Horned Frog Hardball Report

Junior Colton Griffin has become a steady lineup presence for the Horned Frogs by embracing his utility role. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

A multi-sport athlete from Spring, Texas, Colton Griffin was first-team All-State in baseball at Klein Collins High School, batting .480. He also starred in football, where he played safety. Now, in his second season in a TCU Baseball uniform, the junior utilityman is displaying his versatility once again.

After transferring from Stephen F. Austin before the 2025 season, Griffin started 29 games in his first year with TCU — all on the infield dirt, mostly at third base. He hit .266 in his first year with the Frogs with nine extra-base hits.

This season, Griffin has shifted to the outfield and excelled defensively, maintaining a perfect fielding percentage and 55 putouts. So far this season, he is hitting .268 and is a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts.

TCU Magazine talked with Griffin about what he has learned as a Horned Frog.

What was your experience playing baseball growing up?

I’ve been around the game my whole life. My dad was my high school coach, and we were together all the time, practicing in the cage and everything. That shaped my values as a person. The discipline I have and the competitive nature of being around the game my whole life have really shaped the person that I am today.

Last season, you bounced around the infield quite a bit; now you’ve solidified yourself in the outfield. What does that say about your versatility defensively? 

Anywhere I play, it’s just for the team to find a way to win. Whatever the best position is for me to go out there and help the team succeed is where I want to be. It helps me as a person to be versatile and show that I can play every position and be an athlete.

What has the transition been like for you coming from Stephen F. Austin to TCU?

TCU is definitely a bigger school with way better competition playing in the Big 12. It’s been a grind. I think I’m getting more comfortable here. The coaching staff and our academic adviser have been awesome in helping me be in a position to succeed.

What is something that you have learned in your second year here at TCU?

The biggest thing is how to lead people. Not saying I’m one of the main leaders, but you know, playing every pitch, playing every game, and going about things the right way and having the right attitude in every situation.

Colton Griffin has 26 hits this year, already surpassing his 2025 total with upward of a month remaining in the regular season. Courtesy of TCU Athletics.

What is your favorite thing to do when you have free time?

An ideal Saturday for me would probably be sitting on the couch with my roommates playing “MLB The Show,” or some other video game.

What are your future plans?

If baseball doesn’t work out, I think I have set myself up pretty well. I’m in the Neeley School of Business as a marketing major, so I’d like to do something along the sales and marketing side of things. Just making a connection with somebody and finding a good spot that interests me and I can invest in in the future.

Editor’s Note: The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity. 

— Grant Harris

TCU came into the 2026 season with high outside expectations, ranking in D1Baseball’s national Top 10 before play began in mid-February. Two months later, the Horned Frogs carry a 20-12 record and a 7-5 mark in the Big 12, still in the midst of the race but looking to find the form that made them unanimous coaches’ favorites to win the conference.

Strong at Home, Searching on the Road 

Head coach Kirk Saarloos’ team opened up the year on a high note at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington, Texas, going 2-1 and beating No. 7 Arkansas and No. 23 Vanderbilt. The following weekend, the Frogs took a trip to Los Angeles to face the No. 1 UCLA Bruins and No. 1 MLB Draft Prospect Roch Cholowsky and got swept in a three-game series. Since that point, TCU has gone 18-7 and dropped out of the Top 25.

“At some point, we’ll start putting together good baseball. I don’t know who we are,” Saarloos said after the Frogs lost two out of three at Arizona State in March. “When we don’t pitch, we hit, and when we pitch, we don’t hit. That’s a bad recipe.”

TCU has, indeed, picked it up since that midseason swoon, winning seven of its last nine heading into a weekend series against Arizona at Lupton Stadium, where the Frogs have thrived all year, going 13-3. It’s been a different story away from Fort Worth, where TCU is 5-7 on the road and 2-2 in neutral site games.

Missing Pieces 

The Frogs have won seven of 10 games since Noah Franco’s return from injury, picking up wins in each of his last four appearances. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Health has been an issue for the Frogs all season, with two of the team’s stars missing significant time.

Junior pitcher and MLB Draft prospect Tommy LaPour has only made one start this year, coming on Opening Day. The Frogs have missed his presence on the mound; he provided them 90.1 innings last season, posting a 3.09 ERA. Getting LaPour back on the bump would be a massive boost for a Horned Frog squad pursuing a second College World Series berth since 2023.

