Players To Watch For TCU Baseball In 2026
Players To Watch For TCU Baseball In 2026
TCU is the favorite to win the Big 12 in 2026, and the Horned Frogs made quite a splash on the national polls, too. Read more about TCU's top players.
The Texas Christian University baseball team may be entering the 2026 collegiate baseball season ranked No. 10 in the national 2026 D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 Rankings, but the Horned Frogs are the far-and-away favorites in the 14-team Big 12 Conference.
TCU was chosen as the league favorite through the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll, which is voted on by all of the conference’s head coaches.
It’s the third time in the last four seasons, and the sixth time in program history, that TCU has landed atop the poll, and receiving all 13 possible first-place votes (coaches can’t vote for their own teams), confirms there are big expectations for the Horned Frogs this year.
If the team is going to make it to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship for the 19th time in 22 years, it’s going to take some firepower, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem either. TCU also dominated the individual preseason lists in the Big 12.
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The Horned Frogs secured three of the four 2026 Big 12 Preseason Yearly Awards and landed four players on the 19-person 2026 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Team.
The accolades didn’t stop there for TCU, as five team members were named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-Americans, and two Horned Frogs made it to the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States.
Additionally, three TCU players were selected as Preseason All-Americans by Baseball America, which is voted upon by MLB scouting departments. Two were added to the publication’s inaugural Preseason College Player of the Year Watch List, one was named to the Preseason College Pitcher of the Year Watch List and one was selected to the Preseason College Freshman of the Year Watch List.
The Perfect Game Preseason All-America teams also included a trio of TCU players.
We’ll recap all the selections below, then share a little bit about each player and how they’re expected to help the squad improve on last year’s performance.
TCU was 39-20 overall and 19-11 in conference games last season, finished third in the 14-team standings and fell to Arizona in the final game of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.
The Horned Frogs’ season ended a week later after consecutive losses to USC (13-1) and Oregon State (7-2) in the regional round of the Division I Baseball Championship.
The new campaign will begin close to home, with TCU making a short trip across the DFW Metroplex for four games at Globe Life Field, home of the 2023 World Series-winning Texas Rangers.
For the fourth time, the Horned Frogs will play in the season-opening College Baseball Series, which again will include three weekends of action from Feb. 13 through March 1 and include 18 teams.
TCU will play in the first of the three events that make up the CBS, the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, where the Horned Frogs will be joined by Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt.
After games against Vanderbilt (Feb. 13), Arkansas (Feb. 14) and Oklahoma (Feb. 15), TCU will return to GLF for a midweek game against UT Arlington on Feb. 17.
The first three contests will be broadcast live on FloCollege and the FloSports app as part of the wire-to-wire coverage of the College Baseball Series, but any midweek games are not included in the coverage.
Read more about TCU baseball:
- TCU Baseball Schedule 2026: Dates, Times And More
- How To Watch TCU Baseball At The 2026 College Baseball Series
Now, let’s take a look at the players who are expected to lead the way for TCU in 2026:
TCU In The 2026 Big 12 Preseason Polls
2026 Big 12 Preseason Awards
- Player of the Year – Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
- Pitcher of the Year – Tommy LaPour, TCU
- Newcomer of the Year – Dean Toigo, Arizona State
- Freshman of the Year – Lucas Franco, TCU
2026 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Team
- C – Jack Natili, Cincinnati
- IF – Landon Hairston, Arizona State
- IF – Austen Roellig, Arizona State
- IF – Travis Sanders, Baylor
- IF – Brady Ballinger*, Kansas
- IF – Robin Villeneuve, Texas Tech
- OF – Andrew Williamson, UCF
- OF –Chase Brunson, TCU
- OF –Sawyer Strosnider*, TCU
- OF – Logan Hughes, Texas Tech
- DH – Dariel Osoria, Kansas
- UTL –Noah Franco, TCU
- SP – Owen Kramkowski, Arizona
- SP – Nathan Taylor, Cincinnati
- SP – Dominic Voegele, Kansas
- SP –Tommy LaPour*, TCU
- RP – Tony Pluta, Arizona
- RP – Cole Carlon, Arizona State
- RP – Chase Meyer, West Virginia
- *Unanimous selection
TCU Selections For 2026 Perfect Game Preseason All-America Teams
First-Team Hitters
- OF – Sawyer Strosnider, Soph.
