Kirk Saarloos commends Karson Bowen's composure

Karson Bowen’s cool demeanor behind the plate belies his youth, as the freshman’s composure has earned the praise of head coach Kirk Saarloos. And TCU will need it, as the Horned Frogs embark upon a journey out of the losers bracket at the College World Series.

TCU lost in heartbreaking fashion to Oral Roberts in the first game of the CWS on Friday. To stay alive, the Horned Frogs will need to topple a strong Virginia team, something Bowen will integral to.

“I think how he’s handled our pitching staff, how he receives and throws, blocks everything, that’s why he’s been invited to Team USA, the Collegiate National Team that’s coming up later on. I think the country has seen what a special kid and special talent he is,” Saarloos said.

The head coach was even impressed with the final at-bat that Bowen had against Oral Roberts.

With TCU suddenly trailing and down to its final out, Bowen stepped in the box in the ninth inning trying to keep the game alive. He ultimately struck out, but put up a fight that left his head coach talking about it after the fact.

“Karson plays the game of baseball with a pretty slow heartbeat. Everything he does, he does with quality. Even his last at-bat he ended up swinging and striking out, but I thought that at-bat was phenomenal,” Saarloos said.

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.

Horned Frogs 1st baseman Cole Fontenelle shared how TCU will regroup

Following a heartbreaking 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.”

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.”