The No. 2 TCU baseball team kicks off its 2015 season Friday night as they host the Southern Illinois Salukis to kick off a three game series.
In 2014, TCU finished 48-18 overall and 17-7 in Big 12 play. The Frogs won the Big 12 Tournament and advanced to the College World Series.
The Salukis finished eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a record of 26-31 (4-17 MVC). SIU was 5-4 against Power Five conferences in 2014, posting series wins over Illinois and Purdue.
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TCU returns four starters on the field on two on the mound from last year’s team. Starting pitcher Preston Morrison was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year last season.
“Last year we played a lot of close games and there were a lot of little things that helped us win,” Morrison said. “For us it’s how we practice and just trying to get better every day.”
Senior infielders Keaton Jones and Garrett Crain got honorable mention selections on the All Big 12 Teams last May.
“The guys that we have coming back know exactly what needs to happen, whether that’s in practice or in a game,” Crain said.
TCU is ranked second in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll and seventh in Baseball America’s preseason rankings.
“There is high expectation,” TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle said of the rankings. “In terms of ranking it doesn’t get discussed, but we all know it’s there. We are just going to try to be the best we can every day.”
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There are some key departures from the 2014 team, however. TCU lost ace Brandon Finnegan to the 2014 MLB Draft, one of six Frogs selected. Senior center fielder Cody Jones is the only one of the draft class that returns.
“We lost some great players last year, but we have some great one’s now too,” Jones said.
Overall, TCU has lost seven starters since last June, including first team all Big 12 member Boomer White. The Houston native transferred to Texas A&M in July, less than a month after TCU’s season ended in Omaha.
“We’re going to count on a lot of new players to do well for us and we’re going to count on some pitchers that didn’t pitch in big roles last year like [Mitchell] Traver, [Alex] Young, and [Brian] Howard to make the jump,” Schlossnagle said.
Southern Illinois could be the perfect challenge for a new-look Frog lineup this weekend, as they also have many new faces on their roster. SIU has 15 newcomers and only seven upperclassmen on its 2015 roster.
The Salukis are picked to finish eighth in the MVC preseason poll.
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Senior Aaron Hauge is the lone returning starter on the mound for the Salukis. He was 3-4 with a 3.60 ERA in 2014. Sophomore Will Farmer is the top returning offensive player for SIU. He finished 2014 hitting .268 with nine RBIs.
“I expected it based on our quality of players that we lost and how few we have returning,” Southern Illinois head coach Ken Henderson said.
“We have 26 freshman and sophomores. I don’t think opposing coaches know anything about our club because we have a ton of question marks and new kids. I certainly don’t expect to finish eighth.”
Schlossnagle said the Frogs also have their share of question marks and there’s only one way they can be answered.
“We’ll find out when we start playing someone in another uniform,” he said
