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Lifelong Frog
Quartet Tabbed Freshman All-Americans
TCU leads the country with four selections
FORT WORTH – A quartet of TCU baseball freshmen were named Freshman All-Americans by Perfect Game. Noah Franco and Sawyer Strosnider earned a spot on the first team, while Mason Brassfield and Nolan Traeger were selected to the second team.
Strosnider had a breakout freshman campaign. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year was also named a first-team all-conference performer in addition to earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman team. He was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament squad as well as the NCAA Corvallis All-Regional Team. Strosnider, an ABCA first-team All-Central Region honoree, has also been named a first-team NCBWA Freshman All-American.
At the plate, Strosnider led the team with a .350 average, 77 hits, and 51 RBIs. His 10 triples on the year set a single-season TCU record and led the nation. He became the first player since 2010 and the first freshman since 2001 to post a quadruple-double with 13 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases. He also led the team with 23 multi-hit games and ranked second with 13 multiple-RBI contests.
Franco had an equally productive first season on campus. He was a first-team all-conference performer in addition to being named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team. He earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Tournament squad. Franco was also selected as a second-team Freshman All-American by the NCBWA.
Franco hit .313 on the year and ranked fourth on the team with 68 total hits. He led the team with 16 doubles and was tied for second with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs. He tied for second on the team with 20 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI contests. Franco also saw action on the mound, making three starts as part of eight appearances. In 12 1/3 innings of work, he racked up 18 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .245 batting average against.
Brassfield put together a solid year on the mound. He ranked tied for third on the team with 18 appearances and made seven starts. His 61 2/3 innings pitched were the second-most on the squad. He went 5-2 on the year with a 4.09 ERA and racked up 68 strikeouts to just 23 walks while limiting opponents to a .254 batting average against.
Traeger made 43 starts as part of 47 games played on the season. His .327 average ranked third on the team. He racked up 52 hits including eight doubles, three triples and three home runs while driving in 17. He posted a .995 fielding percentage behind the plate and registered a team-high three pickoffs.
Since arriving on campus in 2013, Kirk Saarloos has coached 22 athletes to Freshman All-American accolades.