Second-Team Pitchers
- SP – Tommy LaPour, Jr.
Third-Team Hitters
- TWP – Noah Franco, Soph.
Third-Team Pitchers
- TWP – Noah Franco, Soph.
Follow this link to see all of the Perfect Game All-America selections.
TCU Selections For 2026 Baseball America Preseason College Baseball All-America Teams
First Team
- TWP – Noah Franco, Soph.
Second Team
- OF – Sawyer Strosnider, Soph.
Third Team
- OF – Chase Brunson, Jr.
Best Outfield Arm
- Drew Burress, Georgia Tech
- Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
- Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
To see all of the players who were recognized by Baseball America, click here.
TCU Selections For 2026 D1Baseball.com Preseason All-America Teams
Second Team
- OF – Sawyer Strosnider, Soph.
- SP – Tommy LaPour, Jr.
Find all of the D1Baseball.com Preseason All-Americans here.
TCU Selections For NCBWA Division I Preseason All-America Teams
First Team
- OF – Sawyer Strosnider, Soph.
Second Team
- SP – Tommy LaPour, Jr.
Third Team
- OF – Chase Brunson, Jr.
Fourth Team
- UT – Noah Franco, Soph.
- RP – Mason Brassfield, Soph.
Visit this page to see all of the NCBWA Division I Preseason All-Americans.
A Look At Each TCU Preseason Standout
Learn more about each TCU standout:
Mason Brassfield, Soph., LHP
As a freshman, Brassfield made 18 appearances (including seven starts) for TCU, tied for third on the team. He also ranked third on the squad with 68 strikeouts, which came in 61 2/3 innings of work (second on the team).
Brassfield finished the 2025 campaign with a 5-2 record, while holding his opponents to a .254 batting average.
When the season concluded, Brassfield was named a second-team Freshman All-American, earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention and was a member of the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.
Chase Brunson, Jr., OF
Brunson, an All-Big 12 second-team selection in 2025, was one of TCU’s most dependable hitters last season, leading the team with 12 home runs, while finishing third on the team with 46 RBIs.
Over 58 games – TCU played 59 contests last year – Brunson batted .317, which also included 13 doubles and two triples. His 27 extra-base hits ranked third on the team. He also had 18 multi-hit games, led the Horned Frogs with 14 multi-RBI performances and was 9 for 9 on stolen bases.
Uli Fernsler, Fr., LHP
Fernsler arrives at TCU from Novi High School in Novi, Michigan, where he was 4-1 during his senior season with a 0.36 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 36 innings, while walking just four batters.
He was ranked No. 70 by Baseball America ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft and was a named a first-team high school All-American by the publication during his senior year.
He also was the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, the Detroit Free Press Prep Athlete of the Year and a a first-team All-Metro honoree as a senior.
Ahead of the 2026 season, he was selected to the Baseball America Preseason College Freshman of the Year Watch List.
Lucas Franco, Fr., INF
No relation to established TCU star Noah Franco, the younger Franco hails from Katy, Texas, where he was a standout for Cinco Ranch High School and was a top-75 prospect leading up to the 2025 MLB Draft.
Franco holds his high school’s record for walks and tied the record for stolen bases. As a senior, he hit .430 with 13 extra-base hits.
The hype seems real, as he was named the Big 12’s Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Noah Franco, Soph., TWP
As a freshman, Franco batted .313 and was fourth on the team with 68 hits, which included a team-leading 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 49 RBIs, both second-best on the squad.
On the way to a multitude of postseason honors, Franco wasn’t far behind Brunson with 20 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI performances.
And, as one of the premier two-way players in the country, Franco made three starts and eight total appearances on the mound. The southpaw struck out 18 and held opponents to a .245 batting average in 12 1/3 innings of action.
Here are all the accolades Franco collected as a freshman in 2025:
- 2025 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Invite
- 2025 First-team Freshman All-American (Perfect Game)
- 2025 Second-team Freshman All-American (NCBWA)
- 2025 Big 12 All-Tournament Team
- 2025 First-team All-Big 12 Conference
- 2025 Big 12 All-Freshman Team
- 2025 College Baseball Hall of Fame John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Watch List
Tommy LaPour, Jr., RHP
LaPour started his collegiate career at Wichita State but found a home at TCU after the 2024 season.
