TCU Baseball: Five Horned Frogs Earn Pre-Season Honors.
After being ranked #5 in the nation only a week ago, the hype train continues for the Horned Frogs as five TCU baseball players receive pre-season honors. Among the recipients were two-way player Payton Tolle, starting pitcher Kole Klecker, relief pitcher Ben Abeldt, catcher Karson Bowen, and shortstop Anthony Silva.
Payton Tolle is already making waves in the Big 12 by being awarded the Newcomer of the Year award by coaches across the league. Tolle was a unanimous All-American in 2023 and was also a finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award in 2023. As a pitcher, Tolle went 9-3 with eight quality starts. At the dish, Tolle hit an impressive .311 with 13 homeruns. When the two-way player wasn't pitching and hitting, 1st base and the DH position were where he spent most of his time.
It's no surprise that Ben Abeldt received honors due to his performance in the 2nd half of the regular season and later in the post-season. Abeldt had 32 appearances and posted a 3.60 ERA in 55 innings, where he struck out 71 batters and held teams to a .237 batting average at the plate. In 2023, Abeldt was selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman team and earned a spot on the freshman All-American team.
Karson Bowen started 55 games last year as a freshman and made a huge impact on last year's College World Series team by being a consistent hitter at the plate with 76 hits and a .350 batting average. Bowen also had 46 RBIs on the season. Behind the plate, Bowen caught 13 runners stealing, forcing opponents to string hits together, something that rarely happened against TCU's pitching staff.
The Friday Starter, Kole Klecker, earned pre-season honors, and for good reason. Klecker started 17 games and earned a 10-4 record as a true freshman, posting a 3.72 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 2023. He also held opponents to a dominant .216 batting average. Klecker was named to the Freshman All-American team and was an honorable mention for an All-Big 12 performer award as well.
TCU's heart of the infield, Anthony Silva, earned pre-season honors by hitting .330 as a true freshman, knocking in 50 runs on 76 hits. Silva had speed on the basepaths with 11 doubles and 17 stolen bases on 19 attempts. Silva was named to the Freshman All-American, the second team All-Big 12 performers, and was invited to the USA Baseball College National Team training camp.
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