TCU RHP Preston Morrison (Shotgun Spratling)

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Morrison Puts On A Clinic

PHOENIX — Much like South Carolina legendary lefthander Michael Roth, pitchers like TCU senior righthander Preston Morrison don’t come through college baseball too often, either.

Sure, plenty of pitchers arrive in college and transform into command-driven righties or lefties, but in terms of the sheer precision that he approaches the game with, there are few, if any, out there like Morrison, who put together a terrific performance in a 3-0 series-opening win over Arizona State.

Walking into the beautifully-renovated Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the faces of professional scouts were aplenty. ASU distributed almost 60 scout tickets for Friday’s series opener, and mostly, those scouts were there to see Sun Devils rising lefthander Brett Lilek, or perhaps here to get a peek at TCU junior righthanded reliever Riley Ferrell, who has the ability to sit in the mid-90s with explosive overall stuff.

And though Lilek — who sat in the low-90s and touched 94 along with a low-80s changeup, and a steady diet of sliders — battled his way to a quality start, striking out seven and allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits in six innings, it was the historically soft-tossing Morrison who stole the show.

“We don’t hardly ever have complete games, let alone this time of year. He was feeling it tonight,” TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “If he’s not going to elevate his ball against an aggressive lineup like ASU, that usually is a sign of good things.”

[pull_quote_right]”We don’t hardly ever have complete games, let alone this time of year. He was feeling it tonight,” TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “If he’s not going to elevate his ball against an aggressive lineup like ASU, that usually is a sign of good things.”[/pull_quote_right]

It’s hard to imagine the veteran righty being better than he was last season as he led the Frogs to the College World Series, but he did show better overall stuff against the Sun Devils on this night. Typically last season, Morrison flashed a low-to-mid 80s fastball that devastated hitters because of its ability to sink low in the zone. This year, and after a summer of hard work and training in the weight room, Morrison has seen his fastball velocity skyrocket from that low-to-mid 80s to more 87-88, and even touching 89 on a couple occasions.

Last weekend against Southern Illinois, Morrison threw 87-88 mph, but it took him a while to settle into a groove. Against the Sun Devils, Morrison allowed a hit in the first inning, and the Devils seemed to be getting some good swings off him. However, he adjusted to the aggressive nature of Tracy Smith’s club, and that was pretty much the end of any serious threats the rest of the night.

Morrison retired 11-straight hitters from the first inning through the fifth. And even after giving up a one-out hit in the fifth, the veteran didn’t get rattled with the suddenly frenzied crowd, battened the hatches and ended the inning in stellar fashion with a fly out to left field and a strikeout to end the inning, on of course, a nasty mid-70s slider.

The righty finished the evening retiring 25 of the last 27 hitters he faced.

TCU starter Preston Morrison shares a hug and a smile with head coach Jim Schlossnagle after the game. (Shotgun Spratling)

“I felt like I had pretty good height on my pitches. They made me pay early when I left it up a little bit, and I used their aggressiveness against them after that. My defense also played a big part,” Morrison said. “Just to get that early lead, that kept me from being too tight as the game progressed. I was back to my old self again after that first inning.

“My pitches were sinking a lot more after the first inning,” he continued.

Morrison displayed precision command with all of his pitches, but it was particularly impressive to see the near perfect command mixed with increased velocity on his fastball. In fact, of the 50 fastballs Morrison threw against the Sun Devils, 40 of them were strikes according to TCU pitching coach Kirk Saarloos.

Combine that with his ability to move that pitch around the zone, while also showcasing that mid-70s slider with good late breaking action, and a 78-81 mph changeup that he keeps low in the zone, and you’ve got a great recipe for success.

“It [velocity] definitely plays higher than what the guns read when he throws all of those pitches for strikes,” Schlossnagle said. “You’re going to have to beat him with ground ball singles, and that’s not typically easy to do.

“That’s what you’re likely going to get from him every time out,” he continued. “Especially if the other team is going to be aggressive, and we’re playing defense. He gets that breaking ball going and he really starts to sink the ball. He’s not going to beat himself and that’s the key.”

Morrison’s complete game against the sizzling hot Sun Devils was already impressive, but one must remember that it was accomplished with just 88 pitches, 63 of them for strikes.

As the late-innings arrived at Phoenix Muni, it was somewhat amusing to see the stage that was setting up. With each inning that Morrison would take the mound, some buzz would arise in the scout section of the ballpark. One more inning until we get to see Ferrell, they had to ponder. But with each inning, the precision-oriented Morrison would take the mound, finish things off in just a few pitches, and would be back out there the next inning, Ferrell only rising up from his bullpen bench to soft toss with the bullpen catcher at one point.

Eventually, it was realized that Ferrell wasn’t entering this game, and that it was all about the Preston Morrison show.

On a night when it looked to be the big stage for a power lefty like Brett Lilek, or even Ferrell to come in and slam the door on the aggressive Sun Devils, the ultra successful righty who didn’t get drafted last summer shined brighter than ever.

As we preached during the Roth era South Carolina, the Preston Morrison era at TCU isn’t one we should take for granted.

It’s one we should all embrace — even scouts.