OMAHA – TCU senior right-handed pitcher Preston Morrison wears a black wristband on his left wrist. The band, a product of the Jaegar Sports organization, has just one word on it in quotation marks – “Breathe.”
It’s a simple message but can make the world of difference for hurlers like Morrison, who TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle claims is the best pitcher in the history of the school.
“When in doubt and you feel like you need something to turn to, you just breathe, no matter what the circumstance,” Morrison said. “If you’re nervous, if you’re going too fast in your head, or you need to clear your mind, you just breathe. It’s just as simple as that, honestly.”
It may seem like Morrison, who will start against LSU on Sunday, has breathed easy his entire career as he has pitched more innings than any other Horned Frog in history. But don’t take his relaxed nature for a lack of drive. Forgoing an opportunity to play professional baseball after his junior season, he returned to TCU (49-13) to win a National Championship, something his team faltered on in a 1-2 outing in Omaha last season.
The return has paid off as he has commanded an 11-3 record with a 2.55 ERA, which adds to a career total of 36 wins and a 1.85 ERA. The Waxhaw, North Carolina native, who was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of this year’s draft, isn’t overpowering but fools hitters with a sinkerball that sits in the low 80s.
Schlossnagle, though, thought Morrison may not get another opportunity in Omaha. Despite pitching into the 10th inning of his Game 2 start against Texas A&M in the Fort Worth Super Regional, the Aggies thwarted the Horned Frogs’ attempt at sweeping the series with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th.
“He gave us an unbelievable chance to win, pitching into the the 10th inning,” Schlossnagle said of Morrison, who only gave up two hits. “He only threw 105 pitches. That’s the first time I’ve had a guy go beyond nine innings in my career…It just happened that [Texas A&M starter] Matt Kent was just as good.”
Although he’s just 0-3 in eight career starts in the NCAA Tournament, Morrison struck out a career-high 10 batters in the Horned Frogs’ 3-2 win against Texas Tech in their opening game of last year’s College World Series. Ironically, two of Morrison’s three losses this season came at the hands of the Red Raiders, where he gave up a combined 12 runs in a total of 7 ⅔ innings.
Whether it’s struggles against Texas Tech in the regular season and the Big 12 tournament or a brilliant outing in his College World Series debut, the All-American doesn’t look back, which will continue to be his mindset against the Tigers (53-10).
“For me, I believe that starts are independent,” Morrison said. “Some guys maybe juiced up for postseason. Some guys maybe a little more timid for postseason. But for me, I’m just approaching it like another start, getting all my preparation in [and] getting all my mental work in. I just go out there and compete my butt off.”
While the mental aspect may be a key for each of his outings on the mound, Morrison’s antics in the dugout when he’s not pitching are a completely different story. Morrison’s teammates stacked all of their hats atop his head during the super regional clinching win against Texas A&M, which finished in 16 innings.

TCU summoning the powers of the cap stack! #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/rcmBrPjKta
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 9, 2015

But the 5-4 win against the Aggies wasn’t the first time the senior has engaged in the extra-inning cap tomfoolery, which the Horned Frogs are plenty used to.
“That’s just another rally cap we got to take to the extreme,” Morrison said. “I used that in the 22-inning game against Sam Houston last year and then this year against A&M. You just got to keep it loose and kind of change up the mojo sometimes.”
Ideally for the Horned Frogs, Morrison won’t need to alter the mojo against LSU. Despite the Tigers’ potent lineup and propensity to steal bases, Schlossnagle is confident his senior can handle any threats and reproduce a similar outing to his College World Series debut.
“When you are playing at this level, there’s a lot things that go into a win and a loss for a pitcher’s record, but Preston’s going to give us a great chance,” Schlossnagle said. “There’s no doubt about it, especially if he’s pitching the way he’s capable of.”