Could TCU baseball still a host a NCAA Tournament regional?
With just six games remaining in the regular season, TCU baseball is aiming to turn things around before entering the postseason.
April was an uneven month for the Horned Frogs as they started 6-1 with sweeps over BYU and a top-25 Kansas team before dropping a nail biter, 6-5, to Dallas Baptist on April 15.
TCU has gone just 5-5 since including dropping last weekend’s season to Arizona in Tuscon. Despite the setback, the Horned Frogs (33-15, 15-9) are still in a three-way tie for third place in the Big 12 with Kansas (36-13, 15-9) and Arizona (33-14, 15-9).
West Virginia (39-7, 18-4) sits in first place with Arizona State (32-17, 16-8) right behind them.
The Horned Frogs are currently a safe bet by most projections to reach the NCAA after the program failed to make it last season.
Field of 64 currently has TCU as the No. 2 seed in the Knoxville regional hosted by Tennessee. D1Baseball also has TCU as a No. 2 seed, but the Horned Frogs would play in the Tallahassee regional hosted by Florida State. It should be noted D1Baseball was last updated on April 30.
The Tennessean actually has TCU hosting a regional, but the Horned Frogs are currently ranked No. 14 out of the 16 possible host teams, so TCU is far from a lock in that regard.
The easiest way to move up in the projections and to potentially steal a bid to host a regional is to close the season strong against Cincinnati and Utah.
The Horned Frogs will host the Bearcats in a three-game series starting Friday and it will have major implications for both teams. While TCU is fighting to maintain its positioning in the Big 12 title race and the NCAA Tournament, the Bearcats are fighting just to make the field as Cincy is viewed as a bubble team by many outlets.
Cincinnati will come into Lupton with confidence after a three-game sweep of Kansas, but the Bearcats have struggled on the road, going just 11-14. Meanwhile TCU has one of the best homefield advantages in the league with Horned Frogs sitting at 20-6 in Fort Worth.
TCU should have an advantage on the mound as the Horned Frogs are second in earned run average (ERA) while Cincinnati ranks No. 8. A 2-1 series win or better yet a sweep, would be just what TCU needs to gain momentum heading into the Big 12 Tournament.
The final regular series will take place at Utah on May 15 and there’s no reason the Horned Frogs shouldn’t win that series. Utah is currently ranked last in the Big 12 standings and in runs scored. The Utes are also just 4-8 at home in Big 12 play, meaning TCU won’t walk into a hostile environment.
Despite an up and down April, TCU is in good shape headed into the final stretch of the season. Now it’s just about finishing on a high note and putting the program in the best position to host a NCAA Tournament regional.
