GAME INFORMATION
Location: Lupton Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
Time: Friday at 7 PM (ESPNU), Saturday at Noon (ESPN2) and Sunday at 1 PM (ESPNU). All times Central Time Zone
Home Team Player to Watch
Freshman LHP Nick Lodolo
Lodolo has been starting for the Horned Frogs on Friday nights since ace Jared Janczak went down with an injury after the West Virginia series. In his two starts on Fridays against Baylor and Texas Tech, Lodolo has gone 14 IP giving up just 2 runs while scattering 11 hits and striking out 9 batters. Lodolo will need to command the zone and not allow Texas’ LHH to do some damage against him.
Away Team Player to Watch
Junior RHP Morgan Cooper
After spending all of conference play as the game two starter of the weekend, Cooper and sophomore RHP Nolan Kingham will flip spots in the rotation with Cooper going on Friday night and Kingham on Saturday. In 11 starts for Cooper, he has a 1.45 ERA over 68.1 IP with 86 K and holding opponents to a minuscule .176 batting average against. He is currently the ERA and K leader in the Big 12.
Matchup to Watch
Cooper vs. TCU’s Offense
In last year’s Friday night game of the series, Morgan Cooper took the mound in his weekend start back from having Tommy John surgery. He only went 4.2 IP giving up 3 runs on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3 batters on 88 pitches. Luckily for Cooper, the bullpen came in and held it down and won the game for the Horns. Texas doesn’t exactly have that luxury this year of a bullpen outside of the consistent Beau Ridgeway. Cooper needs to get early outs and not get into deep counts early in the game or Texas will have to throw some guys out there to bridge the gap to Ridgeway, assuming Texas has a lead late in the game.
Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday: TCU LHP Nick Lodolo (5-1, 4.39) vs UT RHP Morgan Cooper (6-2, 1.45)
Saturday: TCU RHP Brian Howard (6-3, 5.43) vs UT RHP Nolan Kingham (7-3, 2.05)
Sunday: TCU RHP Mitchell Traver (2-1, 3.95) vs UT RHP Kyle Johnston (2-1, 3.29)
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