TCU Baseball Stays Hot, Adding Another Player From The Portal

Kirk Saarloos has yet to cool off in the transfer portal, adding TCU’s ninth portal commit of the offseason. This time, it’s a swiss army knife, do-it-all infielder from Angelo State: Lane Hutchinson.

A product of Live Oak High School in Slaughter, Louisiana, Hutchinson was one of the top Division II hitters in the country last season, batting .402 with five home runs and a .508 on-base percentage. He started all 56 games for the Rams, showcasing both consistency and durability.

Before his time at Angelo State, Hutchinson played at UT Tyler, where he also started every game he appeared in while posting another strong batting average.

Hutchinson spoke with JD Andress, one of the TCU Horned Frogs On SI, staff writers, and told him about why he chose TCU. He talked about his love for rodeos, his love for the city of Fort Worth, and how a special message from his Maw Maw, who unfortunately passed away from cancer, led him to Lupton. Before her passing, she instilled her love not just for baseball but also for the state of Texas in him.

His approach in the batter's box is the same as it was all those years ago when his maw maw would throw him batting practice, and that's why he credits her with his success. Saarloos called him to talk after Lane entered the portal, but Lane didn't answer; he was on the field, hitting something Saarloos left in the voicemail that he knew he would be doing.

For Lane, this isn't just a fresh start and a chance to carry on a legacy. Preston Guillory, the first player from his high school to play college baseball, had his poster in the locker room in his Horned Frog Uniform. Lane's poster will now be next to Guillory's, in the same uniform, and the same hallway.

Now that he is in Fort Worth, Hutchinson hopes to have the same success Guillory had in the program, leading the Horned Frogs to Omaha.

This is a major pickup for the Horned Frogs as they continue to build depth on an already loaded roster. How the starting infield shakes out remains to be seen, but Hutchinson’s arrival only intensifies the competition. His ability to play any spot in the infield makes him a valuable chess piece heading into the 2025 season.

Updated TCU Baseball Portal News:

Incoming Transfers:

• RHP Ethan Thomas
• 1B Rob Liddington
• RHP Tanner Sagouspe
• LHP Nolan Johnson
• INF Kyuss Gargett
• OF Dallas Macias
• RHP Lance Davis
• RHP Walter Quinn
• INF Lane Hutchinson

Outgoing Transfers:

• C Karson Bowen- Florida
• UTL Isaac Cadena- USC
• RHP Kole Klecker- Arizona State
• RHP Mason Bixby- Oklahoma
• RHP Cohen Feser- Kansas State
• RHP Kaden Smith- USF
• RHP Trey Newmann- Portland
• RHP Jax Traeger- Rice
• RHP Carson Cormier- Illinois State
• RHP Blake Rogers- In Portal
• OF Camden Sos- In Portal
• C Jacob Silva- UTSA
• Several freshman pitchers– Andrew Carter, Landon Young, Peter Gimino, Thomas Bridges, Lucas Greenlee