The other expected starter to suffer an early-season injury, sophomore Noah Franco, returned on March 22. Franco is a two-way player who provides big power potential, both on the mound and in the batter’s box. Franco hit 11 home runs last year and tops out at 97 miles per hour as a southpaw. The Downey, Calif., native has done well coming out of the bullpen since his return, conceding no runs and allowing only three base runners over his past four and a third innings pitched against Texas Tech, Lamar and Kansas State.

Sagouspe Shines Amid Pitching Struggles

Senior Tanner Sagouspe has been a bright spot for a pitching staff ranking 11th out of 14 Big 12 teams with a 6.18 club ERA. The Cal Poly transfer sports a 1.77 ERA across 20 and a third innings in nine appearances.

Sophomores Nate Stern and Zack James have also contributed stability out of the bullpen. Stern has logged 17 innings across 11 bullpen appearances, striking out 21 batters with a 3.18 ERA. James is 4-0 in his nine appearances, making two starts. His season ERA sits at 3.52 across 30 and two-thirds innings; on April 5, he fanned five batters and conceded just five hits and a walk across eight innings in a 4-0 shutout of Kansas State.

Draft Prospects Living Up to the Hype 

Sophomore outfielder Sawyer Strosnider ranks No. 10 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Draft Prospect list. So far this season, he’s delivered, batting .304 with 10 home runs (he hit 11 all of last season). He also has six doubles, three triples and nine stolen bases, which ties him for the team lead with junior outfielder Chase Brunson.

Sawyer Strosnider leads the team with 10 home runs, 41 RBI, 41 runs scored and 32 walks, continuing to show why he projects as a first-round MLB Draft prospect. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Strosnider told assembled media in March that he is “starting to get more comfortable” manning the outfield alongside Brunson, a fellow MLB prospect. The two often rotate between playing center and right field. “Brunson’s an amazing outfielder, too,” Strosnider said. “It’s a good problem to have, having two good players who can play centerfield.”  

Brunson, whose 32 RBI place him second on the club behind Strosnider’s 41, is batting .283 with an on-base percentage of .458 and 13 extra-base hits.

Bell, Cramer Leading the Charge at the Plate

Junior infielder Jack Bell earned a place on the NCAA Baseball Lineup of the Week for his performances against Dallas Baptist and Texas Tech in late March, during which he hit .588 with three home runs, adding a double and seven RBI. Bell is hitting .317 on the year with an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.019, good for second on the team.

Another key to the Frogs’ recent success has been graduate infielder Cole Cramer heating up at the plate at the right time. Over the last nine games, Cramer has 20 hits, including three home runs and three doubles.

Frogs Still Standing in a Bunched Big 12

Coming off a five-game winning streak highlighted by a series sweep of rival Texas Tech at Lupton Stadium between March 27 and 29, TCU managed to take two out of three games on the road against Kansas State this past weekend, before suffering a 4-1 loss at Abilene Christian on Tuesday.

Chase Brunson and the Horned Frogs still have plenty to play for, sitting tied for fourth in a highly competitive Big 12 with several key road series ahead. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

While the season hasn’t gone entirely according to plan, the Frogs still find themselves in the thick of the Big 12 race, currently tied for fourth place. The league is fairly balanced from top to bottom, with five teams being either tied with or within a game of TCU.

The Frogs’ remaining road conference series come against three teams currently bunched with them in the standings: West Virginia (third), Baylor (tied for fourth) and Oklahoma State (seventh).

— Grant Harris

TCU infielder Jack Bell made an immediate impact for the Frogs last year, hitting a grand slam in his first at-bat in purple. The Corpus Christi, Texas, native was particularly good in the 2025 Big 12 Tournament, earning All-Tournament Team honors.

Bell is a third baseman who has the versatility to play all of the infield positions. He appeared in 55 games in his first season with the Frogs, hitting .259 with a .376 on-base percentage and slugging .453. Bell swatted five home runs as part of his 14 total extra-base hits last season. 

TCU Magazine sat down with Bell to talk about his move from College Station to Cowtown, his unforgettable first at bat and why he wants to be a baseball agent. 

Infielder Jack Bell earned All-Big 12 Tournament honors in his first season as a Horned Frog in 2025. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

How did you get into baseball? 

