Another Talented Freshman Has Emerged For No. 10 TCU Baseball

The TCU Horned Frogs have been the beneficiaries of talented freshman classes that have produced in a big way for the program.

Now with that class becoming Sophomores, and being tasked with more responsibility regarding production, head coach Kirk Saarloos had another class waiting in the wings and more than capable of filling in for the class.

Headlined by Lucas Franco, not only did the talented shortstop man the infield well, but he proved his bat is more than just a plus, but a dominant weapon that will only become better over the course of the season.

"He Got Lucky"

TCU Horned Frogs shortstop Lucas Franco is turning double plays in pre-game warmup ahead of the TCU vs. Vanderbilt game on 2/13/2026 | Brian McLean, OnAssignment/TCU On SI

For Franco, it wasn't a matter of if his first game was going to go well, but more so just a matter of how well it went. He stepped foot on campus with high expectations, ranking among the top freshmen in college baseball and one of the top high school recruits in the country.

After spurring the MLB Draft and opting to play college ball, he was more than ready to deliver on those promises and show that he was ready to take over the shortstop position after longtime defensive guru Anthony Silva moved on to the MLB.

In his first game of the season, a Friday matinee for a top-25 showdown against the Vanderbilt Commodores, emotions were high, and jitters were settling in. How would Franco handle his first collegiate at-bat at Globe Life Field, in front of many TCU faithful, anxious to see the new faces?

Simple, the first pitch he saw, he crushed, 398 feet and caught right at the warning track, just missing out on a homerun in his first at-bat. For him, that wasn't a surprise, or even something that dissuaded him from his approach, and he didn't wallow in the miss; he knew what was coming.

"He got lucky," Franco said when I asked him what was going through his mind after just missing a home run in his first at-bat. "I was coming around [third base], I was coming back in the dugout, and I was giving him a face and I was just like 'he got lucky I just missed that one', and the next at-bat he threw the same pitch and I got that one."

However, he wasn't just good for the long ball. In the eighth inning, trailing by one run and with one out already on the board, most young guys would play hero. Franco didn't. He took his smooth swing and put one in the gap in left centerfield. Hustling around the bases, he was in safely for a triple with one out.

The next at-bat, Cole Cramer would drive him, and the Frogs would tie the game, eventually leading to a three-run inning that would seal the victory for the Horned Frogs, their first of the season.

The new TCU shortstop might only be a freshman, but he carries himself a lot taller, as if he has been there and seen that. If his career is anything like his first game, Frog fans might be in for another year of a talented freshman delivering when they need it the most.

"He Got Lucky"

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