TCU has been a consistent Big 12 Conference championship contender since joining more than a decade ago. After an uncharacteristically down 2024, the Horned Frogs are poised to bounce back in a big way in 2025. Their pursuit of a seventh College World Series appearance in 15 years takes shape early when they make the short trek from Fort Worth to Arlington for the second weekend of the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
Anthony Silva leads a corps of proven veterans who team with an impressive incoming class of newcomers. Among TCU’s new additions to watch is Noah Franco, a blue-chip recruit set to make some of his earliest collegiate impressions at Globe Life Field.
The Horned Frogs are part of a quartet of impressive teams competing at the Texas Rangers home from Feb. 21-23. Preseason top 10-ranked Arkansas, TCU’s Big 12 counterpart Kansas State, and Big Ten championship hopeful Michigan round out the lineup.
TCU College Baseball Showdown Schedule
- vs. Michigan – Friday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET
- vs. Arkansas – Saturday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. ET
- vs. Kansas State – Sunday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. ET
Names to Know
Ben Abeldt
One of college baseball’s best relievers a season ago, Ben Abeldt finished 2024 with a 1.83 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over his 26 appearances and 44 ⅓ innings worked. He struck out 54 batters, walked only 16, and gave up a total of 29 hits.
The left-hander has been garnering widespread MLB draft buzz since his freshman All-American campaign in 2023. Abeldt heads into 2025 considered a top 50 prospect, drawing comparisons to Chris Sale.
Noah Franco
Noah Franco comes to TCU by way of prep powerhouse IMG Academy, where he gained distinction as Perfect Game’s top-rated recruit in the state of Florida and the No. 7-ranked prospect overall among 2024 high school graduates.
Franco’s two-way ability contributes to his lofty status. As a left-handed pitcher, Franco came out of the bullpen and delivered a 0.89 ERA in 2024. At the plate, Franco hit around .320 in each of the previous two seasons. He can play in the outfield or first base, so TCU’s use of him early in the season is abundant and could set the tone for Franco’s role throughout the spring.
Tommy LaPour
Wichita State transfer Tommy LaPour adds a proven arm to TCU’s starting pitching rotation. LaPour earned Newcomer of the Year in the American Athletic Conference and was named 2nd Team All-Conference, after a freshman season in which he went 6-3 with a 4.23 ERA and struck out 69 over 16 starts.
BaseballAmerica tabbed TCU as one of its eight sleepers to make a College World Series in 2025, and the publication cites the addition of LaPour to the starting rotation as one potential reason. If the impressive credentials he gained in just one season with the Shockers translate in the Big 12, BA might look like soothsayers.
Sam Myers
Outfielder Sam Myers was an instant impact player for TCU in his freshman season and finished 2024 with the team’s top batting average (.353) among qualifying hitters. Myers earned Big 12 All-Freshman Team recognition for his impressive debut and heads into his sophomore season positioned to be a driving force in the Horned Frogs’ resurgence.
Anthony Silva
While MLB draft-eligible in 2024, shortstop Anthony Silva opted to return to TCU for his junior season. He will now be a pillar of the Horned Frogs’ pursuit of Omaha, both in the field and, hopefully for TCU, at the plate.
Silva hit a whopping .330 in 2023 with seven home runs and a .471 slugging percentage en route to Freshman All-American recognition. He endured a slight sophomore slump in 2024, with his offensive numbers dipping across the board. The minor regression may have contributed to Silva being overlooked in the summer draft, but he’ll get a chance to shoot up draft boards for 2025 with a bounce-back as one of TCU’s pillars in the coming campaign.
TCU College Baseball Showdown Opponents
Arkansas
Arkansas heads into 2025 in familiar territory as a preseason favorite to reach Omaha come June. Coach Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks feature the typical cast of standout talent in the batting order, in the field, and on the pitching staff.
The Saturday pairing of Arkansas and TCU at the 2025 College Baseball Showdown is a rematch of the slugfests that elevated to the Horned Frogs to the Super Regionals in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Kansas State
TCU gets an early taste of the 2025 Big 12 Conference race with the Horned Frogs’ College Baseball Showdown matchup against Kansas State. The Wildcats welcome a variety of newcomers poised to position K-State as a dark horse in the top-heavy league.
Michigan
Michigan brings some standout veteran talent to lead its pursuit of a postseason return in 2025. The Wolverines come to Globe Life Field with plenty to gain against a pair of preseason Top 25 opponents, TCU and Arkansas. Michigan has the playmakers to compete with this top-tier competition, including pitcher Kurt Barr and two-way standout Mitch Voit.
Where Is The 2025 College Baseball Showdown?
The Shriners Children’s College Showdown and two-weekend Amegy Bank College Baseball Series presented by Kubota will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and feature some of the top teams in the nation.
The 2025 season will mark the fifth consecutive year of college baseball at Globe Life Field – home of the world champion Texas Rangers – and the second straight year the action will span three weekends.
When Is The College Baseball Showdown?
The first weekend of the festivities, the Shriners Children’s College Showdown will begin on Friday, Feb. 14 ,and will run through Feb. 16.
The following two weeks of action, the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, will take place Feb. 21-23 and Feb. 28-March 2.
To keep the momentum going between the weekends, the series also will include four midweek games at Globe Life Field. Those contests will take place on Feb. 18, Feb. 19, Feb. 26, and March 5.
All three weekends of games will be streamed live on FloCollege and FloBaseball. View the teams and schedule below.
What Teams Are Playing In the 2025 College Baseball Showdown?
Here’s a list of every team headed to Globe Life Field:
Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown
- Arizona
- Clemson
- Louisville
- Oklahoma State
- Ole Miss
- Texas
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 2
- Arkansas
- Kanas State
- TCU
- Michigan
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 3
- Auburn University
- Baylor University
- Ohio State University
- Oregon State University
Midweek Games
- *Texas State vs. Oklahoma State (Feb. 18)
- *Oklahoma vs. UT Arlington (Feb. 19)
- LSU vs. Dallas Baptist (Feb. 26)
- *Wichita State vs. Abilene Christian (March 5)
*Will not be broadcast live by FloSports.
Complete 2025 College Baseball Showdown Schedule
All Times Eastern
Friday, Feb. 14
Saturday, Feb. 15
Sunday, Feb. 16
Friday, Feb. 21
Saturday, Feb. 22
Sunday, Feb. 23
Wednesday, Feb. 26
Friday, Feb. 28
Saturday, March 1
Sunday, March 2
How To Stream The 2025 Shriners Children’s College Showdown
The Shriners Children’s College Showdown is taking place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, from Feb. 14-16. It is streaming live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.
Replays, highlights and breaking news from the event will be on both platforms.
How To Watch The 2025 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 2
The 2025 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 2 is taking place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, from Feb. 21-23. It is streaming live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.
Replays, highlights and breaking news from the event will be on both platforms.
How To Watch The 2025 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 3
The 2025 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 3 is taking place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, from Feb. 28-March 2. It is streaming live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.
Replays, highlights and breaking news from the event will be on both platforms.
FloBaseball Archived Footage
Video footage from FloBaseball events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBaseball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
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