Kirk Saarloos knows TCU will have 'hands full' against Oral Roberts

In the College World Series opener this weekend, TCU will face off against the story of the NCAA Tournament in Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles rallied back in a huge way in the Eugene Super Regional following a blown lead — and eventual loss — to Oregon, and are now in Omaha for the CWS.

Although Oral Roberts was a No. 4 seed in the Stillwater Regional, TCU coach Kirk Saarloos made it clear that doesn’t matter at this point. In Omaha, anything’s possible, and he knows the Golden Eagles’ success is more than a fluke. They entered the tournament with a 46-11 record, which is why Saarloos was surprised to see ORU as such a low seed.

He also pointed out TCU’s familiarity with the program from last year’s regional round.

“Well, I knew even them being in Oklahoma State, in Stillwater, as a 4 seed, it was crazy to think that a ball club like that was going to be a 4 seed,” Kirk Saarloos said. “Obviously, you don’t just luck into — I think they had probably 46 or 47 wins before the postseason even started. And Coach Folmar does an awesome job at Oral Roberts. We played them last year in the College Station Regional, so we’re familiar with them. They’re going to be tough. They’re always hard-nosed, tough ball club. I think that shows there’s not many teams that can take what they took on Friday night with what was on the line, being up 8-0 and then losing, and then to come back and win the next two days. And [to] do it on the road, you know, that’s something special.

“So like our players said, really the seeding goes out the window. You are one of eight now. Whether they’re a 4 seed and we were a 2 seed, all that stuff doesn’t matter. The big thing is there’s a lot of really good teams here, and they’re all hot. No matter who is in the other dugout, we’re going to have our hands full regardless.”

More on TCU, Oral Roberts ahead of College World Series opener

After sweeping the Stillwater Regional, Oral Roberts dropped the first game of the Eugene Super Regional against Oregon after blowing an 8-0 lead. But the Golden Eagles responded in grand fashion, winning the next two games over the Ducks to advance to Omaha for the first time since 1978.

That set up the matchup against TCU, which won back-to-back games against Indiana State in the supers to make the CWS field. That was an impressive follow-up to a sweep of the Fayetteville Regional, which included a 20-5 victory over Arkansas behind a record-breaking performance from Tre Richardson.

First pitch between TCU and Oral Roberts is set for Friday at 2 p.m. ET.