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Cole Fontenelle shares how TCU will regroup from loss at College World Series

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•06/17/23
Cole Fontenelle, TCU Horned Frogs first baseman
TCU first baseman Cole Fontenelle swings at a pitch during a College World Series game against Oral Roberts on June 16, 2023. (Dylan Widger / USA TODAY Sports)

Following the opening game in the College World Series, TCU will have to do something it hasn’t done yet this postseason: play from behind. Following a heart-breaking 6-5 loss to Oral Roberts on Friday, the Horned Frogs will have to emerge from the loser’s bracket if they hope to play for a national title.

TCU tripped up in the late stages as Oral Roberts rallied from behind to claim the winner’s bracket spot.

“Obviously we’ve been through worse than this,” first baseman Cole Fontenelle said. “We’ve been to a point where we didn’t think we were going to make a Regional. For us I think it’s just about sticking with our routine, sticking with our process and keep doing what we’re doing.”

In the immediate future, an elimination game against Virginia on Sunday looms.

Win that one and TCU can look forward to having to win three more elimination games to advance to the College World Series championship series. It’s going to be a tough road to hoe, realistically.

But Fontenelle’s point is also a good one. The Horned Frogs have been up against adversity before.

The Horned Frogs went through one stretch in the regular season where they lost seven of eight games. They were able to rally and turn it on to secure a postseason berth.

And since then, TCU has absolutely been on fire.

The Horned Frogs blitzed their way through the Big 12 Tournament to emerge as champions after winning four straight, with all four decided by at least three runs and three of the four decided by seven or more runs.

Then they headed to the Fayetteville Regional to take on No. 3 national seed Arkansas and others. TCU swept through the field, winning three straight to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals. Then it was a quick two-game sweep of Indiana State to reach the College World Series.

So when asked what TCU will do to regroup, Fontenelle’s answer is pretty straightforward.

“We don’t really need to change anything,” he said. “We’re going to come back and we’re going to be good.”

TCU and Virginia will meet on Sunday in a game that begins at 2 p.m. ET with a broadcast on ESPN. The loser will go home from the College World Series.