TCU baseball remains 'tremendous work in progress' after Tuesday's win

In TCU baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle's 15 seasons, the Horned Frogs have lost more than seven games within the first month of the season four times. Three of those seasons came in Schlossnagle's first five years at TCU.

The other, in 2013, is the only time the Frogs have had a losing record through their first 18 games after an 0-6 start.

It's not how you start but how you finish, of course, and the Frogs have been especially good down the stretch of the regular season under Schlossnagle.

Since '13, the lone season the Frogs missed the postseason under Schlossnagle, they've been to four consecutive College World Series.

The 2014 season didn't exactly start out on fire for the Frogs, either. They won six of their first seven but then lost six of the next nine and were 9-7. It wasn't until April when TCU turned it around for good in '14 when they won 20 of 21 games and 23 of its last 26 regular-season games. The Frogs were 11-7 18 games in, the same record as the current team after a 7-1 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday night at Lupton Stadium.

TCU had lost four of its previous five games. The Frogs open Big 12 Conference play Friday against Kansas State at Lupton Stadium.

Under Schlossnagle, the Frogs are 165-92 in March over 15 seasons, by far the most losses in a month. They've had a tendency (or knack) to turn it on as the temperature rises, however. In April and May they are a combined 341-113, including an astounding 158-51 in May.

But relying on that third gear isn't a given and doesn't just develop out of thin air. They have shown a penchant for improving, in the field, at the plate and on the mound.

"We’re so far away from being the club we want to be," Schlossnagle said. "I learned a long time ago to never look down on a win because we’ll take it but we’re just a tremendous work in progress. There isn’t a phase of the game that we don’t need to get better at."

TCU has committed 11 errors in its past six games, including a throwing error to first by reliever Charles King in the seventh that allowed Pine Bluffs' lone run. Perhaps it's just a rough stretch. They had only 11 errors combined in their first 12 games.

"What’s alarming is when you see things, like tonight, they’re not physical, things we worked on since Day 1," Schlossnagle said, referring to a few base running mistakes and fielding off the mound.

"Those are hallmarks of our program and we’re 18 games into the season and we shouldn’t see some of the things we’re seeing," Schlossnagle said.

On Tuesday, right fielder A.J. Balta and second baseman Coby Boulware both made dazzling defensive plays. Balta quickly picked up a shallow pop that dropped in front of him and fired to third to throw out the lead runner in the fifth. Boulware tracked down a grounder on the short stop side of the bag and made a strong throw to get the third out in the top of the eighth.

"With the expectations of this program, it’s not easy to come in here and play," Schlossnagle said, chalking up some of the fielding miscues to six players new to the full-time lineup. "I think some are carrying the weight of playing at TCU. There’s not a lot I can do about that besides repetitions. Eventually, they have to figure it out."

The fielding issues have often been central to the slow starts. TCU's great starts in 2015 and 2016 were buoyed by 10 and 18 errors. But a year ago the Frogs had 22 errors and still started 14-4.

Freshman shortstop Adam Oviedo, who has been superb in 17 starts (only three errors), said it takes a few weeks to get used to the pressure.

"I know this team is better than that," said Oviedo, who was 3 for 3 with a double and three RBIs. "The legacy here at TCU is pretty high for some of these new players taking a starting position. I can understand that tightness because I had a little bit of if myself. But I think we’re headed in the right direction."

Spring cleaning

A look at how TCU baseball has done through its first 18 games in coach Jim Schlossnagle's 15 seasons:

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 10:18 PM with the headline "TCU baseball remains 'tremendous work in progress' after Tuesday's win."