Why TCU's Pitching Staff Could Decide the 2026 Season

While the NFL season may have wrapped up in disappointing fashion, there was one positive that came out of the Super Bowl's conclusion. The start of baseball season around the country — and, more importantly, the start of the college baseball season.

Beginning on Friday, Feb. 13, approximately 300 Division 1 baseball programs will open their seasons with the same goal in mind: ending the year on college baseball's biggest stage, the College World Series.

The TCU Horned Frogs, who were given a preseason top-10 ranking by D1Baseball, are also looking to return to Omaha for the seventh time in program history. With multiple weekend starters and some notable bullpen pieces returning, as well as some promising arms out of the transfer portal, FrogballUSA is expected to once again have a pitching staff with the talent to contend for a national championship.

Without further delay, let's get into what makes this TCU pitching staff a dominant force in the world of college baseball.

The Projected Weekend Rotation

TCU freshman Mason Brassfield delivers a pitch against the Arizona Wildcats. | gofrogs.com

As previously mentioned, the weekend starting rotation for the Horned Frogs features two of the most promising arms not only in the Big 12, but the entire country. Right-handed pitcher Tommy LaPour and left-handed pitcher Mason Brassfield are the two biggest returning pieces for TCU's pitching staff this season.

LaPour, the Friday-night starter for the Frogs last season, really doesn't need any introduction. The former Wichita State Shocker transferred to TCU after the conclusion of the 2024 season, and separated himself from many pitchers across the country with a dominant first season in Fort Worth.

LaPour made 16 appearances for the Frogs last season totaling 90.1 innings with a 3.09 ERA and an opponent batting average of .231. Now entering his junior season, the righty is expected to replicate last year's dominance, and the preseason honors he's already collected reflect exactly that. Full list of those accolades below:

Golden Spikes Award Watchlist
2nd Team All-American by NCBWA
Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Baseball America Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Second Team All-American by D1Baseball
Preseason All-America honors from Perfect Game

Brassfield is expected to be the Saturday starter for the Frogs this year, largely due to the raw potential he showed last year as a freshman. Not only did the southpaw round out one of the best freshman classes in the country, but he also showed the ability to be an extremely versatile piece of the pitching staff.

In his first year with the program, Brassfield made 18 appearances for the Frogs totaling 61.2 innings. The Bakersfield, California native began the season in the TCU bullpen and naturally transitioned into a weekend starter with a strikeout to walk ratio of 68-23. Brassfield ended the season with a 4.09 ERA and is expected to make a significant jump this season with consistent starts during the weekend.

As head coach Kirk Saarloos has mentioned in past seasons, the Sunday-starter role is a little more unique and can oftentimes fluctuate based on how the pitching staff is performing. Last season, the Horned Frog faithful saw several pitchers take the mound on Sundays including Noah Franco, Trever Baumler, Caedmon Parker, Kole Klecker, and Brassfield on select weekends.

Earlier this week, Saarloos himself revealed to Lupton Drinking Club that the starting rotation for this coming weekend would consist of LaPour on Friday, Brassfield on Saturday, and Lance Davis on Sunday. Davis was one of the more notable transfers to Fort Worth during the offseason as he redshirted his first season at Arkansas.

With a mid to upper-90's fastball and some impressive off-speed stuff, it wouldn't be surprising if Davis holds the Sunday starter role for at least the beginning of the season.

A Bullpen That Could Swing the Season

Kade Eudy delivers a pitch against the Fresno State Bulldogs. | Brian McLean KillerFrogs/TCU on SI

Before the season even started, TCU baseball received the unfortunate news that Louis Rodriguez, who's been a staple of the Horned Frog pitching staff for three years, would undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. The right-hander was expected to once again be a lifeline for the Frogs this season on the mound, whether he was coming out of the bullpen or making a last-second start.

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

Kole Klecker, Mason Bixby, Cohen Feser, Jax Traeger, Trey Newmann, Carson Cormier, and Blake Rogers all appeared in games for the Frogs last season, but elected to enter the transfer portal after the season's conclusion. TCU also lost Braeden Sloan and Caedmon Parker, two of the more reliable bullpen pieces for the Frogs, to the MLB Draft.

The bullpen itself is something of an enigma right now for the Horned Frog faithful. While TCU returned Kade Eudy, Nate Stern, and Zack James, this season's bullpen will mostly be comprised of freshman and transfer portal additions. Kade Durnin also returns to the pitching staff after redshirting his freshman season.

During the offseason, the Frogs brought in a variety of pitchers including Tanner Sagouspe, Lance Davis, Walter Quinn, Ethan Thomas, and Nolan Johnson. Sagouspe, Quinn, and Thomas are the more proven arms out of the incoming transfer class, while Davis and Johnson are two arms that provide some significant upside potential for TCU this season.

Aiden Barrientes, Uli Fernsler, and Cade Nelson headline a freshmen class that brings both upside and immediate relevance to TCU's pitching blueprint. Barrientes arrives in Fort Worth as one of the most decorated arms in Texas, a Katy High School standout who set the program’s single‑season strikeout record, earned first‑team all‑district honors, and ranked as the No. 16 prospect in the state.

Fernsler enters the program with as much national acclaim as any freshman pitcher in the 2025 class. A Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and a Baseball America High School All‑American, he dominated his senior season with a 0.36 ERA and 79 strikeouts while leading Novi to its first-ever state championship. It's worth noting that in the biggest game of the year, the state championship, Fernsler pitched a complete game.

Nelson, another product of Katy High School, brings his own impressive track record. Ranked as the No. 33 prospect in Texas by Perfect Game, he posted a sub‑1.00 ERA as a junior and helped guide his team to a district title as a senior as well.

As previously mentioned, this freshman class has the potential to not only get considerable time on the mound, but also contribute at a high level right away. While there are questions about the pitching staff's depth currently, this coming weekend against top programs like Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Oklahoma should provide the Horned Frog faithful with an idea of who Saarloos will rely on this season.

The Projected Weekend Rotation

A Bullpen That Could Swing the Season

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