Another series win lands TCU Baseball in the top 5, earns Sikes conference award

Few baseball teams in the country have been as hot as the No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs lately, as the team has now won 18 of its last 21 games.

This weekend, TCU stayed hot with a series win over Kansas that kept the Frogs tied for first in the Big 12 standings and propelled them to fifth in the national rankings.

Despite dropping a close game Sunday, the Frogs dominated the Jayhawks for the majority of the weekend, outscoring Kansas 26-6 in the series.

Right fielder Phillip Sikes was phenomenal in TCU’s two wins, collecting six hits (three of them home runs) and six RBIs to lead a powerful Horned Frog scoring effort.

The junior was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday after his big weekend.

Game 1

Starter Austin Krob went a career-high eight innings, and Sikes homered twice, as the Frogs blew out the Jayhawks 15-1 on Friday night to start the series on a high note.

Krob struck out seven during his outing, giving up just one run on eight hits and a walk.

TCU scored 11 runs in the first four innings of play, setting a tone early that it would be a long night for whoever was on the mound for Kansas.

The biggest inning of the night for the Frogs came when they scored five runs in the 2nd, which was highlighted by a three-run double by true first-year Brayden Taylor.

Sikes kept the party going after that, hitting his fifth and sixth home runs of the season on back-to-back at-bats to send TCU to their 6th-straight win.

The Frogs recorded a whopping 18 base-hits on the night, with 12 different Horned Frogs recording at least one.

Game 2

Yet another eight-inning performance by a starting pitcher and home run from Sikes gave TCU its 7th-straight win on Saturday, as the Frogs pounded the Jayhawks 10-3 to win their fourth conference series of the season.

Following in Krob’s footsteps, starter Johnny Ray went eight innings, striking out eight while giving up three runs on six hits.

Following a scoreless 1st, TCU proceeded to score at least one run in the final seven innings they saw offensively, out-dueling a trio of runs scored by Kansas.

The lone home run of the day for the Frogs came from Sikes, who hit his third in two days in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Five different TCU players recorded an RBI in the win, with designated hitter Hunter Wolfe leading the way with three on his own.

The victory moves the Frogs to 24-2 on the season when they are the first to score.

Game 3

Despite out-hitting Kansas 8-6, TCU lost all of their scoring prowess on Sunday, tying their season-high with 15 runners stranded on base to drop game three to Kansas 2-1.

An RBI-double by catcher Zach Humphreys gave the Frogs a 1-0 lead in the 3rd, but TCU was unable to hit when it mattered after that.

A trio of hits, a sacrifice fly, and a hit by a pitch in the top of the fourth earned Kansas two runs and gave them all they would need for the rest of the afternoon to prevent the sweep.

During that time, starter Charles King was pulled after giving up both runs on three hits in 3.2 innings pitched. Entering the game in relief, River Ridings and Haylen Green gave up zero runs on just three hits over the final 5.1 innings.

The loss prevented TCU from finishing its eight-game home stand perfectly, as the Frogs had entered the contest on a seven-game winning streak.