I don’t really come from a baseball family. I began playing at the age of 3. I had a great support system growing up. When I was 5, I started playing travel ball. I took it seriously enough that I played all the way through high school, played my freshman year of college at Texas A&M and then transferred over here last season. It was the best decision of my life coming to TCU.

You appeared in 19 games in your freshman season at Texas A&M, hitting .250 while drawing eight walks to just five strikeouts. How was the transition of playing under Jim Schlossnagle — who previously coached at TCU — to eventually coming to Fort Worth yourself?

After we lost the national championship game, our coach left to go to Texas. As soon as that happened, I entered the portal, and TCU was one of my first calls. I stepped on campus here, and I knew it was home.

Last season, you recorded six hits and five RBIs in the Big 12 Tournament. How do you take that experience in a playoff environment and carry it into this season?

It’s all about confidence. The coaches have confidence in me, and I have confidence in them. That allows me to go out there and play freely. So, rolling into my junior year, I’m a veteran now. I’m confident in myself; I’m relaxed. I know what’s going on. I don’t feel like the game is sped up anymore, and so I’m just having fun. 

In the opening series last year against San Diego, you came to the plate with the bases loaded. What was it like having your first-ever at-bat for the Frogs to be a pinch-hit grand slam?

It was surreal. I saw the fastball low and away and knew I was going to be able to put a good swing on it, and watched it fly over the left-centerfield wall.

Bell, a communication studies major, hopes to parlay his TCU education into a career as a sports agent after his playing days are done. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

What are your plans for the future after baseball at TCU?

I hope to get my name called in the MLB Draft, but you never know. So, outside of that, I’d want to be an agent. I love baseball and would love to help players get better and reach their full potential.  

What will this year’s TCU team emphasize to reach its goals?

A lot of things, but I think it comes down to simply playing winning baseball. It’s as simple as our pitchers throwing strikes, our hitters hitting the strikes, and taking the balls. Going out there trying to play winning baseball is the most important thing we can do.  

Editor’s Note: The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity. 

— Grant Harris

Cole Cramer, second baseman for the TCU Horned Frogs, has been a steady presence in the lineup and the clubhouse since transferring from Washington State in 2024. From a junior college field in Oregon to All-Pac-12 recognition in 2024, Cramer has now carved out his place as the reliable leadoff batter for Frogball.  

Starting all 59 games in his first season at TCU, he drew the most walks on the team and hit .320 on the year with 14 extra-base hits. He earned 2025 Big 12 All-Tournament Team honors for his postseason performance.  

Now he’s a senior and a leader in the clubhouse.

TCU Magazine spoke to Cramer about his journey from Arlington, Wash. to Fort Worth, the grind of a 60-game season and his mentorship of the young 2026 Horned Frog roster.

You spent your entire life living in the Pacific Northwest before coming to TCU. How was that transition?

It was really smooth; it is a lot different over here, a different lifestyle. I love the weather. Growing up and playing baseball when it’s 32 degrees out, I appreciate coming to the field in the middle of February when it’s 75 and sunny.

Cole Cramer was sold on TCU after coming to campus as a visiting player in 2024. “When you’re playing a midweek game on a Tuesday, and you show up and there’s 5,000 people in a place that’s rocking, that’s really cool.” Courtesy of TCU Athletics

What was something about TCU that made you want to transfer here?

When I was at Washington State, we played TCU in a midweek game, and they sold out. I remember coming down thinking this place is really cool. When you’re playing a midweek game on a Tuesday, and you show up and there’s 5,000 people in a place that’s rocking, that’s really cool. You’re like, “Man I want to go play at a place where they get a bunch of fans to come to games and the people are passionate about baseball.”

You’re the only returning starter to play all 59 games last season. How do you maintain that level of consistency both physically and mentally throughout the season?

Just staying consistent with the habits. Getting in the training room, doing what you have to do in lift and just not trying to overdo things. If something’s not feeling great, make sure you get in treatment to get it worked on. The more you play, the more you get used to it.

Those first couple weeks usually are the toughest. I think we do a good job in the fall and this early spring of really playing a lot of baseball so you can get used to that. Once you get back into the swing of things by that third or fourth week you can get your legs back under you, and it’s pretty smooth from there.

You led the team in walks last year with 43. Is that patient approach something that comes naturally, or is that something you’ve had to develop over your years of college baseball?

