Riley Ferrell (Photo by Michael Clements)

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Top 25 Breakdown: No. 8 TCU

2014 Record: 48-18. RPI: 7.

Coach (Record at school): Jim Schlossnagle (465-221, 11 years).

Postseason History: 12 regionals (active streak: 1), 2 CWS trips (active streak: 1), 0 national titles.

TCU's Projected Lineup

Pos. Name, Yr. AVG/OBP/SLG HR RBI SB C Evan Skoug, Fr. HS—Libertyville, Ill. 1B Jeremie Fagnan, Sr. .203/.337/.297 2 11 1 2B Garrett Crain, Jr. .324/.403/.413 1 19 8 3B Derek Odell, Sr. .265/.347/.324 1 35 8 SS Keaton Jones, Jr. .266/.341/.290 0 21 9 LF Dane Steinhagen, Jr. Tr.—Howard (Texas) JC CF Cody Jones, Sr. .265/.389/.315 0 18 29 RF Nolan Brown, Jr. Tr.—Blinn (Texas) JC DH Connor Wanhannen, Fr. HS—Flower Mound, Texas

Pos. Name, Yr. W-L ERA IP SO BB SV RHP Preston Morrison, Sr. 9-4 1.32 130 95 21 0 LHP Tyler Alexander, So. 10-3 2.36 99 59 11 0 LHP Alex Young, Jr. 1-3 2.51 43 40 16 1 RP Riley Ferrell, Jr. 3-1 0.79 45 70 14 15

SEE ALSO: Five Questions With TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle

Hitting: 50. TCU lost five of its top six hitters from last year’s Omaha team (Boomer White, Dylan Fitzgerald, Kevin Cron, Jerrick Suiter and Kyle Bacak), leaving a lineup that coach Jim Schlossnagle describes as loaded with No. 2 and No. 6-type hitters. Odell has spent three years in the everyday lineup, and now the Frogs need him to be a bell cow in the middle of the order. He handles lefties as well as righties and features a quick line-drive swing. Skoug is a polished hitter for a freshman and could step right into the cleanup spot, and the switch-hitting Crain (the team’s leading hitter a year ago) will protect him. Keaton Jones has gradually improved his bat and become a useful offensive piece, albeit without any pop. Cody Jones led TCU in walks and stolen bases last year, making him a nice table-setter atop the order. Fagnan has an unorthodox swing but a patient approach, and he showed flashes of promise this fall, though he could be pushed for playing time by Elliott Barzilli, an athletic, versatile Georgia Tech transfer who received a waiver from the NCAA to play this spring. Juco transfers Steinhagen and Brown performed well in the fall, and if they hit this spring, the Frogs should at least be a deep lineup that gets production from top to bottom.

Power: 35. Skoug is the only true home run threat in the lineup. Coming out of high school, the strong, compact Skoug drew comparisons to fellow Midwesterner Kyle Schwarber for his plus lefthanded power and his advanced strike-zone awareness. Brown, who reminds the Frogs of Darren Bragg, should also bring occasional pop, but no returning Frog hit more than two home runs last year.

Speed: 60. This is TCU’s most athletic team in several years. Cody Jones is a plus-plus runner who likes to steal bases and has excellent range in the outfield. Steinhagen, Brown and Crain are all solid-average runners with good instincts, while Fagnan and Wanhannen bring average speed. Odell and Keaton Jones are below-average runners, but they pick their spots well on the basepaths, and they combined for 17 steals in 22 tries last year.

Keaton Jones

Defense: 60. TCU’s biggest defensive question mark is behind the plate, where it must replace Bacak. The Frogs will rely on a pair of freshman backstops in Skoug and defense-oriented Zack Plunkett; they have talent, but they must prove they can handle TCU’s elite pitching staff. Otherwise, the defense looks outstanding. Jones is as steady as college shortstops get, and Odell worked hard to become a sound third baseman last year. Crain has a knack for making plays in game that he doesn’t make in practice, and he fielded .992 in 2014. All three outfielders have plenty of range, which is particularly important in TCU’s spacious home park (and at TD Ameritrade Park).

Starting Pitching: 65. First-rounder Brandon Finnegan is gone, leaving a hole at the top of the rotation, but few staffs in the country will have three starters as good as Morrison, Alexander and Young. Young has the best pure stuff of the group, with an 88-92 fastball, a three-quarters slider that flashes plus and a changeup that took a major leap this fall, and ideally he would assume the Friday starter job to allow TCU to go left-right-left on weekends. Morrison is one of college baseball’s most accomplished pitchers, with a career record of 25-9, 1.62 and just 51 walks in 349 innings over three years. He is a tenacious competitor with outstanding sink on his fastball and a deceptive sidearm slot, but he also locates his slider and changeup effectively. Alexander stands out for his command—he lives at the knees with an 87-90 fastball that bumps 91-92, and his breaking ball has improved since last year. The likely No. 4 starter is 6-foot-9 RHP Brian Howard, who showed an 88-94 fastball with excellent downward angle and a firm slider last summer in the Northwoods League.

Bullpen: 70. TCU’s biggest strength is its bullpen, anchored by the nation’s most overpowering closer in Ferrell, who can blow hitters away with a 95-98 fastball and a devastating 84-87 slider. The Frogs can shorten games to six or seven innings by using Sr. RHP Trey Teakell to set up Ferrell. Teakell is capable of pitching multiple innings when necessary and attacks hitters with a 90-91 fastball and a good high-70s slurve. Another experienced senior, Travis Evans, gives the bullpen a key lefty with excellent feel for his high-70s slurve as well. So. RHP Ryan Burnett is a polished, aggressive bulldog with advanced command of his 87-90 fastball and decent offspeed stuff. RHP Brian Trieglaff flashes mid-90s heat and a power slider when he’s healthy, but he lacks physicality and was hampered by an elbow issue in the fall. And RHP Mitchell Traver, a 6-foot-7 behemoth with heavy life on his 93-95 fastball and the makings of an average breaking ball, is finally healthy after two injury-marred seasons, giving this staff another X-factor.

Experience/Intangibles: 65. The Frogs are loaded with veterans from last year’s Omaha run, with five returning upperclassmen in the lineup and a pitching staff packed with experience. TCU knows how to win, and it is built to win in 2015, before this current window closes with major roster turnover this summer.