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GoFrogs: Morrison Leads TCU's Big 12 Honorees

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http://www.gofrogs.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/052014aab.html
 
Morrison Leads TCU's Big 12 Honorees
Junior earns second Pitcher of the Year accolade
 
OKLAHOMA CITY - For the second time in his career, Preston Morrison has been tabbed the conference Pitcher of the Year. He leads a list of 12 TCU Horned Frogs to earn All-Big 12 honors announced Tuesday.
 
Morrison, along with Brandon Finnegan, Riley Ferrell and Boomer White were named first-team all-conference performers. Kevin Cron, Derek Odell and Tyler Alexander were honored on the second-team. Earning honorable mention all-conference accolades were: Kyle Bacak, Garrett Crain, Dylan Fitzgerald, Cody Jones and Keaton Jones. Alexander also earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Newcomer squad.
 
Morrison has put together another strong campaign. He leads the Big 12 with a miniscule 1.18 ERA in 99 1/3 innings pitched. Morrison, who is 8-3 on the season, has totaled four complete games and been a part of five of TCU's Big 12 record 14 shutouts. In eight league starts, he boasts a 1.14 ERA to go along with a 5-1 record in 55 1/3 innings pitched.
 
Morrison makes history as he becomes the first-ever Horned Frog to earn Pitcher of the Year honors twice in his career. He was tabbed the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year as well as the Freshman of the Year in 2012. It's the sixth time in TCU's history that the program has produced a Pitcher of the Year with five of the honorees coming in the Jim Schlossnagle era. He joins Clayton Jerome (C-USA, 2003), Lance Broadway (C-USA, 2005), Jake Arrieta (MWC, 2006) and Steven Maxwell (MWC, 2010) to earn the prestigious accolade.
 
Finnegan has made 13 starts this season and boasts an 8-3 record to go along with a 2.16 ERA. He paces the league with 103 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings pitched. In league play, Finnegan went 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA.
 
Ferrell has made a team-leading 23 appearances out of the bullpen and ranks third in the Big 12 with 11 saves, eight of which have come in conference play. He is 1-1 on the season with a 0.89 ERA. The sophomore has fanned 48 batters in 30 1/3 innings pitched.
 
White, a second-team performer in 2013, is the leading hitter on the squad with a .343 batting average and 40 RBIs. He hit .319 in conference play and drove in a team-high 21 runs.
 
Cron is one of four Horned Frogs to have started all 53 games this season. He leads the team with four home runs and ranks second with 34 RBIs. In 24 league games, Cron hit .281 with 10 extra base hits and 14 RBIs.
 
Odell is hitting .309 in 50 games played this season. He ranks third on the team with 30 RBIs and eight stolen bases. In league play, Odell was even better, hitting 316 with seven extra base hits and 12 RBIs.
 
Alexander is one of just two athletes in the league to earn a first- or second-team all-conference selection as well as a spot on the All-Freshman team. He has put together a strong first-year campaign with an 8-3 record in 16 appearances. Alexander boasts a 2.17 ERA and has fanned 48 batters in 74 2/3 innings pitched.
 
Fitzgerald ranks third on the squad with a .330 average. He was TCU's leading hitter in conference play this season with a .364 average. Eight of his 13 doubles came against league foes as did 13 of his 29 RBIs.
 
Bacak has set career highs in all offensive categories this season, hitting .246 in 53 games played. He has four doubles and has driven in 14 runs.
 
Cody Jones leads the league with 23 stolen bases. He has started all 53 games this year and is hitting .271 with 16 RBIs. In league play, Jones hit .274 with three doubles, a triple and eight RBIs.
 
Keaton Jones has up career numbers in most offensive categories, hitting .257 with four doubles and a triple to go along with 16 RBIs. In 24 league games, Jones hit .271 with nine RBIs.
 
Crain ranks in the top 10 in the league with his .336 batting average. Of his 43 hits, he has six doubles, two triples and one home run. Eight of his 15 RBIs on the season came in conference play.
 
The Horned Frogs open play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Wednesday afternoon against Baylor at 12:30. The game will be televised by FOX College Sports.
 
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