TCU Baseball Stuns Big 12 Rivals: Horned Frogs’ Walk-Off Thriller Propels Run to College World Series

TCU baseball is surging at exactly the right time. Just hours after steam-rolling Kansas 11-1 to punch its ticket to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship final at Globe Life Field, the Horned Frogs have cemented themselves as one of the hottest teams in the country. H2 Big 12 Title Game Tonight The Frogs (39-17, 19-11 Big 12) square off with No. 3 seed Arizona at 6 p.m. (ESPNU) for what would be the program’s sixth Big 12 tournament crown. Head coach Kirk Saarloos’ club is 20-9 all-time at Globe Life Field and owns an eye-catching 62-37 record in conference-tournament play, proof that May baseball in Fort Worth usually means wins. H2 How TCU Baseball Got Here • Bats Blazing: Sophomore infielder Jack Bell delivered five RBI with two doubles and a bases-clearing triple against KU, extending his hitting streak to eight games. • Pitching Depth: Junior right-hander Louis Rodriguez tossed five shutout frames in relief, retiring 10 of his last 11 hitters to move to 5-1. • Relentless Lineup: TCU has tallied double-digit hits in 32 games this season and stolen a base in 40, underscoring an offense that can beat opponents with both power and speed. H2 Why the Horned Frogs Are Peaking 1. Healthy Roster – After early-season injuries, Saarloos finally has his preferred weekend rotation intact. 2. Experience Up the Middle – Veterans Cole Cramer (INF) and Nolan Traeger (C) stabilize the defense and lengthen the lineup. 3. Freshman Impact – Newcomers Sawyer Strosnider and Noah Franco have added on-base ability and lefthanded power that Big 12 rivals hadn’t scouted in February. H2 NCAA Tournament Outlook Win or lose tonight, TCU baseball has likely locked up at least a No. 2 seed in an NCAA Regional thanks to an RPI now inside the national top 20 and a 16-8 record since April 1. A Big 12 championship would strengthen the case for hosting at Lupton Stadium, where the Frogs went 22-7 in 2025. H3 Key Numbers • .696 – Overall winning percentage (39-17) • 10 – Runs needed to trigger the run rule Friday, reached on Bell’s triple • 26 – Error-free games by a defense that ranks top three in the league • 32 – Games with 10+ hits, illustrating length one through nine H2 What’s Next • Tonight, 6 p.m. vs Arizona (ESPNU, KTCU 88.7 FM) • Monday: NCAA Selection Show noon ET (ESPN2) – watch for TCU’s regional destination • June 7: Potential Super Regional dates if the Frogs win their bracket H2 Search-Friendly Takeaway Fans searching for “TCU baseball Big 12 Championship,” “Horned Frogs NCAA baseball seed,” or “Jack Bell highlights” will find one consistent theme: the Frogs are barreling toward the postseason with momentum, depth and a lineup no pitching staff wants to see right now.