TCU Baseball Receives Devastating Injury News Ahead of 2026 Season

Frogball will be without a key piece of their pitching staff in the upcoming season.

Louis Rodriguez delivers a pitch during an outing against the Houston Cougars. | Brian McLean/KillerFrogs/TCU On SI

TCU Baseball received some unfortunate injury news on Thursday. D1 Baseball's Kendall Rogers reported that Louis Rodriguez, one of the better pitchers on staff, would miss the 2026 season, requiring Tommy John surgery.

INJURY NEWS: @TCU_Baseball RHP Louis Rodriguez will miss the 2026 season with a torn UCL that will require Tommy John surgery, I'm told. Rodriguez's season-ending injury means #TCU now has 33 players. He struck out 47/walked 14 in 48 innings last season. #Big12

PROFILE:… pic.twitter.com/O3HJDVDO9R

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) December 11, 2025

It's an understatement to say that Rodriguez is important to head coach Kirk Saarloos' pitching staff. The senior has completed three years as a Horned Frog, logging 148.0 total innings on the mound with a career 3.95 ERA. In that time, he's become one of Saarloos' most reliable relievers out of the bullpen.

Last season, Rodriguez was one of the bright spots out of the TCU bullpen, finishing the season with a career-best 3.19 ERA. In both of the right-hander's first two seasons, he held an ERA upwards of 4.10.

A Sense of Déjà Vu for the Frogs

TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos meets with the infield during a mound visit against the BYU Cougars | Brian McLean/ KillerFrogs/TCU On SI

Before the Horned Frogs began their 2025 campaign, the news broke that pitcher Ben Abeldt would miss the season with the same injury as Rodriguez. The southpaw dominated during his time as a Horned Frog and was projected to be a Friday-night starter for Coach Saarloos.

With Abeldt leading the way, TCU was poised for another run back to Omaha based on its pitching staff alone. With veterans like Abeldt, Rodriguez, and Caedmon Parker eating up innings — and a standout transfer in Tommy LaPour — the Frogs were overwhelming favorites to win the Big 12.

For TCU Baseball, the absence of Rodriguez is of the same magnitude. Not only are the Frogs losing an outstanding piece of their pitching staff, but they're also losing a veteran presence that cannot be easily replaced.

Good job by Louis Rodriguez to get out of the third!

Two strikeouts for @wiigee10 in the frame!#FrogballUSA | #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/LiJAoMve9s

— TCU Baseball (@TCU_Baseball) March 13, 2024

While it doesn't show up on the stat sheet, starting pitchers in years past have mentioned that they're more confident with a safety net like Rodriguez in the bullpen.

Why TCU Can Recover From This Setback

Feb 22, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; The Arkansas Razorbacks play the TCU Horned Frogs during the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series presented by Kubota Weekend 2 at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The silver lining? Saarloos and the Frogs have been here before. Despite losing a significant piece of the squad before the 2025 season began, TCU finished with a record of 39-20 (19-11 in conference play) and even competed for a Big 12 Tournament title against the Arizona Wildcats.

TCU also returns some of the most lethal hitters in the country. Freshmen phenoms Noah Franco, Sawyer Strosnider, and Nolan Traeger burst onto the scene last season as they all finished the year with a batting average above .310. The three also drove in a combined 117 runs with Franco and Strosnider hitting 11 home runs each.

Make no mistake, Rodriguez's absence will be apparent throughout the season. But TCU went through this same thing only a year ago. With the returning talent the Horned Frogs have, there's no mistake that Saarloos and his coaching staff can get their team ready for the 2026 season.