Where Does TCU Baseball Go From Here After Missing the NCAA Tournament?

After another season that fell short of expectations, the Horned Frogs enter an offseason marked by difficult questions, roster turnover, and uncertainty about the program's future.

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The NCAA selection show has come and gone, along with it, the end of the TCU Horned Frogs baseball season. They were not among the 64 teams to make the postseason bracket.

That marks two of the past three years now that the Frogs have failed to reach the tournament, despite beginning each season with sky-high expectations.

How did the Frogs end up in this spot, and more importantly, where do they go now?

How TCU Ended Up Here

TCU Head Coach Kirk Saarloos watches from the dugout during the Horned Frogs' series opener against Kansas, as questions surrounding the program's future now follow a season that ended short of NCAA Tournament expectations. | Brian McLean/KillerFrogs (TCU On SI)

The general consensus is that the fanbase hasn't been happy with this season since the second game of the year, when the Frogs moved to a 2-0 start after taking down the Arkansas Razorbacks. Many people, myself included, thought that was the start of a stellar season, which was the expectation with the talent on the roster.

Injuries Were Part of the Story But Not the Entire Story

There were injuries, yes. Preseason ones (Louis Rodriguez and Kade Eudy), opening weekend ones (Tommy LaPour), mid-conference play (Chase Brunson), and end-of-season ones (Sawyer Strosnider). Every team dealt with injuries; look at Coastal Carolina, which lost its top two starting pitchers early in the season but still scraped its way through.

The Frogs battled injuries, which made things a little tighter when filling out the lineup form or piecing together a weekend rotation. However, the talent on the roster does not justify the season's outcome.

There were issues in the field, playing mistake-free baseball. There were issues in finding consistency in the batter's box. Nothing seemed to go their way, and it wasn't because the universe was plotting against them either.

Players didn't take the necessary steps to elevate the team as expected. There was an emergence of stars, sure, but there was also no consistency. What good is a flash in the pan if it can't be consistent?

Development Questions Continue to Follow TCU

After stellar freshman seasons, the sophomore class was expected to take a big jump. That was the obvious takeaway. Riddled with talented players who had already proved they were more than capable of being a piece of a winning team, it regressed. That marks the third year in a row that the sophomore class was expected to take a big step forward but failed to do so.

There were obviously highlights throughout the year as well that deserve flowers, including Lance Davis, Zack James, Jack Bell, Cole Cramer and Chase Brunson's clutch moments. They were part of the reason the Frogs were able to fight their way into this position, because it could have been a lot worse if not for their heroic performances at times.

All in all, it was a season that failed to live up to expectations. Another year with that sentence being the way to encapsulate what the program has turned in over the years. Winning a national championship is rare, but making the regionals isn't, but it's seemingly becoming that way.

So What Happens Next for Kirk Saarloos and the Program?

The TCU Horned Frogs celebrate after knocking off the No. 7-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. | Brian McLean, KillerFrogs/TCU On SI

Honestly, there doesn't seem to be a clear answer here. Will TCU make a coaching change? That's the big question entering the offseason. After failing to make the postseason twice in the last three years, it's clear the current program isn't producing results.

The word results are the key there, because the program has the hype, the recruiting classes, the talent to be successful, but developmentally, the Frogs seem to lag behind. That points to a problem deeper rooted than what's happening on the field.

The roster will seemingly be flipped completely. LaPour, Strosnider, and Brunson will leave for the draft, and there will be portal departures as well. It's tough to field the same team for two seasons in a row, and with so many key members of the roster leaving, is stability more important?

A change has to be made somewhere. What that change is, will vary. Dave Lawn is retiring, Bill Mosiello's offense had an unimpressive season, John DiLaura is one of the most underrated recruiters in the country, and Saarloos has been at the helm for 5 seasons now.

A Massive Offseason Is About to Begin

For as much as the coaching staff has brought in success, and for as much as they have done in carrying the torch after the departure of Schlossnagle, maybe a change is needed after all. The question now because if athletic director Mike Buddie will do it.

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What changes do you think TCU baseball needs most this offseason? Coaching changes? Portal additions? Patience? Join the discussion now at KillerFrogs.com