TCU baseball freshman David Bishop already ‘dialed in’ as cleanup hitter, at first base
David Bishop preferred batting in the two-hole in high school. He played shortstop, too.
Once he arrived in TCU’s baseball program, though, he knew things would change. He wasn’t going to move ahead of Tommy Sacco on the depth chart at shortstop. He wasn’t going to slide over to third base and unseat Brayden Taylor.
So Bishop picked up a first baseman’s glove midway through fall camp and, well, the rest is history.
“I got some reps over at first and just kind of stayed there,” Bishop said, smiling. “Well, I guess I’m a first baseman now. I’m pretty dialed in over there. I feel confident playing first base. Definitely a lot easier than shortstop, I think, but as long as I’m in the batting order, I don’t care where I play.”
Bishop isn’t going to have to worry about his spot in the batting order if he continues to do what he’s been doing. Even though he’s a true freshman, Bishop has handled the cleanup spot as a savvy veteran so far.
Bishop starred in TCU’s 11-1 victory over Stephen F. Austin in the home opener at Lupton Stadium Tuesday night. He knocked in five runs, which included the team’s first home run of the season, a two-run shot over the right-center field fence in the seventh inning.
He was 3 for 4 on the night and is now 6 for 14 on the season with a team-leading nine RBIs.
“Coming in as a freshman, you’re skeptical about playing time,” said Bishop, who committed to TCU going into his junior year of high school with other schools such as Georgia Tech and Tennessee showing interest.
“You don’t know if you’re going to get playing time. You’re grateful for the moments that you do. I’m just really blessed to have an opportunity to showcase my skills and make an impact on the team.”
TCU first-year coach Kirk Saarloos didn’t have much hesitation putting a freshman into the four-hole to open the season. Even though Bishop wasn’t the most highly-touted recruit coming out of Fellowship Christian in the Atlanta area, ranking as the 484th-best prospect in the country by Perfect Game, Saarloos knew what the program had throughout fall camp.
Saarloos described Bishop as having “a very advanced approach for a young guy.” Bishop also put in the offseason work, going from 175 pounds the summer between his junior and senior year in high school to 205 pounds going into his first collegiate season.
“When we recruited him out of Georgia, he’s a guy who always found a way to get hits,” Saarloos said. “That’s the best attribute of a hitter is you get hits. He’s on pitches. He’s on fastballs, on breaking balls. You can’t pitch him one way. He’s able to get base hits on different pitches and put together really good at-bats. That’s huge for us, giving Brayden someone behind him.”
The offense’s production in the young season, highlighted by Bishop’s strong start, is a welcomed sight for a TCU program that lost several big bats this offseason.
The Frogs had the Big 12’s best offense last season, but four of the top five RBI producers departed (Philip Sikes, Hunter Wolfe, Zach Humphreys and Gene Wood). Those four combined for 196 RBIs.
That isn’t easy to replace but the Frogs appear to be in position with Taylor and Bishop in the heart of the order. Nobody is happier to see Bishop’s fast start than his teammates.
“Unbelievable. Huge for the team,” said sophomore right-hander Cam Brown, who earned the win Tuesday with five scoreless innings. “Obviously we have a lot of confidence in him. The success that he’s had early on is not surprising to me just from the work that he’s put in, the weight goals he’s made, the power numbers have been there. It’s just awesome to see a guy grow.”
TCU (3-1) opens a three-game series against Nebraska on Friday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 10:45 PM.
