TCU baseball aims to answer coach’s challenge during key home stretch
Ahead of a midweek game against New Mexico State on Tuesday, TCU baseball coach Kirk Saarloos and his staff laid out a challenge for the team.
Saarloos said he wasn’t happy with his squad’s toughness in a series loss to Arizona State that ended with the Frogs being shut out Sunday. TCU baseball will now enter its first home Big 12 series unranked after starting the season No. 10 in the nation.
“Part of being tough is being competitive,” Saarloos said. “It’s not a sometime thing, it’s an all-the-time thing.”
In a 16-6 run-rule victory over New Mexico State at Lupton Stadium, TCU fell behind but showcased some grit. Now, the Horned Frogs have a golden opportunity to refocus with seven of the next eight games in Fort Worth.
Graduate student first baseman Lane Hutchinson talked about the staff’s call to action and wanting to live up to the standard of Frogball. That doesn’t mean you always have to win, but he said he wants to see the team play hard and play the game the right way.
TCU (12-8, 1-2 Big 12) will look to answer that call against Central Florida (13-6, 3-0) in its first home conference series, starting at 6 p.m. Friday. The Knights are the sole undefeated team in Big 12 play with a sweep of Oklahoma State.
“I just want everybody to be able to compete and stick to the standard of TCU,” sophomore outfielder Sawyer Strosnider said.
It’s been a hectic start to the season, as TCU has had to fight through injuries to key players. Standout junior starting pitcher Tommy LaPour is out for the next two months, according to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball. He has pitched five innings this season.
“It’s the next guy up,” freshman relief pitcher Cade Nelson said. “... Everyone is available. Everyone is ready.”
The team did get some good news with an injury that appeared to be season-threatening. Junior outfielder Chase Brunson, a potential draft pick projected to be taken at No. 44 by MLB.com, went down Friday against Arizona State, holding the back of his ankle.
Saarloos said he thought it was an Achilles injury, but Brunson was back in the lineup Sunday. Turns out, it was just a rolled ankle, and he was able to power through it.
“The way he was grabbing it — I was super fearful that it might be an end-of-the-season kind of deal,” Saarloos said. “For whatever reason, he had been dealing with rolling that ankle on base paths and in the outfield. ... Not to the point where it was ever an injury. It was a freak deal.”
Two-way sophomore standout Noah Franco has also been sidelined. He is dealing with an oblique injury but is preparing to return. Saarloos did not confirm whether he’ll play against the Knights.
“Noah is taking BP at the end of this week — Thursday and Friday,” Saarloos said. “Get on the mound [Wednesday]. So, he’s slowly inching his way back.”
One of the highlights of the offense has been Strosnider, a Brock High School product who led the Eagles to the Class 3A state championship game in 2024. He is hitting .333 with a team-high 26 RBIs and six home runs. On Tuesday, he had a terrific game, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, including a grand slam, and eight RBIs.
With the exception of Brunson, Strosnider and graduate student second baseman Cole Cramer (.278), the starting lineup has struggled to stay consistent. As a team, TCU is hitting .251. The offensive eruption against New Mexico State gave that department some momentum.
TCU’s pitching staff has had a slow start with a team ERA of 6.33. The Frogs have allowed 25 home runs in 20 games, and opponents have a .287 batting average.
“There is a lot of pride in our dugout and with these guys,” Saarloos said. “It’s not for a lack of trying. But at some point, you have to produce. ... At some point, you have to stand in the box and hit. At some point, you have to stand on the mound and make pitches.”
TCU will face a UCF rotation that could include right-handers Braden Smith, Matt Sauser and Camden Wicker — those three got the nod against OSU.
Sauser, the Knights’ Saturday starter against the Cowboys, has been especially effective with one earned run in 25 innings (0.36 ERA). UCF went 9-21 in Big 12 play last season, but Saarloos emphasized that records can be misleading.
“They’re good,” Saarloos said. “I thought last year they were a good team. They led our conference in hitting. They were No. 2 in pitching, and they were last in our league. So, you go figure out how that works.”
The common theme with the players and coaches was a desire to compete with no days off, no breaks and constant focus. Now, they’ll look to implement that mindset and stay true to it moving forward.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
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