By Rusty Simmons staff reporter Head coach Lance Brown changed his number from 23 to 59 in hopes of changing the tone of the current baseball season, he said. "We've been playing poorly," Brown said of the 18-27 Frogs. "I saw (Jeff) Zimmerman's number a day after he struck out four Yankees in succession, and I thought my switching to his number might shake things up a little." Zimmerman, an ex-Frog and current Texas Rangers pitcher, finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1999, but he is 0-2 with a 6.48 earned run average this season. TCU has had the same fate as Zimmerman since the number change. The Frogs had early success, sweeping a series from Hawaii-Hilo immediately following Brown's number switch, but they lost two contests in a three-game series with Western Athletic Conference-leading San Jose State this weekend. In the series opener with the Spartans, TCU pitching gave up 16 hits en route to a 11-6 loss. Junior pitcher Chris Bradshaw, who had not given up more than four runs in any decision this season, lasted only three and 1/3 innings while giving up eight earned runs. "Bradshaw didn't throw well, and he couldn't keep the ball down," Brown said. "I think (the Spartans') hits were more a result of his pitching than their hitting." Junior left fielder Jason Price hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and the Frogs rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth inning. But San Jose State did not stop scoring after the initial eight runs. The Spartans added three runs in their final two at bats to put the game out of reach. The Frogs tied the series at 1-1 with a 7-5 win in game two of the series. Brown said the game was a hard-fought win. Senior pitcher Shawn Thompson's pitch count went up, so Brown had to go to the bullpen in the seventh inning. TCU capitalized on five two-out hits to score runs in the game. "There was no turning point in the game," Brown said. "I was (in) doubt that we were going to win until we got the third out in the ninth inning." In the rubber-match of the series, the Frogs lost for the 15th time this season to a left-handed starting pitcher. The Spartans' Tim Adinolfi threw a shutout against the Frogs, striking eight while walking only one batter. Junior pitcher David Tombrella matched Adinolfi pitch for pitch through five innings but allowed a home run to San Jose State's Brandon Macchi. The Spartans added four runs in the eighth inning on two TCU errors. "For seven innings, it was a good game," Brown said. "It was a pitchers' dual. We might have lost 1-0 if we hadn't made those errors in the eighth inning, but it is a huge battle trying to come back and score five runs." Prairie View A&M canceled its double header against TCU scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Monday at the TCU Diamond. The Frogs got in late from the San Jose State series, so Brown said it works out better that TCU did not have to play two games before meeting Hawaii in a WAC matchup this weekend. The Frogs are scheduled to open the three-game series with the Rainbows at 2:35 p.m. Thursday at the TCU Diamond.
Rusty Simmons
By Chris Ray Skiff staff If collegiate tennis were an individual sport, the Frogs would be No. 6 in the nation, but as a team, the Frogs are No. 13. Head coach Michael Center said he'll take the discrepancy. "We have all the right things going right now," Center said. "(Junior Scott) Eddins and (redshirt freshman Jimmy) Haney are at top of their game, and (No. 6 junior) Esteban (Carril) will come through. "But with this team it is not about just one player. It's about the team functioning as one." The Frogs, ranked No. 13 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, downed No. 55 Tulsa, 6-1, in a Western Athletic Conference matchup Saturday. TCU finished up the season at 17-4 and 3-0 in the WAC. The Frogs began Saturday's match by taking all three doubles matches against the Golden Hurricane. The duo of Eddins and Haney defeated the team of senior Nenad Toroman and sophomore Pawel Sebastianski, 8-4. In singles action, Carril foiled the hopes of senior Nemad Toroman in his bid to pick up his 100th win as part of the Golden Hurricane. Carril finished out his regular season with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Toroman. But Carril said regular season records don't mean anything in the postseason. "It's nice to win and get to 17 wins, but now it's time for the tournament," Carril said. "It's like a whole new season - the postseason. If you can't win there, you go home." In other singles action, Eddins, playing at the No. 3 spot, defeated Sebastianski, 7-6, 7-6. Freshman Antonio Gordon beat sophomore Shri Sudhakara, 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets. Haney and junior Petr Koula also picked up singles wins. Junior Trace Fielding suffered the lone loss for the Frogs, losing 6-4, 6-2 to sophomore Dane McGregor. The Frogs go into the WAC Championships ranked No. 13 but are not the highest ranked team in the WAC. Southern Methodist holds the No. 11 ranking, and Fresno State is ranked above TCU at No. 12. TCU beat SMU, 4-3, in Dallas earlier this season. Center said the time for TCU is now, and there is no longer any place for mistakes. "We have to play at our best, and the team knows that," Center said. "There is no more room for improvement. It is time to play, and I feel confident about what is to come." The Frogs are scheduled to compete in the WAC Championships beginning Thursday and running through Sunday at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
Chris Ray
By Adam Vilfordi Skiff staff Coming off another bowl-winning season, TCU's defense is again working to become one of the best defensive units in the nation. The Horned Frog defense ranked fifth nationally in total defense last year. "A lot of people have talked about us finishing up fifth in the nation," defensive coordinator Gary Patterson said. "Basically, our job is to prove that it wasn't a hoax. It wasn't a one-time thing and that we can play good defense next year." Patterson said the defense practiced hard and played well this spring. Patterson said he was especially impressed with the play of the redshirt freshmen on the defensive line. The amount of repetitions that the linemen received helped add depth to a team full of seniors, he said. "Redshirt freshmen Bo Schobel, Donald Burrell and John Turntine have all gained experience with the reps that they have gotten this spring," Patterson said. "There are really four defensive linemen that we have to replace, so it has been important that the redshirts have stepped up." The defense lost second-team All-Western Athletic Conference safety Reggie Hunt. The Frogs have found a number of candidates to be Hunt's replacement. However, the Frogs are trying to create depth in the secondary, Patterson said. "The weak safety position is another position up for grabs," Patterson said. "The competition is still wide open, but junior Charlie Owens is probably the favorite." Having depth at every position is an integral part of the defense's success, Patterson said. "The key to being successful down the road is being at least two-deep at all positions, and we have to be able to rotate all of our guys, especially up front, so that we have room to operate," he said. Regardless of who starts and who doesn't, Patterson said the Frogs will still be fast on defense. But this year they will also be a little bit bigger on their defensive line, he said. However, they will have to learn their techniques, and the underclassmen will have to get bigger in order for them to be effective, he said. "The biggest thing for the younger guys is that we have only been through 15 practices, and we only have 29 more until our first game," Patterson said. "The summer also has to be important for the defense because we have to get bigger and stronger, and we can't allow our younger guys to get pushed around." The defense, not including the younger talent, still has plenty of upperclassmen. With the defense losing only two starters from last year, the Frogs have a good chance to duplicate their statistics from last season, Patterson said. "I think that the seniors on this defense like Shawn Worthen, Aaron Schobel and Shannon Brazzell had an excellent spring," he said. "Curtis Fuller and Russell Gary also had an impressive spring." With the foundation in place for next season, Patterson said he looks forward to seeing his guys in action. The offense and Heisman Trophy candidate LaDainian Tomlinson receiving most of the attention from the media will only help his defense, he added. "With defenses in general not receiving much credit for what they do, we aren't real concerned with what the media write," Patterson said. "We know that if we take care of our business, all the accolades from the media and everyone else will come."
Adam Vilfordi |
| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |