Kirk Saarloos explains how TCU's experience this season has prepared them to fight for their lives in Omaha

After defeating Oral Roberts 6-1 Tuesday afternoon, the TCU Horned Frogs have earned the right to fight another day. Towards the end of the regular season and tournament play, TCU has fought like their backs were against the wall, which sometimes it was. And those situations where they’ve had to battle and claw their way to a win have prepared them for the battles they have faced in Omaha.

“Well, I think it’s super important. I’ve said before we’ve been playing kind of this style or this type of game situation for six weeks,” said Saarloos of TCU’s play as of late. “I mean, it’s just what they’ve been doing. Now there’s a second deck on the stadium, and there’s 23,000 people; I don’t think it has changed anything. It’s the same thing it was when we really needed to win two out of three at K-State.”

TCU has been in go mode since their final series of the regular season against Kansas State. Since then, the Horned Frogs have been nearly impossible to beat. TCU went undefeated in the Big 12 tournament scoring 12 or more runs in three of the four games on their way to a conference tournament title. They followed up by sweeping the Fayetteville Regional, hosted by the Arkansas Razorbacks, 3-0. And in the Super Regional round, TCU took care of Indiana State in two games. In fact, in the Horned Frogs loss to Oral Roberts to open the College World Series, they entered the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead before it all came apart.

Saarloos says TCU is now consistent

TCU’s level of play has risen dramatically since the start of the postseason. And Saarloos credited his team for finally finding consistency in their play.

“I think they finally realized; I think they got consistent at being consistent. And I think that’s the great thing is being able to see that from a ball club that has had stretches where it wasn’t very consistent. So that’s the neat thing about 18 to 22-year-old kids is it’s fun when they all grab ahold of it together and don’t want it to end. I think what this group is doing. They’re just got their head down, they haven’t taken a second to look up, and they’re enjoying what they’re able to do.”

Up next for TCU is another elimination game against the undefeated team on their side of the bracket, the Florida Gators. That game is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CDT and can be seen on ESPN or using the ESPN App.