TCU freshman pitcher Kole Klecker discusses his brilliant performance vs. Indiana State in Fort Worth Super Regional

TCU freshman pitcher Kole Klecker was dominant on Friday vs. Indiana State in the Horned Frogs’ opening game win over the Indiana State Sycamores in the Fort Worth Super Regional. He settled in and delivered a brilliant performance on the mound, striking out nine batters en route to earning his 10th win of the season.

Klecker only allowed three hits and pitched seven scoreless innings. His big-time performance played a critical role in lifting the Horned Frogs to a 4-1 victory over the Sycamores in the opening game of the series.

Following his impressive performance, Klecker spoke with the ESPNU broadcast crew about it.

Kole Klecker discussed his masterful performance on Friday

What was his approach coming into the Game 1 matchup in the Super Regional against the Sycamores?

“I wouldn’t really say it depends what the team does, I kinda stick to how I like to pitch and that’s get after hitters, throw strikes, let my defense work behind me. And a lot of stuff was working today so I just kind of kept the same approach I’ve had all year and obviously had success with it. And today was just another game, so I’m excited we came out with the win,” Klecker said on the field after the game.

His nine-strikeouts were a season-high and Klecker had the slider working with flawless efficiency on Friday evening.

“You know, I definitely had to settle in after the first inning. Had a little bit of nerves, obviously. I mean, the atmosphere here at Lupton [Stadium] is just amazing. All the fans and everything. So you know, once I kind of calmed down the nerves, got through the first [inning]. I just kind of got in a rhythm and kept going. Let the defense work and got me through seven [innings], so I’m glad,” Klecker said.

TCU and Indiana State will face off again in Game 2 on Saturday, June 10th. That one will be nationally televised on ESPNU. First pitch is slated for 6:00 PM EST.

Earlier in the game, the ESPNU broadcast crew spoke with Horned Frogs’ head coach Kirk Saarloos about how his team has been able to prove their doubters wrong in the past few months.

TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos on proving the doubters wrong

The broadcast crew said that not many people thought the Horned Frogs would be able to make it to the NCAA Tournament, let alone the Super Regional. The TCU head coach said plenty of people outside his locker room doubted his team, but they never lost the faith.

“Well I think people outside of our 35-man roster were thinking that. We weren’t. We just kept plugging along and knew at some point we were gonna get hot and we were right about it. But yeah, I think there’s a lot of people that doubted us and didn’t think that we could do it. And [it’s] a tribute to these guys in terms of their determination and work ethic to keep just plugging along and take the next game for what it is. And they’ve been playing with a lot of confidence and have a lot of fun doing it,” Saarloos said.

The Horned Frogs are hoping they can stay hot this postseason. They are only one win away from punching their tickets to the 2023 College World Series. TCU has gotten hot in the past few months, thanks in large part to the massive leap in their offensive production.

In the regular season, the Horned Frogs scored 7.5 runs per game and in the postseason, they’ve nearly doubled that number to 13.1 runs per game.