TCU will enter postseason play as the No. 7 national seed after a 2015 season that featured a Big 12 championship, three high-profile individual awards, and a brief stint at the conference tournament.
Regular Season
Head coach Jim Schlossnagle led TCU to a 40-win season for the ninth time en route to the school’s first regular season Big 12 championship.
TCU clinched the Big 12 Championship on the final weekend of the regular season at Oklahoma, finishing 18-5 in conference play.
Schlossnagle said winning the conference was an important step in recieving a No. 7 overall ranking.
“I don’t care whether people think it’s up or down, if you win that kind of conference by three games, then in my eyes, you’re deserving of it,” Schlossnagle said.
He said a series win at Arizona State and a win at home against Rice were key in nabbing the Big 12 championship. He also touted TCU’s appearance in the Dodgertown classic. There the Frogs beat the last two national champions – Vanderbilt and UCLA.
Home Field Advantage
TCU finished the 2015 regular season with a 27-2 record at home. The Frogs enter postseason play having won 15 straight games at home. Their last loss came in March, when Oklahoma State took two of three games at Lupton Stadium.
Senior Preston Morrison said playing at Lupton Stadium provides a sense of comfort.
“Our hitters know how to hit there, our pitchers know how to pitch there,” he said.
Regular Season Awards
Senior Cody Jones was named the 2015 Big 12 Player of the Year, making him the first Horned Frog to win the award since 1999, according to TCU baseball’s official twitter account. Jones finished second in the Big 12 with a .393 average. He lead the conference in on-base-percentage, runs scored and stolen bases.
Connor Wanhanen earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors, after posting a .339 average and driving in 31 runs in 2015.
Schlossnagle won Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his career.
Big 12 Tournament
TCU entered the Big 12 tournament as the No. 1 seed, but a loss to Baylor and Texas Tech forced an early exit.
Jones acknowledged the Big 12 tournament as a hiccup in what has been a great season.
“We know we didn’t play our game” Jones said. “We’re ready to go.”
Senior Keaton Jones said the team has high expectations of themselves, making their short stint at the Big 12 tournament a disappointment.
“Everyone was kind of down, kind of embarrassed,” Jones said. “Luckily it didn’t hurt us.”
Looking Forward
TCU begins postseason play Friday at 7:00 p.m. when Sacred Heart visits Lupton Stadium. The Frogs look to win the Fort Worth regional which also features North Carolina State and Stony Brook. If so, they will play the winner of the College Station regional at Lupton Stadium in a best of three series.
