TCU pitcher Storm Hierholzer enters the NCAA Transfer Portal

TCU Horned Frogs pitcher Storm Hierholzer has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Storm Hierholzer made seven appearances in 2024 for TCU, all of which were out of the bullpen. He pitched 9.1 innings overall and had an ERA of 3.86 with 12 strikeouts. However, control was an issue at times, as he walked 11 batters and hit three others with pitches.

That 2024 campaign came after Storm Hierholzer had surgery and was forced to miss the entirety of the 2023 season.

Storm Hierholzer spent four years at TCU. However, even before his injury, the right-handed pitcher was relatively limited in terms of his appearances. In the end, he left TCU with 20.1 innings pitched, all out of the bullpen. He has a career ERA of 7.08 with 23 strikeouts to 22 walks.

He has also pitched in the Northwoods League and the MLB Draft League.

A native of Austin, Texas Storm Hierholzer was ranked 84th in the nation by Perfect Game and 320th by Baseball America coming out of high school. He was also a Perfect Game Preseason All-American ahead of his senior year.

When Storm Hierholzer first committed to TCU, Jim Schlossnagle would have been the team’s head coach. However, for the past three seasons, the Horned Frogs program has been led by Kirk Saarloos, who was previously an assistant on the TCU staff. During that time, he’s led the Horned Frogs to the NCAA Regional and a College World Series appearance. However, the 2024 season was less consistent and the Horned Frogs missed the NCAA Tournament after going 33-21 and just 14-16 in Big 12 play.

In the end, Storm Hierholzer’s final game for TCU came in a losing effort against West Virginia in May.

The Transfer Portal for NCAA Baseball

College baseball has two separate windows for players to enter the Transfer Portal. The main window is open now. That’s starting in late May, while the NCAA Tournament is underway, and it remains open for a total of 45 days. The other window that college baseball has is open for 15 days in December.

Unlike sports like football, baseball has unique challenges relating to scholarship distribution that coaches need to manage and could impact players as they transfer.

NCAA Division I baseball teams get between 11 and 12 scholarships despite the rosters being more than double that size. It means players receive partial scholarships. That means that coaches need to find a way to balance those scholarships with players already on the roster and who they’re bringing in.