After a spring break filled with sandy shores and relaxation, students flooded back to campus to get back to work. The baseball team apparently didn’t get the memo though, because it still hasn’t returned.

At the close of the 2009 TCU baseball season, fans were left disappointed but hopeful for the future as their Horned Frogs fell one game short of Omaha and the College World Series in a 2-5 loss to the Texas Longhorns.

Boasting a 40-18 record, 15-5 in the Mountain West Conference, the Horned Frogs’ 2009 campaign placed them at No. 11 is preseason rankings.

They had a promising spring break, moving from No. 7 to No. 4 in the Baseball America Top 25 Poll, but proceeded to drop a game to Dallas Baptist University 7-8 on their first Monday back, starting a downward spiral to No. 12.

With a strong returning pitching staff and an even stronger class of recruits, including freshman pitcher Matt Purke, the 2010 season looked bright for the Horned Frogs at the start.

So what happened?

The Horned Frogs are currently 20-7 on the season, four of the seven losses following their spring breakdown, and couldn’t even manage to sweep a series against Air Force Academy. They must have continued their apparent spring hiatus on the Colorado slopes instead of the stadium because they didn’t show up, dropping their opening game in the series to the Falcons 11-14.

After Tuesday’s 2-4 loss to the University of Oklahoma, a team ranked No. 19 compared to TCU at No. 12 in this week’s Baseball America Top 25 poll, the pathway to Omaha is starting to narrow.

With more competitive opponents on the slate, including No. 23 Texas A&M on Tuesday and another showdown with the Sooners on April 20, the Frogs need to wake up from their spring hibernation and hit the field ready to play.

Call the MTV camera crew, spring break is still going on in Lupton Stadium, and the Horned Frogs seem to have no intention of stopping the party.

Sports Editor Mary Sue Greenleaf is a news-editorial journalism major from Boulder, Colo.