The TCU baseball team’s success directly correlates to how the team plays defense, head coach Jim Schlossnagle said.

“When we catch the ball and pitch we’re a pretty good team. When we don’t, we’re not,” he said.

The Frogs enter the series with a 12-10 overall record and a 4-2 record in conference play.

The last game against the University of Texas at Arlington on Tuesday night ended in a 4-3 loss in 10 innings.

Freshman Jerrick Suiter made his first collegiate start on the mound and struck out four batters and allowed one run in 4 and 2/3 innings.

Freshman Preston Morrison pitched 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings, but then junior Kevin Allen earned the loss after giving up three unearned runs in 2 and 1/3 innings.

The Frogs committed five errors and gave up three unearned runs in the loss.

In 22 games, the Frogs have had four games in which they have committed 19 combined errors. TCU has committed 33 total errors for the season.

“We can’t go into games thinking we’re expected to win this game, because if we get up by one or two runs we have a tendency to think we’re up and we’re supposed to win,” senior outfielder Brance Rivera said.

UNLV (12-13) will face TCU for the second time in three weeks.

TCU swept UNLV at Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas on March 16-18.

The Rebels’ last game was a 19-2 win against Southern Utah at home. Six Rebels had two or more hits as the team combined for 17 hits on the night.

Senior Trevor Kirk hit 3-for-3 and scored four runs.

Freshman John Richy earned his second win and gave up four hits in six innings in his second collegiate start on the mound for the Rebels.

Lupton Stadium is a pitcher-friendly ballpark compared to UNLV’s Wilson Stadium, Schlossnagle said. It will be the main difference the Frogs will face when playing the Rebels this weekend, he said.

Morrison said, “We’ve already seen them, so we know what kind of pitching they have, and we have a better idea of what their batters are like. Having faced them already we have confidence against them.”

TCU vs. UNLV

Game 1
When: 6:30 tonight
Where: Lupton Stadium
Starters: Stefan Crichton (3-0, 3.21 ERA) vs. Joe Robinson (2-3, 3.38 ERA) 

Game 2
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Lupton Stadium
Starters: Andrew Mitchell (1-2, 6.00 ERA) vs. Zak Qualls (3-1, 3.44 ERA)

Game 3
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Lupton Stadium
Starters: Brandon Finnegan (0-3, 5.73 ERA) vs. Erick Fedde (1-2, 3.44 ERA)

TV: The Mtn.
Radio: KTCU-FM 88.7
GoFrogs.com: Follow Gametracker or listen live