Farewell, Frogs: TCU Baseball Left Out Of NCAA Tournament Field

For the first time since 2018, the TCU Horned Frogs' baseball season ends after the Big 12 Tournament.

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As the final teams were selected for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament, an omission became reality – the TCU Horned Frogs (33-21) would not be playing in the postseason. It's the first time since 2018 that TCU failed to be selected for the field of 64. So, as it stands, the Frogs go out on a thrilling 11-10 loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament.

The NCAA Selection Committee revealed TCU was one of the first four teams outside the field, alongside Cincinnati in the Big 12.

Find the full Field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament Bracket here.

Close, But Not Enough

TCU finished just 14-16 against Big 12 competition, including a shocking sweep against Cincinnati. The Frogs ranked 40th in RPI going into Monday's selection. Given that 33 teams receive an auto-bid – many of whom rank in the 100s in RPI due to a lesser talented conference – 40th just wasn't good enough.

TCU finished just 5-8 against teams ranked 1-25 in RPI ("Quad 1") and a combined 9-17 against top 50 competition (Quads 1 & 2). A 21-8 home record and 17-3 record against non-league competition couldn't salvage the damage done against the Big 12, as TCU's non-league strength of schedule ranked just 104th nationally.

Adding insult to injury, the Texas Longhorns (35-22) took the last possible spot for the Frogs, a No. 3 seed in the College Station Regional. Texas plays in Texas A&M's Bryan-College Station Regional, a possible matchup sure to produce explosive TV ratings. The committee also paired Georgia and Georgia Tech, another historic in-state rivalry.

The UCF Knights (35-19) were revealed to be one of the last four teams in. TCU and UCF did not play this season.

What We'll Remember About The 2024 Season

Falling short of the NCAA Tournament is, objectively, a failure for TCU. Kirk Saarloos will likely be the first person to tell you that. After debuting at No. 5 nationally in the D1Baseball rankings, the pressure was on.

TCU started red hot, jumping out to the program's best start ever – a perfect 13-0. The bats were live and the Frogs completed comeback after comeback. But once Big 12 play hit, the team sobered quickly. They started 1-5 against Kansas and Oklahoma. However, not even a 6-3 finish to close the season and sneak into the Big 12 Tournament field was enough to save the season.

Wichita transfer Payton Tolle emerged as a dominant ace, striking out nearly 14 batters per nine innings (12th-best nationally). Only eight pitchers rung up more batters than Tolle (125), headlined with All-American names like Chase Burns and Hagen Smith.

Freshman Mason Bixby flashed midseason, as well. He regularly clocked in at over 100 mph, stepping into a brief starting role in April.

However, the offense wasn't enough. Too much patience at the plate led to increased strikeouts and a significant decrease in runs scored. Only BYU scored fewer runs in the Big 12 and only Baylor hit fewer home runs. TCU finished no better than 10th in the conference in any major hitting stat, finishing 12th in total bases.

Being left out of the NCAA Tournament field was hardly a "snub." TCU simply did not have the resume to be included. On the bright side, it'll leave the 2025 squad hungry to get back to the standard set by a prestigious program.

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