The baseball season has just begun, and already the Horned Frogs are facing one of the biggest series of their year. This weekend, the Frogs will travel to Fullerton, Calif. for a three-game series against the Titans of Cal State Fullerton.

The No. 6 Titans (1-2) took two hard losses last weekend against Oregon and Pepperdine. TCU is coming off a dominant three-game sweep against Sam Houston State to open the season. During last season’s opening series, the Frogs took two of three from Fullerton.

Fullerton, a long time NCAA baseball powerhouse, is known for executing well and playing “small ball,” which means relying on fundamentals to manufacture runs.

Sophomore pitcher Kyle Winkler, starting the Sunday game for No. 9 TCU, said Fullerton is a very solid fundamental team with speed in the top of their lineup. But he also said his team isn’t daunted its upcoming task.

“We play a lot like them, and we practice against it all the time,” Winkler said.

He also stated that his goals for his attack this weekend are to work ahead of the count, avoid walks and try to get batters to hit ground balls that can be fielded. The whole Horned Frog pitching staff is looking to get ground balls early in the count and give their fielders every chance to execute and get outs.

Senior catcher Bryan Holaday agreed that the Frogs are ready for the Titans.

Holaday said the most important aspect of this weekend’s series is for the Frogs to be successful in all areas, including pitching, offense and defense.

“If we play great defense, then we’ll have a chance,” he said.

Holaday also denied that he’s facing any extra pressure this season because he is a senior. He said he just tries to guide and help the younger athletes on the team.

TCU vs. Cal State Fullerton

When: 9 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Fullerton, Calif.

Listen to game coverage on KTCU FM 88.7 “The Choice.”