TCU visits Rice before opening Big 12 baseball season

The TCU baseball team faces its final tuneup for the Big 12 season with a rematch against Rice on Tuesday at Reckling Park in Houston.

The Horned Frogs blanked the Owls 10-0 on Feb. 27 at Minute Maid Park in Houston in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic.

The seventh-ranked Horned Frogs (12-3) took two of three from Southern California over the weekend but allowed 27 runs in the final two games. The Trojans snapped TCU’s five-game winning streak with a 16-6 victory on Sunday.

TCU slugged five home runs over the weekend to push its season total to 13, which is tied for the most in the Big 12.

Sophomore catcher Evan Skoug, who is hitting .380, has sparked the recent offensive attack. His last 11 hits have gone for extra bases and his nine doubles are tied for first in the Big 12.

Elliott Barzilli continues to lead the Frogs in hitting with a .431 average. He has three home runs and 16 RBIs.

TCU is hitting .320 compared with its opponents’ .225.

The Frogs’ pitching, however, struggled against the Trojans after dominant performances much of the season. TCU allowed double-digit runs in back-to-back games for the first time since March 2014 against Texas Tech.

TCU opens Big 12 play with a home series against West Virginia beginning Friday.

The Owls (8-7) are coming off a 2-1 series victory against East Carolina. Rice has won five of its last seven games.

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 1:55 PM with the headline "TCU visits Rice before opening Big 12 baseball season."