2025 TCU Baseball Season Preview: Right-Handed Pitchers

Junior starter Louis Rodriguez is among the veteran arms back in the fold this spring.

TCU baseball is almost one week away from opening the 2025 season with a four-game series against San Diego. The Horned Frogs, who are tabbed to finish third in the Big 12 Conference this season, are returning several players from last season, when TCU finished 33-21 overall and fell just short of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. In the first article of a four-part season preview series, we’ll examine the right-handers who will take the mound.

The Horned Frogs are welcoming back a slew of veteran arms including 6-foot-1 junior Louis Rodriguez, who has made 36 appearances and 13 starters in a TCU uniform over the last two seasons. Rodriguez has 103 career strikeouts and has been a consistent contributor since his freshman campaign, when he posted a 4.53 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 12 walks. Rodriguez, who has logged 100 career innings with the Horned Frogs, concluded his sophomore season with a 4.13 ERA along with 54 strikeouts and 17 walks.

Also back in the fold is 6-foot-2 junior Kole Klecker, who has also been a regular on the TCU staff over the last two seasons. The Chandler, Arizona native made the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2023, when he posted a 10-4 record with a 3.72 ERA and 72 strikeouts with 30 walks. Although Klecker endured a sophomore slump in 2024, when he finished with a 5.96 ERA, he’s turned in 33 appearances with 26 starts since his freshman year and has 145 innings of work, plus 126 strikeouts, under his belt. Returning Klecker to his freshman form will be paramount for the Horned Frogs in 2025.

A significant boost to the staff is the return of redshirt junior Caedmon Parker, who is back in Fort Worth despite being selected in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Brewers. Parker missed the 2023 season with an injury, but the 6-foot-4 pitcher returned in 2024 and enjoyed a successful second half of his campaign, posting a 4.11 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 35 innings thrown. Another TCU right-hander who missed an entire season to an injury is redshirt junior Cohen Feser, who will return to the mound after sitting out in 2024. Feser, who was one of the staff’s best relievers over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, owns a career 3.00 ERA with 38 strikeouts and only eight walks over 29 appearances and 48 innings.

Sophomore fireballer Mason Bixby showed plenty of promise last season, striking out 25 batters over 18 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .203 average. Control will be critical for him, however, as the 6-foot-7 hurler from San Antonio walked 15 batters. Junior righty Jax Traeger has pitched sparingly over the last two seasons, earning a 4.63 ERA with 12 strikeouts over 11.2 innings as a freshman before making four appearances during his sophomore season, holding opponents scoreless over three of those four appearances.

Looking at the transfer portal, TCU signed two notable arms including former Wichita State standout Tommy LaPour, who was named the AAC Newcomer Pitcher of the Year in 2024. An All-AAC Second Team selection last season, LaPour posted a 6-3 record with a 4.25 ERA as well as 69 strikeouts over 78.1 innings pitched. Former Baylor right-hander Blake Rogers also comes to TCU after missing the 2024 season with an injury. The redshirt sophomore made four appearances with the Bears as a true freshman and will look to earn a role.

6-foot-6 sophomore Trey Neumann signed with the Horned Frogs after beginning his career at Cal, where he made 15 appearances with 11 starts and posted a 6.13 ERA in 61.2 innings. Newmann tied for the team lead with 60 strikeouts and held hitters to a .236 average. JUCO transfer Luke Greenlee will look to earn a role after earning an 8-1 record and a 1.70 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 22 innings at Cisco College in Abilene, Texas. Rounding out the righties on the TCU rotation are a slew of freshmen including pitcher/fielder Trever Baumler along with Carson Cormier, Kaleb Sinquefield, Kaden Smith, Kade Eudy, Tommy Bridges, Kade Durdin, Andrew Carter, Tyler Phenow and Zack James.