2009 INFORMATION 2009 SEASON OUTLOOK resh off yet another conference title, the TCU baseball team is stocked and ready to go in search of its fourth-consecutive league title and its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Horned Frogs return ive starters and their en- Ftire starting rotation from last season’s 44-19 squad. Add to that the nation’s ninth-ranked recruiting class, the Horned Frog coaching staff is counting down the days to opening night. The batting order will feature four all-conference performers, while the rotation saw two all-conference nods. The incoming class may be small in size, but it is big on talent. The team welcomes 11 newcomers, including 10 freshmen. STARTING ROTATION THE BULLPEN CLOSER Entering the 2008 season, the Frog pitch- The bullpen could be one of the biggest The coaching staff faced a similar ing staff was somewhat of an uncertainty. strengths in 2009 as it returns four of its in- dilemma in 2008 following the departure of Having lost the entire 2007 rotation to either ning-eaters from a year ago. The addition of two-year closer Sam Demel, but an ingen- graduation or the MLB draft, the 2008 start- four freshmen will bolster an already strong ious move by the staff saw the emergence ing weekend rotation featured a sophomore and two freshmen. 2009 will bring the return group. of former starter, Andrew Cashner. of those same pitchers, now a year older, With Lockwood’s move to the rotation, Orginally slated to be part of the starting combined with the return of Steven Trent Appleby (6-1) stepped up and took rotation, Cashner used his assets in a dif- Maxwell, who missed the majority of 2008 the reigns as the long-reliever. He was ferent setting, racking up a 9-4 record with after elbow surgery. tremendous, finishing with a 2.31 ERA in nine saves. Replacing Cashner, who led the Maxwell was off to a fantastic start in 2008 66.1 innings pitched. team in both saves and wins, will be no easy before being sidelined with the injury. In just Always a reliable option for the staff is task. three strong performances vs. Cal State Fullerton, Ole Miss and Pepperdine, he was Taylor Cragin (1-0, 1.61 ERA). Cragin has Jim Schlossnagle and staff hope to a hit 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA. been outstanding the past three seasons another home run this season as they try The start of the 2008 conference season with a 3.06 career ERA. and fill the void following Cashner’s move marked the beginning of Tyler Lockwood’s Eric Marshall (3-0, 4.91 ERA) made a ca- to professional baseball. While Cashner was (7-2, 2.75 ERA) move to the rotation. He im- reer-high 16 appearances and enters his a junior with collegiate experience, it seems mediately stepped into the No. 1 role and ex- fourth year in the program. more than likely that this season’s go-to guy celled, earning first-team all-conference Derek VerHagen (1-0, 4.50 ERA) and in the ninth will be a freshman. accolades. newcomer Walker Kelly will provide the Miller and Winkler both have electric Greg Holle (1-2, 4.50 ERA) and Freshman All-American Sean Hoelscher, (7-3, 5.02 coaching staff with options from the left stuff from the right side, while Kelly has a ERA) rounded out the starting rotation for side. winning attitude and comes at hitters from the Frogs. Both should be solid components Another incoming freshman who im- the left side. Miller tallied 10 saves in his of a staff that finished fifth nationally in ERA pressed in fall practices was Erik Miller high school career. last year. who is on the radar for some playing time Both Cragin and Marshall picked up saves Paul Gerrish (4-3, 5.35 ERA) made six out of the bullpen. Merck and Winkler could a year ago if the coaches elect to go with a midweek starts for the Frogs and led them to also eat up some innings. more experienced pitcher in the late innings a 5-1 mark in those contests. 