Oral Roberts players open up on their confidence in each other

The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles are flying to a fairytale ending. Nonetheless, the team’s success is grounded in strong community.

Oral Roberts opened up the College World Series with an improbable 6-5 comeback win over TCU. After the game, junior pitcher Cade Denton pulled back the curtain on the Golden Eagles’ mentality.

“Confidence in one another. Like you said, we have a solid lineup, one through nine. Every guy in that lineup knows the guy in front of them can get a hit and get the job done every single time,” Denton said. “It instills confidence in yourself knowing that you’re the next guy in lineup.”

Next man up

Oral Roberts needed every player on the roster in its win over TCU. Several of the team’s top hitters failed to convert at the plate, including star infielder Jonah Cox. The Oral Roberts junior entered Friday’s contest with a hit in 47-straight games. Cox’s streak came to an end on Friday.

Friday wasn’t the first time the Golden Eagles have shown off their grit. The team dominated at the Stillwater Regional, sweeping its opponents. Oral Roberts followed up the performance with a 2-1 series win over Oregon at the Eugene Super Regional.

“We’re just a bunch of old guys that are really gritty at the plate. That’s kind of how — that’s our attitude towards it,” Blaze Brothers said.

Experience shows

Brothers isn’t bluffing. The team boasts eight seniors and 13 juniors. Despite plenty of collegiate experience on the roster, the CWS is uncharted territory. Oral Roberts hasn’t appeared in the CWS in 45 years. Moreover, the team has made the NCAA Tournament just once since 2018.

Luckily for the players, head coach Ryan Folmar has enough experience for everyone. In his 11th year as head of the program, Folmar has led the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Tournament six times. Folmar’s players point to him as the proponent of their success.

“I want to credit the coaching staff for keeping us locked in and giving us the scouting report every game, day in and day out, just keeping us motivated. And credit to coaches for getting us prepared to be in this situation,” senior outfielder Justin Quinn said.

Oral Roberts will need an excellent coaching plan once again on Sunday. The Golden Eagles will face off against the Florida Gators at 7 p.m. ET in their second game of the CWS. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.