Why TCU Baseball Refuses To Eat The Rat Poison Ahead Of The 2026 Season

It's no secret that something special is brewing in Fort Worth ahead of the 2026 college baseball season. With Kirk Saarloos entering his fifth season as head coach of the program and an abundance of returning talent, it isn't surprising that the expectations for TCU Baseball this season are higher than ever.

The 2026 @d1baseball Preseason Top 25 has officially dropped!! 👀⚾️

➡️ https://t.co/NXoYzYUL0G #NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/fsWGNkYewB
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) January 12, 2026

Earlier this week, the Horned Frogs received a top-10 ranking from D1 Baseball and a top-15 ranking from Perfect Game. While more college baseball publications will soon release their preseason rankings, the nod from D1 Baseball certainly stands out to fans of the sport.

But TCU isn't buying into the hype. In fact, their focus is on limiting distractions before and during the team's 2026 campaign. As several players mentioned on Tuesday, this year's squad is currently focused on "not eating the rat poison."

It isn't that the Frogs aren't confident. Based on this week's media availability, it's clear that each player is aware of the talent that TCU Baseball has on its roster. Despite that, they seem to be focused on the process rather than the result. For a team that has been labeled a College World Series contender before the season even starts, that's an extremely healthy mindset.

What Does "Not Eating the Rat Poison" Mean?

Cole Cramer turns a double play against the Kansas State Wildcats. | Brian McLean/KillerFrogs (TCU On SI

It happens every year. Virtually every season, there's one or two college baseball programs that severely underperform based on their preseason ranking. In 2025, Texas A&M missed out on the NCAA Tournament despite being the consensus No. 1-ranked team in the country. While the Aggies' collapse was accelerated by some notable injuries early in the season, the 12th Man still had the talent to make an NCAA Tournament appearance.

In 2024, it was the TCU Horned Frogs that didn't quite live up to the hype. After ending their season in Omaha the previous year, Saarloos's squad missed the NCAA Tournament with a final record of 33-21. The Frogs entered 2024 with lofty expectations after being given a top-5 preseason ranking and even appeared to be a legitimate contender after starting the season 13-0.

The phrase "not eating the rat poison" can mean a variety of things. It can be individually based or team-wide, but it mostly pertains to blocking out the noise and distractions that come with preseason rankings and expectations. Earlier this week, Coach Saarloos emphasized that he and his coaching staff have been talking about the distractions that come with the college baseball season.

"There are distractions in the fall, but when the season comes around, now there's a lot of outside distractions," Saarloos told the media. "You know you have school, but it's also media, it's rankings, it's all these different things that really don't matter to be honest with you. Our job is to be the best versions of ourself, and how do you do that? You got to stay with the process."

Tommy LaPour, Mason Brassfield, Sawyer Strosnider, and Nolan Traeger all echoed those same ideals. Rather than getting caught up in what other people are saying, their focus is on what they can do to improve for the upcoming season.

A Gauntlet to Start the 2026 Campaign

Jun 17, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins shortstop Roch Cholowsky (1) throws to first base against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the third inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

After speaking about his approach to the mental struggles of baseball, Saarloos was asked about TCU's first road trip of the season. After matching up against programs like Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in Arlington, the Horned Frogs will then travel over 1,400 miles to the West to take on UCLA in a three-game series. Led by Roch Cholowsky, the Bruins are currently the No. 1-ranked team in the country and are expected to end their season in Omaha one way or another.

For the first time in program history, UCLA enters the season as @d1baseball's top‑ranked team. ☝️#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/9u40nEHdG5
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) January 12, 2026

"Ultimately, you're going to find out a lot about yourselves in terms of the competitiveness, the toughness, and also what things you need to work on," Saarloos said. "You're going to get exposed early, but that's why you do it...That's the teams that were going to want to face later in the season and it gives you an opportunity to figure out, ok where are our shortcomings?"

"It's going to be a challenge," when talking about six of TCU's first seven games being against top-15 opponents. "That's why you play, and for us to do that right away is a great barometer in terms of what we need to get better at."

What Does "Not Eating the Rat Poison" Mean?

A Gauntlet to Start the 2026 Campaign

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