Kirk Sarloos raves about impact of freshmen during CWS run

TCU came up just short of advancing to the College World Series finals, but the future is still bright for the Horned Frogs.

TCU had several freshmen contribute during its run to the College World Series. Head coach Kirk Saarloos spoke about the impact this freshman class had following the loss to Florida on Wednesday, starting with pitchers Kole Klecker and Ben Abeldt.

The two were pivotal to TCU having a successful 2023 season.

“I remember my freshman year, I wasn’t like that in terms of the roles that they had,” Saarloos said. “And I mean, they’ll take a step back and look at it. And season’s on the line and all those different things throughout the end of the year and it didn’t affect them one time.”

In Wednesday’s elimination game, Klecker and Abeldt pitched eight combined innings against a dangerous Florida lineup and allowed only three runs combined. They kept TCU in the game and allowed the Horned Frogs to tie the game late, before coming up just short.

“Kole asked for the ball last night,” Saarloos recalled. “I didn’t know who we were going to start [against Florida]. But Kole shot me a text, and that kind of made my decision. He’s answered the bell every single time.”

Klecker allowed two runs in five innings, while making big pitch after big pitch. Abeldt allowed one run in three innings as Florida scored on an infield single with one out in the ninth to take the lead.

“The first guy I wanted to come in after [Kole] was Ben, because he’s done the same. And obviously finishing with Garrett [Wright], he’s done the same,” Saarloos said. “So pretty special kids in terms of their competitiveness and their ability to just simplify the game.”

TCU was just a few wins a way from winning a national title in 2023. With a solid group of freshmen to build around, the Horned Frogs could be right back in this spot again next season.

“That’s the sign of geniuses,” Saarloos said of his pitchers being able to keep baseball simple in tough situations. “What they say is you can make the complex seem simple. I think that’s what kole and Ben, really, all our guys have done. Just super proud of the way they handled themselves on and off the field.”

While TCU’s season is over, Florida has advanced to the College World Series finals. The Gators will play the winner of Thursday’s game between Wake Forest and LSU in a three-game series for the national title.