In 2025, the right-hander led the Horned Frogs with 16 starts and posted an 8-3 record with a 3.09 ERA (second in the Big 12). He led the team in wins (eight), strikeouts (88) and innings pitches (90 1/3), while holding batters to a .213 batting average.
Ahead of the 2026 season, LaPour was named to the Baseball America Preseason College Pitcher of the Year Watch List and was named to the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award.
The list of recognition for LaPour in 2025 was pretty lengthy, too:
- 2025 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Invite
- 2025 NCBWA Second-team All-American
- 2025 ABCA First-team All-Central Region
- 2025 Big 12 All-Tournament Team
- 2025 First-team All-Big 12 Conference
- NCBWA National Pitcher of the Month (April, 2025)
- 2025 NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy Award Semifinalist
- Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (April 21, 2025)
- 2025 College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher of the Year Watch List
Sawyer Strosnider, Soph., OF
Just a sophomore, countless eyes and a lot of pressure will fall on Strosnider as the 2026 season gets underway. His spectacular freshman season last year earned him the nod as the 2026 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year.
The 2025 NCBWA National Freshman Hitter of the Year played in 56 of TCU’s 59 games last year, starting 55 of them (31 starts in right field, 23 starts as the designated hitter and one start in center field).
Strosnider became the fourth player in the NCAA since 2002 to record a season quadruple-double at the plate. He had 13 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases, while his mark for three-baggers led the nation and set a single-season school record.
Among the TCU players, Strosnider was the leader in hits (77), RBIs (51) and multi-hit games (23), and he was second in runs scored (52) and multi-RBI contests (13).
Ahead of the 2026 campaign, he is among the 20 players on the Baseball America Preseason College Player of the Year Watch List and was named to the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award.
With all that, the accolades rolled in:
- 2025 College Baseball Foundation All-America Team
- 2025 NCBWA National Freshman Hitter of the Year
- 2025 Perfect Game National Freshman Player of the Year
- 2025 Second-team All-American (Baseball America)
- 2025 First-team Freshman All-American (NCBWA, Perfect Game)
- 2025 ABCA First-team All-Central Region
- 2025 NCAA Corvallis All-Regional Team
- 2025 Big 12 All-Tournament Team
- 2025 Big 12 Freshman of the Year
- 2025 First-team All-Big 12 Conference
- 2025 Big 12 All-Freshman Team
- 2025 Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Week (March 24)
2026 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
- TCU (13 first-place votes) — 169 points
- Arizona (1) — 157
- West Virginia — 137
- Arizona State — 128
- Kansas — 112
- Oklahoma State — 112
- Kansas State — 87
- Cincinnati — 85
- Texas Tech — 78
- UCF — 66
- Baylor — 54
- Houston — 42
- BYU — 29
- Utah — 18
TCU Baseball Schedule 2026
Want to see when the TCU Horned Frogs are in action this year and read more about how they have performed in recent seasons?
Read more: TCU Baseball Schedule 2026: Dates, Times And More | 2026 TCU Roster
How Did TCU Baseball Do In 2025?
TCU was 39-20 overall and 19-11 in conference games last year, finished third in the 14-team standings and fell to Arizona in the final game of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.
The Horned Frogs’ season ended a week later after consecutive losses to USC (13-1) and Oregon State (7-2) in the regional round of the Division I Baseball Championship.
How To Watch TCU Baseball Games In 2026
TCU’s 2026 campaign will get underway Feb. 13, and the team’s first three games will be broadcast live on FloCollege and the FloSports app as part of the opening event of the 2026 College Baseball Series, the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown.
All of TCU’s Big 12 games in 2026 will be available on ESPN+.
When Does The 2026 College Baseball Season Start?
The 2026 college baseball season is slated to begin Feb. 13 with the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, which gets the NCAA action rolling for the Division I teams.
For Division II and Division III, competition was set to begin Jan. 30 for most programs.
Watch TCU At The 2026 Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown
All Times Eastern
Friday, Feb. 13
Saturday, Feb. 14
Sunday, Feb. 15
Replays of the games, highlights and more news will be available on both platforms.
