TCU leadoff hitter Wade likely ready for OU, Janczak on schedule

Leadoff hitter Austen Wade is likely to be in the lineup when TCU starts a three-game series at Oklahoma, and starting pitcher Jared Janczak is recovering on schedule from a shoulder strain, coach Jim Schlossnagle said Wednesday.

Wade suffered a bruised knee when he slid into the wall in foul territory chasing a pop up with two outs in the ninth inning of an 8-2 victory against Texas on Saturday at Lupton Stadium.

“He’s not 100 percent, but he should be by Friday,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “He hit on the field Tuesday. He ran in the outfield. It was just a bruise, so he’s working through the soreness.”

Wade, a junior from Midland, leads fifth-ranked (Baseball America) TCU in hitting, on-base percentage and is tied for the team lead in runs scored.

After colliding with the wall, Wade stayed down and was attended to by the trainer. He got up and stayed in the game for the final out. Schlossnagle did not fault his right fielder, who sat out Sunday’s game, for the hustle in a six-run contest.

“No, and considering how that inning was going, he was looking to make a catch and end the game,” Schlossnagle said. “But that’s just part of it. We got lucky that it wasn’t any worse.”

Janczak, who has missed three starts with the shoulder strain, threw off a mound at 55 feet on Wednesday and is scheduled to throw off a mound at full distance over the weekend.

“He felt great. So far, he’s hitting every step,” Schlossnagle said.

This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 8:57 AM with the headline "TCU leadoff hitter Wade likely ready for OU, Janczak on schedule."