By Danny Horne staff reporter The loss of several key starters from last year's squad has left the TCU baseball team with some unanswered questions as the new season begins. The Horned Frogs lost, most notably, third baseman Royce Huffman, first baseman David Wallace and catcher Mark Silva on offense, but almost all of the pitching staff remains intact, having only lost Scott Atchison. The loss of Huffman, Wallace and Silva puts a dent in an offense that last year relied much on the homerun, said junior centerfielder Marshall Wilson, who hit .270 with 15 RBI last year.
The Frogs will rely on Wilson, sophomore infielder Erick Macha and junior college transfer outfielder Rudy Rivera to execute the small-ball offense that Wilson said will be so important. "We will need to hit and run and steal some bases to keep runners in scoring position so that we are not waiting for the homerun," Wilson said. Senior first baseman Shaun Wooley said no individual player will be expected to step up to fill any one role. Junior college transfer Jason Price will play rightfield despite coming over from Alvin Junior College as a catcher. Wooley will play first base, while senior Mark Hamilton is pitching. Wooley hit .326 with seven homeruns and 40 RBIs for the Frogs last season despite playing only part-time. "I am hoping that more at-bats this season will equate to more production offensively," Wooley said. Junior right-handed pitcher Chris Bradshaw said the staff is basically the same as last year but added that it comes back with more experience. "As a whole, we need to cut down on the walks and make the hitters put the ball in play," Bradshaw said. "The changes in the offense should not affect how we pitch. We still have to throw strikes." The Frogs' staff will rely on the arms of Hamilton, Bradshaw and top returning starter senior Shawn Thompson, who struck out 95 batters in 87 innings last season. "If we plan to make any post-season runs toward the NCAA Tournament, we have to get by Rice (University)," Wooley said. "We have set that as a main goal this season, and we think that is reasonable."
Danny Horne
By Rusty Simmons staff reporter Dallas Baptist shortstop Mike Hamilton produced a run the only time he faced his brother, TCU pitcher Mark Hamilton, in the Frogs' 7-4 loss to the Pioneers Tuesday at the TCU Baseball Diamond. The siblings' matchup was made possible when Mike Hamilton transferred to DBU less than a month ago. He led off the second inning with a single and scored three batters later. "People always think that it's weird for us to face each other," Mike said. "But then I tell them we have been doing it in all sports all of our life. I told my team that my brother was a good player. I think both of us always respected each other's talents." DBU's second baseman Steve Berry followed Mike Hamilton home putting the Pioneers up 5-1 and ending Mark Hamilton's day on the mound. The Frogs used five other pitchers in their season opener, and the relievers held DBU to two runs over the next eight innings. Pitchers junior David Tombrella, senior Shaun Wooley and junior Chad Durham each pitched an inning of scoreless baseball to close the game out, but TCU could not close the gap on the offensive end. Junior pitcher Chris Bradshaw and senior pitcher Shawn Thompson each allowed a run in two innings of work. The Frogs left 13 runners on base, including the first inning when senior second baseman Levi Groomer flew out with the bases loaded. TCU also left two men on base in the second, third, seventh and ninth innings. "(Dallas Baptist) really didn't play that well," junior outfielder Rudy Rivera said. "They only had one or two hits that were hard, but they came in the right situations. We beat ourselves by making errors and leaving runners on base." In the second inning, junior center fielder Marshall Wilson and junior left fielder Rudy Rivera tried to ignite a two-out rally, but sophomore third baseman Erick Macha grounded out to second base. TCU was able to score two runs in the third inning, but with a chance to cut the deficit more, the Frogs left two runners stranded when Wilson flied out to center field. The ninth inning again gave TCU an opportunity to cut the lead, but with a run already scored and two men on base, red-shirt freshman Matt Srp took a called third strike to end the game. The Frogs committed three defensive errors, two of which led to Pioneer runs. "(The game) was an eye-opener," Rivera said. "Now we know where we are at and where we need to be." The Frogs return to action Saturday against the Southwest Texas State University Bobcats in a doubleheader at the TCU Baseball Diamond at 12:05 p.m.
Rusty Simmons |
"We will have to be a different team
at the plate this season," Wilson said. "We probably will not
have the power from last year, but we have added guys who can put the ball
in play and run. We will play with more speed on the bases."| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |