What has propelled TCU baseball to its best start since 1994?
No. 5 TCU baseball has won its first eight games to begin the 2024 season, marking the program’s best start since the 1994 season when the Horned Frogs opened 9-0.
The Horned Frogs’ resiliency this young season was apparent than in their 8-7 win in extra-innings over Washington State on Tuesday at Lupton Field.
TCU led by 7-3 heading into the ninth inning before an offensive explosion by Washington State led by doubles from Joey Kramer and Casen Tagert tied the game.
TCU reliever Zachary Cawyer stepped up after the blown save, pitching three scoreless innings, to give the Horned Frogs the opportunity to win the game in the 12th inning.
TCU’s first three batters loaded the bases before a strikeout and a line out made it seem like Washington State might be able to escape the inning unscathed.
Senior outfielder Luke Boyers, who had entered the game earlier as a replacement, hit a walk-off single through the left side of the infield that maintained TCU’s undefeated start.
“He threw me a good pitch and I took a good swing on it. So, it was nice to be rewarded like that. I kind of struggled last weekend, I was down on myself, but it feels really good to be able to help the team out and win that game,” said Boyers.
Boyers had been hitless in his last eight at-bats over his last three games before going 1-for-2 in Tuesday’s game and spoke to a feeling he said has permeated the dugout all season.
“I just feel like we have a mentality that we can’t lose. We’re never in a situation where we feel like we’re going to lose the game,” said Boyers, “it’s just a feeling of like we’re, we all want to win so badly and we believe in each other so much that we understand that we’re never out of a baseball game.”
The Horned Frogs started the season with a three-game sweep against Florida Gulf Coast University despite trailing in every game of the series and overcoming six-run deficits twice.
According to head coach Kirk Saarloos, who pointed to players like Peyton Chatagnier urging the team on during extra innings, that resiliency has been on full display all season.
“I think that’s the calling card with this, this group is the fact that they don’t let up and it’s not gonna be easy, but I feel like they always fight and that’s, that’s a huge piece in terms of a coach watching you in your dugout, watching your team is, what’s their mentality when they do get punched in the face? And again, I didn’t see one second of panic and I think that’s a resilient bunch that ended up winning the game in the 12th.”
So far, TCU has had the right mix of veteran leaders like Luke Boyers, Kurtis Byrne and Anthony Silva who returned from last year’s College World Series team and new incomers like Chatagnier, a transfer from Ole Miss, Sam Meyers and Payton Tolle who have all played crucial roles for the Horned Frogs.