When I was in junior college, I was like, “How quickly can I see the first pitch, or how quickly can I get on base?” As I’ve developed more as a hitter, I’ve learned that if we can make that guy on the mound work more and I can have a long at bat and we can get the pitchers out early, that can help us not only in that game but help us in the rest of the weekend series.

In my book, a walk is a hit. I know what my role is: There are bigger dudes who hit balls a little farther than me that hit behind me, so if I can get on base for those guys, I can let them do their job.

Cramer notched career hit No. 150 during a 20-1 win over New Haven on March 1. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Off the field, what do you do to rewind and reset throughout a long season?

I have great teammates. If I’m not on the field, I’m with them. We play a lot of golf, we mix in some fishing, we go play basketball. Friendly competition keeps us busy. We go to the football games. We went to the basketball game against Iowa State. Soccer in the fall is very fun; we go to quite a few soccer games. Just being able to support other athletes is really cool. I enjoy watching all the other sports. Looking back, I would love to be a soccer player. I’d also love to be a football player, but I chose baseball, and I’m glad I did.

You’re one of the veterans on this team. How has your role in the clubhouse changed?

Last year it was tough being a transfer and trying to play a vocal role, but you slowly work your way into it. Being in my fifth year, I’ve played enough college games to pick up on little cues from the other team. I always try to be a vocal leader for the guys and lead by example.

Editor’s Note: The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity. 

— Grant Harris

This is part two of our TCU Horned Frogs baseball preview series.

The TCU Horned Frogs enter the 2026 season with high expectations. A team boasting three reigning All-Big 12 players has a target on its back on the conference and national levels after reaching regionals last year for the 18th time in the last 21 postseasons. The Frogs are preseason favorites to win the conference in the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll conducted by league coaches, receiving 13 of 14 first-place votes.   

The Rookie and the Vet 

One of the most important relationships in baseball is the chemistry between the middle infielders.    

True freshman shortstop Lucas Franco told assembled media that, “expectations are a distraction.” He’ll have to find a way to manage them, as he was selected preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year. The Katy, Texas, product attended Cinco Ranch High School and was the No. 5 prospect in the state of Texas according to Perfect Game. The 6-foot-3 left-handed hitting shortstop hit .413 his senior year with 13 extra-base hits. With last year’s shortstop Anthony Silva drafted to the Cleveland Guardians, there is a hole looking to be filled, and Franco has a chance to make an impact there immediately.  

Second base is a different story. Cole Cramer, a graduate student from Arlington, Washington, is the only returning Horned Frog to play in and start in all 59 games last season. Last season, he hit .320 with 14 extra-base hits and drew the most walks on the team with 43. Cramer is one of the veteran leaders on this young roster.  

When Franco was asked about how he had settled into being around the team in his first year, he said that Cramer, “was a guy that took me in and showed me the ways.”  

Finding Innings 

Trever Baumler is among the young arms TCU will rely on to solidify its pitching staff this season. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Pitching depth is critical in college baseball, and the Frogs will be tested after losing senior Louis Rodriguez to Tommy John surgery. 

The No. 1 question mark for this Horned Frogs team? Pitching development. Tommy LaPour will be the Friday starter, but the Frogs have multiple talented young arms looking to build upon last season. 

Sophomore Mason Brassfield looks to build on a productive freshman year where he provided 61 and two-thirds innings with a 4.09 ERA and a 25 percent strikeout rate. The crafty left-hander from Bakersfield, California, was named a Perfect Game Second Team All-American last season.  

Another pitcher TCU will call upon to provide some length is sophomore Trever Baumler. Hailing from Urbandale, Iowa, he has a mid-90s fastball that he pairs with his breaking ball. His brother, Carter, was a fifth-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2020.  

Heavyweight Slate  

The Frogs face a brutal early schedule that will test their credentials as a Big 12 and, potentially, a national contender. TCU plays No. 23 Vanderbilt, No. 7 Arkansas and Oklahoma on consecutive days (Feb. 13-15) at Arlington’s Globe Life Field in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown. Then comes a trip west to face No. 1 UCLA in Los Angeles the following weekend. Beginning the season with these opponents will ensure that Kirk Saarloos’ team is tested before starting Big 12 conference play.  

