Baseball: TCU players receive postseason awards

Eight Horned Frogs earned impressive recognitions including All-Big 12 and All-American honors.

With TCU Baseball wrapping up its 2025 season recently, plenty of Frogs have received numerous postseason honors after successful years. The Frogs had a successful season as a team, making the NCAA Regionals as a two seed in the Corvallis Regionals and advancing to the Big 12 Tournament Championship game. TCU has plenty of talent returning for the 2026 season and with a solid group of transfers and high school recruits, the Frogs should be a contender next season.

Sawyer Strosnider

After one of the best seasons by a position player in TCU baseball history, Sawyer Strosnider racked up an impressive compilation of awards, headlined by being named National Freshman of the Year by Perfect Game. Strosnider hit .350 with 13 doubles, a nation-leading and TCU single-season record-setting 10 triples, 11 home runs, and 10 stolen bases. Strosnider also earned NCBWA Freshman Hitter of the Year honors and was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year after slugging .650 and getting on base at a 42% clip.

The true freshman was also named First Team All-Big 12, All-Big 12 Freshman team, All-Big 12 Tournament team, NCAA Corvallis All-Regional team, ABCA First Team All-Central Region, and a First Team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game and NCBWA. Strosnider is a true five-tool player with excellent top-end speed that helps him track down fly balls in the outfield and pick up extra bases as a runner, a plus arm and a solid glove in the outfield, good bat-to-ball skills, a refined plate approach, and great in-game power.

Strosnider will be eligible for the MLB Draft after next season and has the potential to be the second-ever TCU position player selected in the first round. TCU baseball will have high expectations for the 2026 season, thanks in large part to Strosnider’s tremendous talent on the baseball field.

Tommy LaPour

For the second straight offseason, TCU and Kirk Sarloos landed a star pitcher in the transfer portal from Wichita State in Tommy LaPour, who was dominant on the mound in his first season as a Frog. LaPour was named First Team All-Big 12, Big 12 All-Tournament team, ABCA First Team All-Central Region, and NCBWA Second Team All-American.

With the departure of Payton Tolle to the MLB Draft and the season-ending injury to Ben Abeldt before opening day, LaPour was asked to fill big shoes in the Friday night starter role for the Frogs. LaPour was more than up to the task as he carved up hitters all season to the tune of a 3.09 ERA and an 8-3 record on the year. LaPour racked up 88 strikeouts in just over 90 innings and only walked 27 batters all season.

LaPour will be penciled in for the Friday night role next season for TCU baseball, and fans should expect more dominant pitching from the righty as he projects to be one of the top pitchers in college baseball next season.

Noah Franco

Noah Franco entered the college baseball scene with big expectations as the former number one overall recruit in the 2025 class before reclassifying, and Franco lived up to the hype in his first season at TCU. Franco was named All-Big 12 First team, Big 12 All-Freshman Team, Big 12 All-Tournament team, Second-Team Freshman All-American by NCBWA, and First-team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game. Franco slashed .313/.396/.548 for an impressive OPS of .944 at the plate while flashing electric stuff on the mound.

The raw power from Franco is his most impressive tool, launching 11 home runs this past season and showing the potential to hit plenty more as his approach at the plate develops. Frog fans can also dream on his potential on the mound as he showcases a fastball that sits in the mid to upper 90s from the left side, along with a devastating slider that falls off the table and plays well off the heater. Franco struck out 18 batters in just 12.1 innings in his true freshman season and projects to be a major contributor on the bump for the Frogs moving forward.

Mason Brassfield

The next impressive true freshman to earn awards for TCU baseball was left-handed pitcher Mason Brassfield. Brassfield became an important arm for the Frogs thanks to a good start to the season and was moved into a consistent weekend starting spot after injuries to other pitchers. Brassfield shined in his expanded role with a 4.09 ERA and 68 strikeouts in just 61.2 innings. As a left-handed pitcher with a roughly ¾ arm slot delivery, Brassfield is a very uncomfortable at bat for left-handed hitters.

Brassfield has a fastball that he commands well and an excellent breaking ball that he uses to steal strikes and put away hitters. The freshman was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12, Big 12 All-Freshman team, and Second Team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game. Look for Brassfield to be a major contributor for the Frogs next season as a weekend starter with the potential to be an All-Conference First Teamer.

Nolan Traeger

Nolan Traeger was yet another true freshman who excelled in his first year as a Frog, slashing .327/.429/.472 for an OPS of .901. Traeger took over the starting catching role for TCU and was a major plus defensively, throwing out nine base stealers, letting by just six past balls, and providing good framing work from behind the plate. The patient and refined approach at the plate was very fun to watch from the true freshman as he walked nearly as much as he struck out. The bat-to-ball skills from Traeger also stand out.

The Spring, Texas native was named Second Team All-Big 12, All-Big 12 Freshman team, and Second Team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game. Traeger will be a key piece of the lineup and defense for the Frogs for years to come.

Kade Eudy

One of the toughest and most underappreciated roles on a baseball team is a reliable bullpen arm that can be trusted to wiggle out of dangerous situations and pitch for multiple innings. Kade Eudy showed the ability to fill that role in his true freshman season, pitching to a 3.75 ERA across 24 innings in 20 appearances. His two most impressive performances came against in-state rivals in Texas Tech and Houston, where he threw three scoreless innings in relief in both games. Eudy was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Freshman team and will be an important arm for the Frogs for the foreseeable future.

Anthony Silva

In what was likely his final season as a Frog, Anthony Silva again dazzled TCU fans with tremendous work in the field at shortstop and provided solid contributions at the plate and on the bases. Silva is arguably the best defensive infielder to ever play for TCU, with incredible range, glove skills, and arm strength that have caught the eye of MLB scouts since he stepped foot into the college baseball world. “Chef Tony” is a dangerous bat as well, hitting .283 this past season along with 17 extra base hits. Silva earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and will be a very intriguing draft prospect this MLB Draft season.

Chase Brunson

With all of the talk about the true freshman producing for TCU, an incredible season from Chase Brunson somehow went underappreciated. After an impressive freshman season in 2024, Brunson made the leap to certified star player, slashing .317/.395/.554 in 2025. Brunson has great power as a right-handed bat with a team-leading 12 home runs, 13 doubles, and two triples. Brunson is also a very good defensive center fielder, consistently getting good jumps on fly balls, taking smart routes, and using his blazing speed to track down balls in the gaps. Brunson was named Second Team All-Big 12 conference and is a big reason for the high expectations for TCU baseball heading into 2026.