TCU opens the 2027 season at Globe Life Field against Virginia, Texas and defending national champion Oklahoma in a loaded Shriners showdown.
FORT WORTH - TCU baseball won’t ease into the 2027 season.
The Horned Frogs will open the year at Globe Life Field in Arlington with three high-profile matchups against Virginia, Texas and defending national champion Oklahoma during the Shriners Children’s College Showdown from Feb. 19-21.
The opener comes Friday, Feb. 19, when TCU faces Virginia at 3 p.m. It will be the first meeting between the programs since the 2023 College World Series.
The Cavaliers are part of a loaded six-team field that also includes Arizona and Clemson. Then comes the game most TCU fans will circle immediately.
The Horned Frogs meet Texas on Saturday at 7 p.m., marking the first non-conference matchup between the former conference rivals since the 2010 NCAA Austin Super Regional.
Texas and TCU spent years battling in the Big 12 before the Longhorns left for the SEC, giving this neutral-site meeting an added edge.
TCU closes the weekend Sunday at 6:30 p.m. against Oklahoma, the defending national champions. The Horned Frogs and Sooners will also play the tournament’s final game for the second straight season.
For head coach Kirk Saarloos, the opening weekend will provide an immediate test for a roster that looks very different from last season.
TCU returns just 13 letter winners while bringing in 28 newcomers. The incoming group includes 12 Division I transfers, five junior college transfers and one Division II transfer. D1Baseball ranked the Horned Frogs’ transfer class No. 18 nationally.
The coaching staff also underwent significant changes.
Thomas Eshelman joined the program as pitching coach, Danny-David Linahan was hired to oversee the hitters, and former TCU All-American Bryan Holaday returned as bench and catching coach. Holaday won the 2010 Johnny Bench Award and later spent 10 seasons in Major League Baseball.
That means TCU won’t have much time to figure itself out.
Virginia, Texas and Oklahoma provide three immediate measuring sticks, all inside a Major League ballpark and all before conference play even begins.
For a rebuilt Horned Frogs roster, Opening Weekend should reveal plenty about how quickly the pieces have come together.