Season Prediction 

The Horned Frogs, led by coach Saarloos, win the Big 12 Championship and advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2023. TCU has the roster to live up to expectations, and its gauntlet of a non-conference schedule will have them battle-tested for the postseason.

— Grant Harris

This is the first of a multi-part series previewing the TCU Horned Frogs baseball team. 

Major media outlets agree that TCU has the talent for another deep postseason run. The Frogs rank in the preseason top 12 in polls from reputable outlets including D1 Baseball, Perfect Game and Baseball America. TCU is ranked in the preseason top 25 for the 17th consecutive season. The optimism is an extension of roster continuity from last year’s squad that went 39-20 but was eliminated in the NCAA Corvallis Regional. 

TCU returns much of its squad from last season, including a trio of potential first-round MLB draft picks. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Feeling a Little Drafty 

The Frogs roster features legitimate major league talent with three 2026 MLB Pipeline Top 100 draft prospects: outfielder Sawyer Strosnider (No. 10), outfielder Chase Brunson (No. 44) and ace pitcher Tommy LaPour (No. 62).

Wichita State transfer Tommy LaPour assembled an 8-3 record and a 3.09 ERA over 16 starts in his Horned Frogs debut last season. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Brock, Texas, product Strosnider, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season, is one of the best all-around athletes in the country. He has a pretty, left-handed swing and hit for a .350 average with a .420 on-base percentage. The 20-year-old slugged .650 and hit 13 doubles, 11 homers and led the nation with a school-record 10 triples while pacing the team in hits (77) and runs batted in (51).

Brunson is an all-around player who provides both a consistent bat and great defense in center field. The 6-foot-3 San Clemente, Calif., native was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team last season after slashing .317/.395/.554 with 12 dingers. Brunson started the 2025 season with a 43-game on-base streak. He is expected to be the centerfielder again this season after starting 58 games last year.

LaPour, the big 6-foot-4, 230-pound right-hander, was a true workhorse for the team last season after transferring from Wichita State. LaPour has a big fastball that lives at 95-98 miles per hour and can get all the way up to 101. He also has a slider and changeup that can be used when he gets ahead in the count. The Kansas City-area native started 16 games in 2025 and threw 90.1 innings to the tune of a 3.09 ERA. He struck out 88 hitters while only walking 27. This earned him first-team All-Big 12 honors last year.  

Sophomore Studs 

Noah Franco is a talented player who has the ability to hit and pitch. The two-way pitcher and outfielder hit .313 with a .548 slugging percentage as a freshman and mashed 11 homers. He also has the arm to provide some innings on the mound, as he threw 12 innings, striking out 18 on the year. Perfect Game gave him first-team Freshman All-American honors last season.

Nolan Traeger is a left-handed-hitting catcher who started 43 games as a true freshman, hitting .327 with a .429 on-base percentage. He is a very good framer behind the plate and has a strong arm that threw out nine would-be base stealers last season. He was named second-team All-Big 12 in 2025.

Sophomore catcher Nolan Traeger is among the four returning Horned Frogs who were listed as freshman All-Americans by Perfect Game a season ago. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Comings and Goings 

The two biggest losses for TCU in the transfer portal were first baseman and catcher Karson Bowen, who went to Florida, and right-handed pitcher Kole Klecker, to Arizona State. The Frogs responded to these losses by bringing in first baseman Rob Liddington (Incarnate Word), infielder Kyuss Gargett (Kentucky), and pitchers Ethan Thomas (Hawaii) and Tanner Sagouspe (Cal Poly).

Liddington is a left-handed hitter who can plug in place of Bowen at first. The senior hit .359 and swatted 15 homers for Incarnate Word last season.

Gargett is an athletic infielder who can play multiple positions. He has experience in big moments, making 5 starts and 12 appearances in the College World Series.

Thomas is a 6-foot-5 230-pound right-handed pitcher with a fastball that gets up to 94 and a couple of off-speed pitches. He spent his last two seasons at Hawaii and made 18 appearances with 37 strikeouts and three saves for the Rainbow Warriors in 2025.

Sagouspe is a right-hander out of Cal Poly who finished his 2025 campaign with 40 innings pitched over 25 appearances registering an ERA of 3.60 with 50 punchouts. His over-the-top delivery brings in a fastball in the low 90s, and he features a hammer curveball. 

— Grant Harris