Link to my full rankings: 2026 Preseason Top 25

D1Baseball Ranking: 10

Baseball America Ranking: 9

Perfect Game Ranking: 11

#8) TCU

Kirk Saarloos enters his 5th season as head coach with perhaps his most talented roster to date. The Frogs reach Omaha in 2023 and almost earned a host site in 2025. With a ton of 2025 production returning, TCU enters the season as the favorite to win Big 12 and hopes to make it back to Omaha.

Returning Hitters:

This lineup will return 6 of their 7 top hitters in wRC+ from last season.

• Sawyer Strosnider: As the #10 2026 draft prospect according to MLB.com and 2025 Bug 12 Freshman of the Year, Strosnider will headline the lineup after posting a .350/.420/.650 line in 2025. He also led the team with a 138 wRC+. Ranked as the preseason #3 sophomore according to Perfect Game.
• Noah Franco: Elite recruit that hit .313/.396/.548 with 11 HRs as a freshman last season. Franco ranks as the preseason #5 sophomore according to Perfect Game and can be an elite producer in the middle of the lineup if he cuts down his 25.2 K% from last season. He can also pitch.
• Cole Cramer: Experienced Gr. Senior at 2? that hit at the top of the order. Slashed .320/.433/.419 last season.
• Chase Brunson: Hit .317 and led the team with 12 home runs last season. Hit 3 hole and played CF during their fall scrimmage and ranked #13 in PG’s top 100 Juniors.
• Nolan Traegar: Hit .327 with a 115 wRC+ as a freshman last season. Traegar will take over full duties behind the plate. He ranked #25 on PG’s top 100 sophomores.

Transfers & Freshmen:

TCU did not need to load up in the portal, but they did a good job of adding depth.

• Rob Liddington (Incarnate Word): Experienced graduate transfer that will add power to the middle of the order. He hit .359 with 15 home runs last season.
• Tanner Sagouspe (Cal Poly): Late-inning arm that posted a 3.65 ERA last season. Came in and slammed the door in an early season win against Texas A&M.
• Ethan Thomas (Hawaii): Another transfer arm that will add depth to the bullpen. Tossed for a 3.60 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 35.9 K% last season as a Freshman.

• Lucas Franco & Uli Fernsler (Freshmen): Franco was a top recruit that elected to go to school over the draft. He ranks #8 on PG’s top 100 freshmen. Fernsler is a LHP that will add depth to the staff. He ranks #13 on PG’s top 100 freshmen.

Returning Pitchers:

The three weekend starters will all return with more experienced under their belt. TCU will have the luxury of rolling out a dominant Friday arm. Key bullpen arm Louis Rodriguez, suffered a season-ending injury but this staff should maintain plenty of depth.

• Tommy LaPour: Fresh off a dominant 2025 campaign where he tossed a 3.09 ERA across 90.1 innings. Perfect Game Preseason 2nd team All-American.
• Mason Brassfield: LHP that posted a 4.09 ERA with 68 strikeouts across 61.2 innings. Breakout season candidate that ranked #19 on PG’s top 100 sophomores.
• Trever Baumler: Struggled at times last season, but was a 2025 Cape Cod All Star this summer. He had a good outing in a fall start against Texas A&M. Mid 90s fastball that has potential to shoot up the 2027 draft board.

As mentioned earlier, TCU is returning lots of production from a solid 2025 team that almost hosted. With Sawyer Strosnider, Noah Franco, and Chase Brunson anchoring the lineup and Tommy LaPour fronting a veteran rotation, TCU has one of the highest ceilings in the country. If the portal additions and bullpen hold up, this can be a 50-win caliber team. We will get an early look in the Shriner’s Showdown as the Frogs have Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Oklahoma scheduled.