Every few years, something fortuitous happens for college baseball teams.
The planets align, and they wind up with two proven commodities in the starting rotation at the same time.
This is one of those years for TCU.
Jared Janczak and Nick Lodolo, with 60 starts and a 29-12 record between them, are the lead arms in a pitching staff that looks like it can be the strength of the team. It’s happening because Janczak opted to play his senior season rather than sign professionally.
They get the first two starts of the season, Friday for Lodolo against Cal State Fullerton in the MLB4 Tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Saturday night for Janczak in the same event against Virginia.
The junior lefty and the fifth-year righty get the chance to be the tone-setters, not only this weekend, but every weekend. Big responsibility.
“You need those, what I would call, proven commodities available throughout the season, normally, to have a great year,” said coach Jim Schlossnagle, who knows something about great years. Five times he has led the Horned Frogs to the College World Series, typically on the template of strong to elite starting pitching.
Strong to elite experienced starting pitching.
In 2017, Brian Howard returned for his senior season to headline a pitching staff that got TCU a fourth straight Omaha trip. In 2015, Preston Morrison did the same to lead a back-to-back charge to the CWS.
In each of those years, however, neither Howard nor Morrison had a running mate with a similar experience level or track record.
Lodolo and Janczak each have 30 starts at TCU. Lodolo is 12-5 with a 4.34 ERA in 33 appearances covering 155.2 innings, with 165 strikeouts. Janczak is 17-7 with a 2.56 ERA in 49 appearances covering 218 innings, with 223 strikeouts.
Both have pitched in regionals, Super Regionals and College World Series.
“Nick and Jared are guys that have pitched in Omaha and guys that you pretty much know what you’re getting every time they go to the mound, especially if they’re healthy,” Schlossnagle said.
Now that that’s settled, what about the rest of the roles?
The Sunday starter is Brandon Williamson, a 6-foot-6 left-handed junior who pitched the past two seasons at North Iowa Area Community College and opted for TCU after being drafted in the 36th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The midweek starter is Haylen Green, a junior left-hander who was 2-2, 4.29 in 16 appearances with five starts last season and 2-1, 3.10 in 15 appearances with two starts as a freshman, including a scoreless inning in relief at the College World Series.
In the bullpen, the Frogs are eager to see if freshman right-hander Marcelo Perez can eventually assume the closer role, but Schlossnagle will go slow with him considering the quality of the Frogs’ early schedule.
“He could also be a starting pitcher, but for now we’re going to look at him in that closer role,” Schlossnagle said. “Whether we do that right out of the gate or not remains to be seen. I would prefer to let him get his feet wet before putting him in that situation.”
More relief arms are available in veterans Charles King and Jake Eissler, who have also started, and Cal Coughlin and Augie Mihlbauer. Coughlin went 3-for-3 in save situations a year ago and made two CWS appearances in relief as a freshman.
“Our schedule is really over the top in the first four weeks of the season,” Schlossnagle said. “If we can survive that health-wise and just get these guys some experience and keep them confident, then we do have a chance to have a good pitching staff.”
The Frogs took a hit when left-handed starter Russell Smith underwent Tommy John surgery in the fall that will keep him out for the year and right-handed reliever Caleb Sloan suffered an elbow injury that will also make him miss the season. Smith started 11 games last year as a freshman, and Sloan made 20 relief appearances as a freshman.
“It’s definitely a staff I have confidence in, as long as we remain healthy,” Schlossnagle said. “We’ve had two huge injuries already. Caleb Sloan was going to be a huge part of this team and obviously a massive part of next year’s team after we lose these older guys.”
Williamson, the Sunday starter, is coming off two hip surgeries last summer that prevented him from working in the fall. But he is talented and built in the mold of one of TCU’s most successful pitchers ever, Brian Howard.
“A very, very coveted prospect in junior college last year and will be again this year,” Schlossnagle said. “He didn’t get to work in the fall. He’s thrown a couple of intrasquad games. He’s definitely full speed, but he missed out on a semester of development. He’s a guy that’s super talented, but his last start was for a junior college and his next start is going to be against the No. 1 team in the country. We’re real confident in him, but the waters are deep.
“Pretty much everybody, this weekend, they’re just going to get thrown in the fire. We’ll definitely know more about our team and our pitching staff.”
