No. 7 TCU Horned Frogs Head Out West for Top-10 Showdown vs No. 1 UCLA

While injury concerns linger, the Frogs still have a chance to make a major statement out West.

Feb 14, 2026; Arlington, TX, USA; Arkansas vs TCU during the Shriner's Children's College Showdown at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

After dropping a midweek contest to UTA on Tuesday night, the No. 7-ranked TCU Horned Frogs will now head out West for a top-10 matchup against the No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins. The series between the two Omaha hopefuls drew a plethora of attention from the college baseball world, and now the long-anticipated series out West is finally here.

The Frogs currently hold 2-2 record so far this season with wins over Vanderbilt and No. 8 Arkansas, while the Bruins hold a 3-1 record with their lone loss coming against UC San Diego.

While there's certainly excitement for the top-10 matchup at UCLA, TCU's path to a series win against the Bruins may have just gotten much harder. After losing to the Mavericks on Tuesday, HornedFrogBlitz's Jamie Plunkett confirmed that Friday-starter Tommy LaPour would miss his second start of the year.

Stealing a road series from the No. 1 team in the country was already going to be a difficult task. The unfortunate timing of LaPour's injury, and the already growing concerns about the Frogs' pitching depth, only tightens the margin for error against the Bruins.

How the Pitching Gameplan Changes

Feb 14, 2026; Arlington, TX, USA; Arkansas vs TCU during the Shriner's Children's College Showdown at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

With its usual Friday-night starter out for the foreseeable future, TCU's weekend pitching gameplan will go through another major change. Before the season even started, the Frogs lost right-hander Louis Rodriguez, a lifeline for head coach Kirk Saarloos at times, for the season due to Tommy John surgery.

With LaPour unable to go this weekend, the starts of both Mason Brassfield and Lance Davis will be moved up a day. Freshman left-hander Uli Fernsler will get the nod on Sunday for the Frogs.

TCU’s starting rotation vs. No. 1 UCLA

Friday: LHP Mason Brassfield
Saturday: RHP Lance Davis
Sunday: LHP Uli Fernsler

Fernsler is a true freshman making his collegiate debut. Former Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year.

— Jamie Plunkett (@FrogPreacher) February 19, 2026

The choice to go to Fernsler on Sunday is notable, especially because the freshman has not yet made an appearance this season. Making your collegiate debut against the No. 1 team in the country is a trial by fire, but it’s also the kind of thing that could pay dividends for the lefty down the road.

Star Power All Over the Diamond for the Bruins

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

It would be hard to do a TCU vs UCLA preview without mentioning the Bruins' shortstop, Roch Cholowsky. Not only is the junior projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, but he also may be the most complete player in college baseball.

Last season, Cholowsky led UCLA to its sixth College World Series appearance by hitting an astounding .353 at the plate with 89 hits, 19 doubles, one triple, and 23 home runs. Through just four games this season, the shortstop is hitting .438 at the plate with seven hits, three doubles, and three home runs.

Mulivai Levu and Will Gasparino are names that the Frogs need to watch out for. After hitting .320 on the season with 12 home runs last year, Levu has seemingly taken his hitting to a new level. While the sample size is small, the first baseman currently leads the UCLA lineup in hits with nine.

Gasparino, on the other hand, is a real power threat at the plate. The former Texas Longhorn has already blasted three home runs this season in just 12 at-bats. While his strikeout numbers have been on the high side during his collegiate career, he's proven that if you leave a pitch over the middle of the zone, he won't miss it.

UCLA's pitching is nothing to scoff at either. Michael Barnett and Ian May were both extremely solid for the Bruins last year as they combined for 156.2 innings. Barnett finished the 2025 season with a 3.98 ERA while May finished with an ERA of 4.97.