'm not confident Brown gets a start, but I believe working him in at least gives us some answers to our questions.

How To Watch TCU Vs. Cal State Fullerton

When: May 12, 3:30 p.m. CT | May 13, 7:00 p.m. | May 14, 1:00 p.m.

Where: Lupton Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas) - Friday and Sunday; Globe Life Field (Arlington, Texas) - Saturday

TV/Streaming: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Radio: KTCU 88.7 FM

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