Facing elimination, TCU can look to last year for inspiration

Last season, the national champion was in the same position TCU is in now at the College World Series: 1-1.

Coastal Carolina rallied from that start and advanced to the championship series.

So did Arizona.

TCU and the three other teams in the elimination games at the College World Series this week have to look back only a year for inspiration.

It is possible to come out of the losers bracket and win it all, tough and long a road as it is.

“As a coach, you’re always looking for the positive, trying to come up with the right thing to say to the guys, keep them positive about what can happen,” TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “But you can’t get ahead of yourself because the competition is so good.”

Florida Sate and LSU play Wednesday night in an elimination game.

TCU and Louisville play Thursday night.

The Florida State-LSU winner will then have to defeat Oregon State twice to reach next week’s best-of-three final.

For the TCU-Louisville winner, the assignment is beating Florida twice.

“It’s coachy, but it’s literally one day at a time and all hands on deck just to stay around a little longer,” Schlossnagle said.

TCU stayed alive with a victory Tuesday against Texas A&M. Florida State defeated Cal State Fullerton on Monday.

For Louisville, the matchup against TCU will be its first in an elimination game this season.

“We’re one of six teams left in Omaha, so I think they’ve got to be excited,” Louisville coach Dan McDonnell said of his players. “I know I’m excited. I’ve got a lot of respect for TCU. ... I mean, it’s a great opportunity. You know, it’s Louisville-TCU on a Thursday night. I know I’m excited about it.”

Schlossnagle called Louisville “the most physically talented team” at the College World Series.

“They’re an elite team,” Schlossnagle said. “Top to bottom, pitching, defense, athleticism, power, speed. … It’s Division I baseball at the absolute highest possible level, and we’re one of those teams, too. We’re still standing. We’re going to have to pitch with them as in any other great game and hope we can score enough to, as Coach P says, win by one or more.”

TCU played its first elimination game of the NCAA tournament Tuesday after starting 5-0 for the first time.

Neither Louisville nor TCU believes the best route to the finals is a 1-1 start. But they still have a route.

“It is what it is,” McDonnell said. “Last year, both teams that played for a national championship came out of the losers bracket. I’ll be telling my kids that, and I’m sure Schloss will be telling his kids that.”

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Facing elimination, TCU can look to last year for inspiration."