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Baseball
team enters toughest stretch of season So far, so good. Three games into the toughest 11-game stretch of the season, the TCU baseball team is 2-1 after losing to Fresno State Sunday, 7-5. “Anytime you go to California and win two out of three games, you have done pretty well,” head coach Lance Brown said. The Horned Frogs will need more of the same in their next eight games. If players want to make it to the NCAA Regionals like the say they do, they will have to hold their own against stiff competition. The Frogs’ (27-19, 17-9 Western Athletic Conference) next eight games will come against three teams with a combined record of 83-50: Texas Tech (31-15), San Jose State (23-16, 11-10) and Fresno State (29-19, 13-11). The season could come down to these eight games, Brown said. “If we have a disastrous two weeks, it will end it,” Brown said. “I think the NCAA will take the top two teams (in the WAC). If we put a little distance between us and Fresno, it will help.” Brown said the Frogs need to have between 35 or 36 wins to “get serious consideration” for a regional bid. That’s what makes today’s game against Texas Tech so important. Brown said the Frogs will approach the game against the Big 12 opponent like they would a conference opponent. “Every win gets us closer to (35),” he said. “There are no games that are any more important than any other.” Brown will start senior Chad Durham, who is 2-2 with a 7.04 ERA. The Frogs are hoping Durham will break out of a funk to defeat a Texas Tech team that is two games removed from a nine-game winning streak. At one point this season, Durham was 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA, but in his last three outings, he has pitched 12 innings and given up 20 earned runs to post a 15.00 ERA. His last win was Feb. 19 against Hawaii-Hilo. “They get in slumps just like hitters,” Brown said. “(Durham) has forgot about location a little and just tries to throw hard.” The Frogs will not have anymore four-game series after this weekend’s series against San Jose State, and as a result, Durham will no longer be in the rotation and will pitch exclusively from the bullpen. “After this weekend, he is out of the rotation,” Brown said. “Hopefully, he will throw well. A couple of years ago, he made his mark throwing in the bullpen.” Durham did not return phone calls to comment. He will start at 2:35 today at the TCU Diamond. Marshall, Watkins miss trip Freshman Jonathan Marshall and senior Austen Watkins did not make the trip to Fresno, leaving the Frogs with senior Jason Price as their only catcher on the trip. Marshall said he sprained his ankle fielding a bunt in an intrasquad scrimmage Wednesday and had to spend his weekend at home wearing a protective boot. Watkins stayed home with a sore neck. “I hate this boot,” Marshall said. “But I shouldn’t be in it too much longer.” While the rest of the team was playing baseball, Marshall was parked in front of his computer. “I was horribly bored,” Marshall said. “I sat at the computer listening to all three games.” Marshall said he is not sure if he will be ready in time for San Jose State this weekend, but he said he should be ready when Fresno State comes to town May 3. Marshall is hitting .385 with three home runs and a .641 slugging percentage. The freshman catcher had finally worked his way into the lineup after sitting on the bench for most of the year. “I fought my way into the lineup, and this happened,” Marshall said. “But I’ll be back.” Watkins spent the weekend and most of last week trying to recover from a cervical sprain. The senior had to go to the emergency room April 16 after waking up in the middle of the night with his neck in considerable pain. “That night it really started tightening up,” Watkins said. “I woke up at 2 a.m. in a lot of pain.” Watkins spent most of the week getting treatment from a chiropractor and taking the prescription pain killer, Vicodin. “I was moving around OK, but I was a little loopy,” Watkins said. Watkins stayed at home for fear the plane ride to Fresno would irritate his neck. Like Marshall, Watkins was pretty bored. “Oh my gosh, unbelievably (bored),” Watkins said. “I couldn’t listen. I could not bring myself to listen to the game.” His neck is feeling better, Watkins said, and he will be ready for today’s game if need be. Moses out as starter After going 1-for-3 in game one Saturday against Fresno State, sophomore second baseman Ramon Moses did not start the last two games of the series, and will not start today. Brown started junior Rudy Ontiveros in Moses’ place, and Brown plans to keep playing him “as long as he is hitting (close to) .400.” Ontiveros is hitting .377 in 53 at bats. Moses has a .265 batting average in 98 at bats.
Brandon Ortiz |