A season that was once in question where the postseason was concerned has turned into one with the TCU Horned Frogs once again being on the verge of reaching college baseball’s promised land.
Not since 2017 have the Horned Frogs been among the field in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. However, they could return with two more victories this weekend against Indiana State in the Fort Worth Super Regional at Lupton Stadium.
The series was originally set for Terre Haute, Indiana. It was switched to Fort Worth when it was learned the Sycamores would be unable to host because of certain logistics at their site, including hosting the Indiana Special Olympics.
This will also be the first time in their history that the two schools have met on the baseball diamond.
The Sycamores (45-15) enter the tournament as the higher seed, ranked 14th in the nation. They have won 43 of 49 games since starting the season 2-9, and they captured the Terre Haute Regional in a three-game sweep.
The Horned Frogs (40-22), while not nationally ranked, are also on an impressive hot streak. TCU has won nine straight and 17 of 19, including sweeping both the Big 12 Tournament and the Fayetteville Regional. They defeated No. 3 Arkansas twice on the Razorbacks’ home field, 20-5 and 12-4.
While TCU is no stranger to competing in a super regional – the Frogs have hosted three previously – this is the first time Indiana State has advanced this far since the NCAA created super regionals in 1999.
The Sycamores do have one College World Series appearance in their history, however. They qualified in 1986.
TCU is seeking a sixth CWS berth and their first under coach Kirk Saarloos. They qualified under coach Jim Schlossnagle in 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. They have also enjoyed success upon reaching Omaha, posting an 11-10 record.
Schlossnagle, now at Texas A&M, coached the Aggies to the CWS in 2022, his first season after leaving TCU. The Horned Frogs were 38-22 in Saarloos’ debut season, going 2-2 in the College Station regional hosted by the Aggies.
The best two-of-three Super Regional series was slated to get underway Friday (June 9) at 4 p.m. Game 2 of the series is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday. A third game, if necessary, will be played Sunday at a time to be determined.
TCU has tweeted that the series is sold out. The games will be televised on ESPNU.
The Sycamores will be the home team in the first and potential third games. TCU will be the home team in Saturday’s second game.