2014 Forth Worth Super Regional

7. TCU Horned Frogs

Fort Worth, Texas

Automatic bid – won Big 12 Tournament, Won Fort Worth Regional

2014 record: 17-7, 45-15

Head coach: Jim Schlossnagle (Elon, 1992)

Record at school: 462-218, 11 years

Overall record: 539-265, 13 years

Assistant coaches: Bill Mosiello, Kirk Saarloos, Zach Etheredge

Team offense: .282 BA, 313 R, 12 HR, .357 SLG%, .373 OBP, 85-122 SB

Team pitching: 2.14 ERA, 554.2 IP, 432 H, 136 BB, 516 K

Top hitters: Garrett Crain (.340/1/19), Boomer White (.328/2/45/13 2B/11-15 SB), Dylan Fitzgerald (.317/2/31/14 2B), Derek Odell (.285/1/33), Cody Jones (.276/0/17/27-32 SB), Kevin Cron (.275/4/38/17 2B)

Top pitchers: Riley Ferrell (1-1, 14 SV, 36 IP, 16 H, 11 BB, 58 K), Preston Morrison (9-3, 1.24 ERA, 115.2 IP, 80 H, 17 BB, 79 K), Tyler Alexander (10-3, 1.94 ERA, 92.2 IP, 76 H, 11 BB, 57 K), Brandon Finnegan (8-3, 2.07 ERA, 91.1 IP, 67 H, 25 BB, 122 K), Jordan Kipper (8-2, 3.01 ERA, 68.2 IP, 61 H, 14 BB, 65 SO)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2012 (4-1 Station Regional, 0-2 at Los Angeles Super Regional)

Notes: TCU has won nine straight games after going 3-0 to win the Fort Worth Regional. TCU is a national seed for the first time and has been to the tourney 10 of the past 11 years. The Horned Frogs used a 20-2 finish, which included four straight in the Big 12 tourney, to capture the national seed. They’ll be looking for their second trip to Omaha (2010). TCU has averaged nearly 42 wins a year in 11 years under Jim Schlossnagle, who guided UNLV for two years before coming to Fort Worth. He also had stops as a pitching coach at Clemson, New Orleans and Elon, his alma mater. Preston Morrison, who is 25-8 in three years, was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and ranks seventh in the country in ERA (1.24). As a staff, the Horned Frogs now lead the nation in ERA (2.14) and are second in WHIP (1.02). Brandon Finnegan, who entered this season with a 4-13 career record, ranks eighth in strikeouts (122). Finnegan was the 17th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. The offense has gotten a lift from senior Dylan Fitzgerald, who hit .221 last year.

Pepperdine Waves

Malibu, California

Automatic bid – won WCC tournament, Won San Luis Obispo Regional

2014 record: 18-9, 42-16 (first)

Head Coach: Steve Rodriguez (Pepperdine 2001)

Record at School: 368-269 (11 years)

Overall Record: 368-269 (11 years)

Assistant Coaches: Rick Hirtensteiner, John Strauss, Matt Wilson

Team offense: .284 BA, 318 R, 33 HR, .397 SLG%, .346 OB%, 35-49 SB

Team pitching: 2.52 ERA, 520.2 IP, 436 H, 179 BB, 388 K

Top hitters: Aaron Barnett (.373/0/27), Hutton Moyer (.311/0/22/24 2B/15-19 SB), Aaron Brown (.310/12/47/11 2B), Brad Anderson (.295/5/32/13 2B), Bryan Langlois (.283/3/34), Brando Caruso (.281/3/24), Austin Davidson (.268/4/33)

Top pitchers: Corey Miller (9-4, 1.75 ERA, 113 IP, 92 H, 29 BB, 80 K), Aaron Brown (12-1, 2.07 ERA, 108.2 IP, 79 H, 38 BB, 100 K), Matt Maurer (4-3, 3.18 ERA, 68 IP, 69 H, 39 BB, 43 K), Jackson McClelland (8-3, 3.53 ERA, 79 IP, 78 H, 19 BB, 47 K), Chandler Blanchard (1-1, 1.17 ERA, 30.2 IP, 22 H, 8 BB, 22 K), Eric Karch (4-1, 15 SV, 1.69 ERA, 32 IP, 19 H, 11 BB, 22 K), A.J. Puckett (2-2, 3.23 ERA, 47.1 IP, 39 H, 22 BB, 41 K)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2012 (2-2 at Stanford Regional)

Notes: Pepperdine went 3-0 in the San Luis Obispo Regional, edging Arizona State and beating host Cal Poly twice. This is the first Super Regional appearance for the Waves. The Waves have won 42 games, their most since 2006. Coach Steve Rodriguez was a key player on Pepperdine team that won the 1992 national title, beating Cal State Fullerton 3-2 in the final. Coached by Andy Lopez, the Waves beat Texas to reach the title game, with Rodriguez hitting a late grand slam to fuel the win. The last time Pepperdine reached the College World Series was during that 1992 season. Freshman catcher Aaron Barnett is one of the toughest to strike out in the nation. Junior outfielder/pitcher Aaron Brown is one of the best two-way players in the country – he hit .310, nearly 100 points higher than batters hit against him. His slugging percentage (.539) is more than 80 points higher than his nearest teammate. Hutton Moyer, whose father is longtime Major League pitcher Jamie Moyer, has been a fixture in the middle infield for the Waves and made only nine errors for a .968 fielding percentage. Opponents hit only .171 off closer Eric Karch.