2008 was Ger- rish’s first experience at the Division I level of ballgames. and Coach Schlossnagle is excited about his ability to pitch in a variety of roles with the Returning Pitchers (9): Newcomers (4): experience that he now has. Name Yr. W-L ERA IP K Avg. Name Yr. Thr. Previous School While the Frogs returned a lot of quality Taylor Cragin Sr. 1-0 1.61 22.1 14 .250 Walker Kelly Fr. L Arlington Heights pitchers, the coaching staff added a number Trent Appleby So. 6-1 2.31 66.1 32 .257 Kaleb Merck Fr. R Keller HS of talented arms to the staff; ones that could Steven Maxwell So. 1-0 2.50 18.0 12 .212 Erik Miller Fr. R Georgetown HS push for some starts as they get their colle- Tyler Lockwood Jr. 7-2 2.75 104.2 71 .247 Kyle Winkler Fr. R Kempner HS giate careers off the ground. Kyle Winkler Greg Holle So. 1-2 4.50 60.0 32 .310 and Kaleb Merck are both highly-touted re- Derek VerHagen Jr. 1-0 4.50 12.0 8 .283 cruits that chose college over the profes- Eric Marshall Jr. 3-0 4.91 25.2 17 .280 sional ranks. Sean Hoelscher So. 7-3 5.02 66.1 53 .253 Paul Gerrish Jr. 4-3 5.35 37.0 31 .289 Pitchers Lost (6): Name Yr. W-L ERA IP K Avg. Matt Coburn Jr. 0-0 0.00 3.0 3 .000 Andrew Cashner Jr. 9-4 2.32 54.1 80 .122 Collin Auten Sr. 0-0 3.86 2.1 2 .300 Dillon Farish Sr. 1-1 4.15 13.0 11 .294 Seth Garrison Jr. 2-3 4.41 69.1 53 .253 Chris Anagnostou Fr. 1-0 4.85 13.0 10 .357 32 2009 Horned Frog Baseball Media Guide 2009 SEASON OUTLOOK nother competitive schedule awaits the team as they will play 15 games against 2008 NCAA qualiiers. The season opens up Feb. 20 at Cal State Fullerton. The irst home game of the season is set for Feb. 24 against Dallas Baptist. The schedule Aalso features a road series at Ole Miss, while the home fans will see 2008 NCAA Super Regional participant, Wichita State and Minnesota visit Fort Worth. A challenging conference slate will see the Frogs play a home-and-home series against San Diego State and Utah in addition to hosting New Mexico and BYU. And for the second straight season, the Frogs will host the MWC Postseason Tournament. MIDDLE INFIELD OUTFIELD CATCHER/DESIGNATED HITTER For the first time in three years, the Frogs Despite the loss of all-conference center- The Horned Frogs are loaded at the catching have a hole to fill at shortstop with the de- fielder Clint Arnold, the outfield has the poten- position with three very talented athletes. First- parture of Bryan Kervin. Despite the loss of tial to be another strong part of the Frog squad team all-conference performer Bryan Holaday in 2009. While only one regular starter returns, (.311, 41 RBI) returns as does Jimmy Pharr Kervin, TCU returns one of top second base- the Frogs possess a wealth of talent that can fill (.228, 15 RBI) and Hunt Woodruff (.263, 24 men in the country in Ben Carruthers. those gaps nicely. RBI). Carruthers (.308, 33 RBI) is an extremely Right-fielder and RBI-leader Chris Ellington Holaday should see the bulk of action behind adept defensive player who also excels at (.344, 54 RBI) returns for his final season of col- the plate as he handled a staff that finished fifth the plate. His senior leadership will be huge legiate baseball. Ellington finished the 2008 nationally in ERA. He also led the league in run- season with a strong showing both offensively ners caught stealing. as the Frogs usher in a new era at shortstop. and defensively, including becoming the team’s With a year of collegiate baseball behind him, Taylor Featherston is the odds-on fa- most clutch hitter, leading the team in two-out Pharr could see a little more time behind the vorite to take over at shortstop as he im- RBI. plate. He has shown to be a capable hitter and pressed both offensively and defensively On the other side of the field, Vern and as his defense continues to prove, he could pro- during fall workouts. Steglich look to be the favorites to split time in vide Holaday some relief behind the plate. left. Look for the staff to try and keep both bats While he came to the program as a catcher, Corey Steglich will provide an experi- in the lineup in some capacity. Redshirt-fresh- Woodruff appears to be penciled in to get more enced option if needed, while a duo of new man Aaron Schultz (.205, 2RBI) started in left starts as the designated hitter or at first base. comers in Brance Rivera and Davy Wright in 2008 before an injury ended his season. He He is a versatile athlete who has been a big part could also push for time. has the physical skills to compete for time in the of the Horned Frog offense in the last two years outfield and his short experience last year with his consistent ability to handle the bat.