2026 D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 Rankings
- UCLA (48-18)
- LSU (53-15)
- Texas (44-14)
- Mississippi State (36-23)
- Georgia Tech (41-19)
- Coastal Carolina (56-13)
- Arkansas (50-15)
- Louisville (42-24)
- Auburn (41-20)
- TCU (39-20)
- North Carolina (46-15)
- Oregon State (48-16-1)
- Florida (39-22)
- Tennessee (46-19)
- Georgia (43-17)
- Florida State (42-16)
- NC State (35-21)
- Kentucky (31-26)
- Clemson (45-18)
- Southern Miss (47-16)
- Wake Forest (39-22)
- Miami (35-27)
- Vanderbilt (43-18)
- Arizona (44-21)
- Texas A&M (30-26)
How Long Is The NCAA Division I Baseball Season?
The teams in the Big 12 Conference play 30 conference games, but that’s only a little more than half of the schedule.
Teams are able to begin their official practices during the final week of January, while mid-February traditionally marks the start of formal competition for Division I baseball teams.
From start to finish, the Division I baseball season means 132 days together for the players and coaches, and teams may play in more than 50 games (56 is the maximum number of contests before the postseason).
By the time they won the Division I national championship in 2025, the LSU Tigers (of the SEC) had played 68 games, compiling a 53-15 record.
What Teams Are Playing In the 2026 College Baseball Series?
Here’s a list of every team headed to Globe Life Field:
Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Texas Tech
- TCU
- Vanderbilt
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 2
- Auburn
- Florida State
- Kansas State
- Louisville
- Michigan
- Nebraska
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 3
- Arizona State
- Mississippi State
- Tennessee
- Texas A&M
- UCLA
- Virginia Tech
Midweek Games
- *Arkansas vs. Tarleton State (Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. EST)
- *TCU vs. UT Arlington (Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. EST)
*Will not be broadcast live by FloSports.
How To Watch The 2026 College Baseball Series On FloCollege
Complete 2026 College Baseball Showdown Schedule
Here's when everything will be happening at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas:
Shriners Children’s College Showdown
All Times Eastern
Feb. 13, 2026
Feb. 14, 2026
Feb. 15, 2026
- 11:30 a.m. – Vanderbilt vs. Oklahoma St.
- 3:30 p.m. – Texas Tech vs. Arkansas
- 7:30 p.m. – TCU vs. Oklahoma
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Weekend 2
Feb. 20, 2026
Feb. 21, 2026
Feb. 22, 2026
- 11:30 a.m. – Auburn vs. Louisville
- 3:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Florida St.
- 7:30 p.m. ET: Michigan vs. Kansas St.
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Weekend 3
Feb. 27, 2026
- Noon – Arizona St. vs. Mississippi St.
- 4 p.m. – UCLA vs. Tennessee
- 8 p.m.– Virginia Tech vs. Texas A&M
Feb. 28, 2026
- Noon – Tennessee vs. Arizona St.
- 4 p.m. – Mississippi St. vs. Virginia Tech
- 8 p.m. – Texas A&M vs. UCLA
March 1, 2026
- 11:30 a.m. – Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
- 3:30 p.m. – UCLA vs. Mississippi St.
- 7:30 p.m. – Arizona St vs. Texas A&M
When Does The 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Start?
The first/regional round of the 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship will be May 29-31, with times and locations TBD.
The NCAA Super Regional action will be held June 5-7, again, with times and locations TBD.
The last eight teams standing will head to the 2026 Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 12-22 to battle through a combination of double-elimination and best-of-three competition until a champion emerges.
How To Watch More Of The 2026 College Baseball Season On FloCollege
College baseball in 2026 will be streamed on FloCollege and the FloSports app for select Division I preseason tournaments and for much of the Division II and Division III seasons.
When Is The 2026 MLB Draft?
The MLB Draft begins the Sunday of MLB All-Star Week, which is being held in Philadelphia from July 11-14.
TCU vs. Vanderbilt Baseball Full Game Replay | 2023 College Baseball Showdown
Here’s a little throwback from the 2023 College Baseball Series.
It’s TCU vs. Vanderbilt, and we get to see a rematch on the opening day of this year’s event at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas!
FloBaseball Archived Footage
Video footage from FloBaseball events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBaseball subscribers.
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