TCU Baseball: Play Ball! - A Preseason Preview Summary
It's time. Time to hear those two words fans have waited nearly seven months to hear - "Play Ball!"
The TCU Horned Frogs take the field on Friday in the first series of the year as they host Florida Gulf Coast.
TCU baseball was predicted to win the Big 12 and is either No. 5 or No. 6 in the preseason polls. Can they make it back to Omaha this year? The season begins Friday as the Frogs host Florida Gulf Coast for Opening Weekend.
Brian McLean, On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs
For the last several weeks, we have published multiple season previews and predictions. To make it easier to find all of our preseason baseball content, here is a summary with links to each article or video.
TCU Schedule
Can't remember what dates TCU plays the other Big 12 teams. Or when is that series at Globe Life Field? Here is TCU's complete 2024 baseball schedule:
Predictions and Big 12 Preseason Honors
TCU was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Big 12, and several players received preseason honors. Last year, the Horned Frogs made it to Omaha and the national semifinals. This year, the hunters become the hunted. Can they make it back to Omaha? How many games will TCU win?
- Predicting TCU Baseball's 2024 Season: Can Frogs Meet Lofty Expectations
- Five Horned Frogs Earn Preseason Honors
- TCU Baseball Voted Big 12 Preseason No. 1
Meet Payton Tolle
TCU lost a lot of talent from last year's squad, primarily to the MLB Draft. Kirk Saarloos and his staff sought immediate replacements for the holes those players left through the transfer portal. From pitchers to position players, TCU added talent in all three aspects of the game.
One of those players, Payton Tolle, should have an immediate impact on the team. Tolle is a two-way player who transferred from Wichita State. He is slated to be the starter in Friday night's opening game against Florida Gulf Coast. He is also a powerful hitter, so look for him in the DH role for most of the season.
Last month, we sat down with Tolle to talk about his move to TCU. Read more of that story here:
Positional Previews
Last month, we did an in-depth look at the infielders, outfielders, and pitchers. In each preview, we reviewed the returning players and the new players, either freshmen or transfers. Here are those positional previews:
Preseason Polls
In all of the major college baseball preseason polls, TCU was picked as either No. 5 or No. 6. Wake Forest was selected as the top team in all of these polls. Other teams in the Top Five include Florida, LSU, Arkansas, Oregon State, and Tennessee, depending on which poll you read. Texas is ranked in all of the polls. Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State are other Big 12 teams that appear in these preseason polls. Here's a look at which teams landed where:
Meet the New Teams in the Big 12
In July, four new teams joined the Big 12 - BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. All four are great additions to the Big 12 baseball competition. We took a look at each program's season last year, its history in the NCAA Tournament, and other key facts about each program:
KillerFrogs Bullpen Podcast
Two of our writers, JD Andress and Carson Wersal, have launched a baseball podcast. Each week they will give you updates about the TCU baseball squad. Right now, their podcast is coming out once a week. Once Big 12 conference play begins next month, look for the podcast to come out twice a week.
You can listen to these podcasts wherever you get your podcasts - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. - just search "The KillerFrogs." Or, if you'd like to watch, you can view the videos here:
- Episode One - Season Preview
- Episode Two - TCU Preview
- Episode Three - Florida Gulf Coast Series Preview
Time to Make Travel Plans?
When is the College World Series? How does the NCAA Tournament work? We give you all that information and more in our postseason planning tool:
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