Behind enemy lines -- What USC fans should know about the TCU Horned Fogs
USC baseball is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years. On Friday, the Trojans will open postseason play versus TCU in the 2-3 game of the Corvallis Regional.
What can USC fans expect from the Horned Frogs? On Tuesday, I spoke with Avery Hamel, who covers Big 12 baseball for the Lawrence Journal-World, to discuss TCU.
"While TCU lost some games down the stretch against some less than stellar Big 12 competition (UCF and Utah), the Horned Frogs present a very complete competition against any team," Hamel said. "They were second in the conference in players named to the All-Big 12 First Team with three and provided the Freshman of the Year for the conference in Sawyer Strosnider, who should be among best player conversations in Division I, not just the freshman class. On the other end, they have the lowest ERA in the Big 12 (4.24) with ace Tommy LaPour leading the way and getting significant help from bullpen contributors like Louis Rodriguez."
With it being the tournament opener, USC will likely have to face LaPour, presenting a challenge for the Trojans' lineup. Expect Andy Stankiewicz to counter with his own ace, Caden Aoki, who emerged as one of the top pitchers in the Big Ten down the stretch run.
First pitch between USC and TCU is set for noon Pacific time on Friday. The game will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN+.
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