Which TCU Baseball Fan Are You Right Now? Four Groups Have Emerged

From portal optimists to rival haters, Horned Frog fans are coping with TCU Baseball's NCAA Tournament snub in very different ways. Which group sounds the most like you?

Emma Swinney For KillerFrogs/TCU on SI

Selection Monday came and went without TCU Baseball hearing its name called. The disappointment was immediate, but what happened next may have been even more interesting. Across the KillerFrogs.com fan forum, social media, and group chats, Horned Frogs fans began processing the season in completely different ways. Some looked back at injuries. Others immediately turned toward the transfer portal. A few simply wanted to watch rivals suffer. And some were already focused on 2027.

Over the past several days, four distinct groups hae emerged inside Frogball Nation. Chances are, you belong to oneof them.

Group 1: The “What Could Have Been” Crowd

Emma Swinney For KillerFrogs/TCU on SI

This group of fans isn't necessarily angry; in fact, I would say they are more disappointed. These Frogs fans are left looking back at season highlights and stuck thinking about what could have been. They take a trip down memory lane, viewing this season more as a case of bad luck rather than a complete collapse. If you fall into this group, you might argue that if Tommy LaPour, Louis Rodriguez, Chase Brunson, and Kade Eudy, just to name a few, had stayed fully healthy throughout the season, the Frogs could have had a completely different result.

TCU baseball fans discuss "what-ifs' on the KillerFrogs Fan Forum | KillerFrogs.com Scott & Wes Fan Forum

They might also wonder if Chase Brunson and Sawyer Strosnider had been available for the final two weeks, maybe the entire season would look different, and TCU is heading to a regional right now. In the eyes of these fans, 2026 wasn’t undone by a lack of talent or coaching mistakes, but more so by injuries that slowly picked apart a TCU roster that once looked like a postseason top-10 team. We will never know, but these emotions are fully justified, and you can only wonder what this season could have looked like with a fully healthy roster.

Group 2: The Portal Will Save Us Crowd

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This group of fans has wasted no time turning their minds to the offseason and the transfer portal. I guarantee you, not even 30 seconds after TCU’s Big 12 Tournament one-and-done exit, they already had next year on their minds. They had the transfer portal trackers open and were building next year’s “what could be” rosters in their heads. These fans aren’t focused on Omaha this season; they’re focused on who’s staying, who's getting drafted, who's transferring, and on fixing the issues that kept the Frogs from getting there in the first place.

Whether it’s adding bullpen depth, another weekend starter, or more consistent hitting in the lineup, this group believes the answers are already waiting in the portal, ready to become Frogs. This group is the general manager–type thinkers of the fan base. While everyone else is still frustrated and upset with this past season, watching everyone else have fun in postseason play, they are thinking about the future and how this team can move forward.

This group will likely even tune into regionals to check out mid-major breakout pitchers and offensive weapons to see if they are possible targets for TCU. They are the fans wondering whether Kirk Saarloos and company have already started recruiting work. To this group, there is no time to waste; the offseason has already started, and rebuilding a roster that will lose a lot of talent begins now. This group should be optimistic because Saarloos and his crew are among the best recruiters out there, and you better believe they have already started on the recruiting trail.

Group 3: The Bracket Rage Crowd

Emma Swinney For KillerFrogs/TCU on SI

This group is the speak-first type of fan. Their thoughts and comments are entirely based on emotion, and right now that emotion is fueled with a bit of jealousy. In their minds, nobody in the Big 12, and especially the state of Texas, should be having a good time. Their disappointment over the Frogs missing the tournament turns outward, aimed at anyone who is a rival or competitor.

This particular group of fans couldn't care less who wins the whole thing, as long as Texas A&M and former TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s Texas Longhorns get bounced as soon as possible. They are rooting for any and every team that faces them in regionals. This group of fans likely goes for the underdogs and the teams that can pull an upset. All of a sudden, cheers for Tarleton, UC Santa Barbara, and Holy Cross become a reality. It’s not because they necessarily like those schools; it’s more so because it feels like justice, and if TCU can’t be happy, why should the other Texas schools be happy?

The KillerFrogs fan forum's meltdown after not making the postseason in baseball | KillerFrogs.com Scott & Wes Fan Forum

This group is upset about the season, as they should be, and they handle this emotion by praying for their foes' downfall.

Group 4: The 2027 Long-Gamers (The Youth Movement)

Emma Swinney For KillerFrogs/TCU on SI

This group had already turned the page long before the season was over, not out of frustration, but more out of belief in the younger players in the program. This group of fans is optimistic and has its eyes set on next season and beyond. They truly believe the next set of commits will fix the program’s problems. For them, this season is already over, and they are looking ahead to what the 2027 opening-day roster will look like and become.

What this group is saying is that Brady Dallimore and Lucas Franco are the future, and the 2027 class is loaded with talent. In their minds, they want to see a fully healthy program mixed with offseason training, and they want to let the program continue to develocombined with offseason training, and they want to let the program continue developingp its next group of stars. This group thinks this year was a reset button, not necessarily a setback.

This group may also be wondering if there will be changes made to the coaching staff or a different approach to play style. Only time will tell, but this group is ready to play the long game. In their minds, Omaha isn’t a dream; it’s just the next step for TCU sooner rather than later.

What Stage Do You Fall Under?

We are all disappointed that our Frogs aren’t competing where they should be. We are filled with tons of emotions, and we know we have been stuck in a rut for quite some time. Most of us are wondering what the next step forward is. I don’t necessarily have an answer for you, but I love hearing and seeing everyone’s perspectives.

There is a quiet comfort that resides in Fort Worth. No matter how this season ended, the baseline talent remains high, and the pipeline of recruits keeps coming for the Frogs. Every setback is temporary, every roster hole is fillable, and this offseason carries the possibility of a quick reset rather than a long rebuild.

I am stuck somewhere between Faction 1 and Faction 2. I think this season was just a player short of a huge run at something great. They were right there and showed moments of greatness. I also acknowledge that the season is now over, and it’s time to think about what’s next.

I truly believe that in this age of college baseball, we must let the portal help us. Many of our answers lie right in front of us. Kirk Saarloos is a master-class recruiter, and I have faith he can gather the pieces needed to mix with his younger talent and once again put together a contending team. But only time will tell, and patience is wearing thin.

Frog fans want to get back to the once-upon-a-time Frogball expectation of hosting regionals, playing in supers, and making it to Omaha. So, Horned Frog fans, which faction do you belong to?

Also, let’s hear your predictions for what’s next for TCU baseball. Are we a portal addition away from a 2027 run, or are you just tuning into the Regionals to pray for a rival’s downfall? Let’s hear it, head over to the KillerFrogs Forum, as well as our X and Facebook pages, and let us know what you think.