TCU baseball will see A&M again, this time in Houston in 2017
TCU has not seen the last of Texas A&M in baseball.
The Horned Frogs and Aggies, who have played the last two seasons for a trip to the College World Series, will meet again in March as the headline game at the Houston College Classic.
The game, one of three against SEC opponents in the tournament for TCU, is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 4 at Minute Maid Park.
It’s one of the highlights on a 54-game 2017 schedule announced by TCU on Tuesday. The Horned Frogs also meet NCAA tournament teams Arizona State, Rice and Dallas Baptist and will travel twice to California for games at UC-Irvine, Cal and Long Beach State, also an NCAA tournament qualifier.
It’s the toughest schedule we’ve played since I’ve been at TCU.
TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle
“I venture to say — well, I know for sure — it’s the toughest schedule we’ve played since I’ve been at TCU,” he said. “With a veteran team like we have, we should be playing the best possible schedule to prepare us for if we’re in the postseason. That’s going to give us the best preparation to have success in the Big 12 and the postseason.”
Here is the schedule at the TCU athletics website.
In Houston, the organizers matched TCU against LSU, A&M and Ole Miss as part of a Big 12 vs. SEC theme. The Frogs’ games against LSU and A&M are scheduled for 7 p.m.
“The night game on Friday and the night game on Saturday, we’ve been in that tournament enough to know that those are considered the marquee game times,” Schlossnagle said. “I don’t know the last time one school was in both of those. You know LSU’s going to travel well, and A&M, obviously we have plenty of history with those guys. It should be a great thing for college baseball.”
TCU defeated LSU twice at the College World Series in 2015. The Frogs won Super Regional series against A&M in 2015 in Fort Worth and 2016 in College Station to reach Omaha.
The season opener for TCU is Feb. 17, the start of a three-game series against Penn State at Lupton Stadium.
The Frogs’ Big 12 opening series begins March 17 against Kansas at Lupton Stadium.
The conference tournament begins March 23 in Oklahoma City.
The Horned Frogs return eight of nine position starters, their top three playoff rotation pitchers and the closer from last season’s 49-18 team.
Carlos Mendez: 817-390-7760, @calexmendez
2017 TCU Baseball Schedule
Feb. 17 Penn State, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 18 Penn State, 2 p.m.
Feb. 19 Penn State, noon
Feb. 21 at UT Arlington, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 Arizona State, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 25 Arizona State, 2 p.m.
Feb. 26 Arizona State, 1 p.m.
Feb. 28 Rice, 6:30 p.m.
March 3 vs LSU at Houston, 7 p.m.
March 4 vs Texas A&M at Houston, 7 p.m.
March 5 vs Ole Miss at Houston, 2:30 p.m.
March 7 Dallas Baptist, 6:30 p.m.
March 10 at UC Irvine, 8:30 p.m.
March 11 at UC Irvine, 4 p.m.
March 12 at UC Irving, 3 p.m.
March 14 at Long Beach State, 8 p.m.
March 17 Kansas, 6:30 p.m.
March 18 Kansas, 2 p.m.
March 19 Kansas, 1 p.m.
March 21 at Abilene Christian, TBA
March 24 Oklahoma State, 6:30 p.m.
March 25 Oklahoma State, 2 p.m.
March 26 Oklahoma State, 1 p.m.
March 28 UT Rio Grande Valley, 6:30 p.m.
March 29 UT Rio Grande Valley, 6:30 p.m.
March 31 at Kansas State, 6:35 p.m.
April 1 at Kansas State, 2:05 p.m.
April 2 at Kansas State, 1:05 p.m.
April 4 at UT Arlington, 6:30 p.m.
April 7 Murray State, 6:30 p.m.
April 8 Murray State, 2 p.m.
April 9 Murray State, 1 p.m.
April 11 at Dallas Baptist, 6:30 p.m.
April 14 at West Virginia, 6:30 p.m.
April 15 at West Virginia, 2 p.m.
April 16 at West Virginia, 1 p.m.
April 21 Baylor, 6:30 p.m.
April 22 Baylor, 2 p.m.
April 23 Baylor, 1 p.m.
April 25 Stephen F. Austin, 6:30 p.m.
April 28 at Texas Tech, TBA
April 29 at Texas Tech, TBA
April 30 at Texas Tech, TBA
May 2 Abilene Christian, 6:30 p.m.
May 5 Texas, 6:30 p.m.
May 6 Texas, 4 p.m.
May 7 Texas, 1 p.m.
May 12 at Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m.
May 13 Oklahoma, 2 p.m.
May 14 Oklahoma, 1 p.m.
May 16 UT Arlington, 6:30 p.m.
May 18 at California, TBA
May 19 at California, TBA
May 20 at California, TBA
May 23-28 Big 12 Tournament at Oklahoma City, TBA
This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 1:36 PM with the headline "TCU baseball will see A&M again, this time in Houston in 2017."