FORT WORTH — Josh Watson’s been around.
The senior left fielder has played on some very good TCU teams. Two College World Series-good teams, in fact. And he’s played on one that didn’t make postseason, last year’s bunch that fell an out short.
So the veteran ballplayer knows what a good team looks like, plays like and sounds like. Hitting second in the order, he is a big part of the 2019 team, the last one he’ll play on in college.
“On a team that doesn’t have a whole lot of experience, he’s a guy that has some right there at the top of the order,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Switch hitter. He’s been around the block a few times. He doesn’t get out of his element ever. So yeah, he’s definitely the perfect guy you want up there.”
The Arlington Martin product is out of the gate fast in his senior season.
Wednesday night against Abilene Christian, he drove in three runs in the first four innings of the Frogs’ 12-4 victory that gave them three wins in their first four games. Watson has six hits and seven RBIs in the first four games. He hit the ball hard every time up in the home opener.
“He’s a good player. He does everything the right away,” said second baseman Austin Henry, who hits behind Watson in the order.
Wednesday night was Watson’s 95th game at Lupton Stadium. He has started every game of his TCU career, now 195 games long, all in left field. If he plays the remaining 50 games in the regular season, he would begin to approach Keaton Jones’ record for games played at TCU, 251.
All this is to say Watson’s been around.
He’s a veteran, and his veteran approach will be key for the Frogs in the field and in a lineup that is encouraging for the Frogs after four games.
A mark of a good offense is making the other team pay for errors. A two-out throwing error allowed the Frogs’ first run to score and four more followed when two hit batsmen loaded the bases, setting up back-to-back two-run singles from Watson and Henry.
After the error, the Frogs forced 23 extra pitches from ACU starter Brock Barger, chasing him with Jake Guenther’s walk.
Henry came in leading the team in runs batted in and now has seven in his fledgling TCU career.
The Frogs continued to run. A double steal in the fourth inning set up Watson’s RBI groundout. TCU is 12-for-14 on stolen bases in the young season.
Leadoff hitter Porter Brown reached base three times, getting hit by a pitch twice and walking once, and scored three runs. No. 9 hitter Hunter Henry went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and scored three times.
“Wolfe and Brown are two good table-setters,” Schlossnagle said. “When those guys get on the bases, fun things can happen.”