Fresh off an appearance in the College Football Playoff and a Big 12 regular season championship in that sport, Texas Christian University is expected to be celebrating another conference title this spring. 

TCU Baseball was recently picked to win the Big 12 by league coaches as the Horned Frogs try to return to the College World Series for the first time since 2017 and the sixth time since 2010. 

TCU is trying to make the CWS for the first time under coach Kirk Saarloos, who begins his second season leading the Horned Frogs. 

And that season will start at the College Baseball Showdown played in Arlington, Texas. 

Here’s what to know about the 2023 TCU horned Frogs. 

TCU Baseball Is Consensus Top 25 In 2023 College Baseball Rankings

There are four major preseason college baseball polls, and TCU’s inclusion is unanimous. And the placement of TCU seems to be consistent. 

Here is where the Horned Frogs are ranked:

• DIBaseball.com: No. 15
• Baseball America: No. 14
• Perfect Game: No. 14
• Collegiate Baseball: No. 15

Despite Big 12 coaches picking TCU to win the league, Oklahoma State is ranked higher in the Collegiate Baseball and D1baseball.com polls. 

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Does TCU Baseball Have Any MLB Prospects In 2023?

According to MLB.com, TCU will arrive in Arlington with the second-best draft prospect among the six teams. Infielder Brayden Taylor is No. 11 on their list. Taylor is the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and hit .314 with 28 extra base hits and drove in 50 runs for the Horned Frogs.

Only Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield enters the season with higher draft stock among the players at the College Baseball Showdown. 

Pitcher Cam Brown is also expected to receive considerable draft interest for TCU after a 5-2 record with a 4.42 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 53 innings last year. He arrived at TCU as a top 70 draft prospect. 

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How Did TCU Baseball Do In Its First Year Without Coach Jim Schlossnagle?

From 2003 to 2021, Jim Schlossnagle transformed TCU into a college baseball power. Under Schlossnagle, TCU won 12 conference titles, including nine in a row spanning two conferences (Conference USA and Mountain West).

A few years after TCU joined the Big 12, Schlossnagle led the program to three conference titles. The Horned Frogs reached seven NCAA regionals and five College World Series. 

But Schlossnagle left Fort Worth in 2021 to become the head coach at Texas A&M, where he took them to the College World Series in his first season. 

But TCU didn’t crumble after he left. Promoting pitching coach Kirk Saarloos to head coach, TCU won the Big 12 title in his first season and went 38-22 overall with a 16-8 conference record.

Saarloos, a former MLB veteran pitcher, had been the pitching coach of the Horned Frogs since 2012 and groomed future MLB pitchers Nick Lodolo, Tyler Alexander and Brandon Finnegan. 

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TCU Baseball Schedule At College Baseball Showdown (All Times EST)

The Horned Frogs play teams from the SEC in three straight days at the College Baseball Showdown and two of them are ranked. 

Here’s the schedule:

• TCU vs. Vanderbilt, 4 p.m., Feb. 17
• TCU vs. Arkansas, 8 p.m., Feb. 18
• TCU vs. Missouri, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 19

How To Watch The TCU Baseball At The College Baseball Showdown

All the College Baseball Showdown games are streaming on FloSports.