By Jamie Plunkett
Frogs Today staff writer
TCU dropped to No. 10 in the D1 Baseball rankings on Monday morning following a 2-2 week last week.
The Frogs knocked off UT Arlington 7-3 in the middle of the week before dropping two of three to Florida State over the weekend.
- Freshmen, transfers come up big as Frogs beat UT Arlington
- Vanderhei shines, but Frogs fall to Florida State 10-1
- TCU avoids the sweep thanks to great pitching, timely hitting
Sitting at 4-3 after the first two weeks of the season, it feels like we know a lot about who the Frogs are, and have a vision of who the Frogs could become as the season progresses.
The current reality for TCU is that they’re depending on a lot of freshmen, especially pitching, and that’s going to come with ups and downs.
We saw both over the weekend.
Ben Abeldt’s first two outings of the season were stellar, allowing one run in 2 2/3 innings pitched. The tall lefty with the odd arm angle even elicited a Nick Lodolo comparison from color commentator Connor Wanhanen.
Wanhanen would know. He and Lodolo were teammates on the last Frogs’ squad to reach the College World Series.
Abeldt struggled on Saturday though, giving up six runs in two innings of relief. It was a stark reminder that sometimes good pitchers get hit hard, and that there’s a learning curve for freshmen at this level.
The ups and downs of a freshman season aren’t limited to Abeldt either, and aren’t a slight on any individual freshman. It just comes with the territory.
