TCU Baseball: Bright Future Ahead

When your season ends in Omaha, even if you don’t make it to the finals and don’t bring home the Natty, you should feel good about the accomplishment. Only eight teams make it to Omaha.

Horned Frogs across the country are waking up today thinking about what could have been, as the TCU baseball team was eliminated from the Men’s College World Series in a heartbreaker of a game on Wednesday to No. 2 Florida.

It was an arduous journey, but this team did it. They went from a 23-20 team on April 30, with many thinking they wouldn’t even make the tournament, to a 44-24 team that made it to the national semifinals going 11-2 in postseason play.

One reason for the success was the incredible play from a group of very talented freshmen all season long. Several of those players showcased their unbelievable talents to national audiences throughout the MCWS.

In the last few days in Omaha, we’ve seen the talent from catcher Karson Bowen, shortstop Anthony Silva, starting pitcher Kole Klecker, and reliever Ben Abeldt. We also saw great performances from pitchers Chase Hoover, Louis Rodriguez, Braeden Sloan, and Jax Traeger throughout the season. Early in the season, Fisher Ingersoll got some time as the designated hitter.

There’s plenty of talent in this year’s freshmen class. The future of TCU baseball is bright.

The future is very bright for @TCU_Baseball. Sure, the #Frogs will miss some key pieces, but getting Klecker and Abeldt back on the mound + Anthony Silva, Karson Bowen, etc, positionally is a great foundation to build from. The #Frogs will be back.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 21, 2023

“They are an amazing group of kids,” said designated hitter/catcher Kurtis Byrne in the postgame press conference following the Florida loss when asked about the freshmen class. “Just the first day they walked in the door, wide-eyed, and just to see them now on their development over a year. Karson Bowen, unbelievable, as we’ve seen all year. And he’s done a spectacular job, and just brings so much joy to me to watch his process and his development over the year. He is my brother.”

“The pitching staff, they’ve been doing a great job all year,” Byrne continued. Kole Klecker, Ben Abeldt, Louis Rodriguez, they’ve been doing an awesome job. They’re in amazing hands going down the road. It’s very exciting to see those guys and the development and the future they have.”

“The freshman class, honestly, taught us a lot,” added third baseman Brayden Taylor. “It was about us leading them in the fall, trying to get them accustomed to learning how TCU baseball runs. Now, throughout the season, they’re the ones picking us up. I’m very excited to see their future. These guys are no longer freshmen, but they were no longer freshmen in December. They’re going to have great careers.”

Speaking specifically of the critical pitching roles Klecker and Abeldt had throughout the season and in the final game with Florida, head coach Kirk Saarloos had nothing but praise for the freshmen pitching duo at the postgame press conference.

“I remember my freshman year. I wasn’t like that in terms of the roles they had. And, I mean, they’ll take a step back and look at it. And the season’s on the line and all those different things throughout the end of the year. And it didn’t affect them one time.”

“Kole asked for the ball last night (Wednesday),” Saarloos continued. “I didn’t know who we were going to start. But Kole shot me a text, and that kind of made my decision. He answered the bell every single time.”

“The first guy I wanted to come in after that was Ben,” Saarloos said. “Because he’s done the same. So pretty special kids in terms of their competitiveness and their ability to just simplify the game. That’s the sign of geniuses. Just super proud of the way they handled themselves on and off the field.”

TCU Baseball Freshmen Rack Up Postseason Honors

As the regular season ended, TCU baseball’s freshman class garnered many honors. Here’s what this group has earned:

Bed Abeldt

Big 12 All-Freshman Team
2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team
USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp invitee

Karson Bowen

All-Big 12 (Honorable Mention)
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team
Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American
USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp invitee

Kole Klecker

All-Big 12 (Honorable Mention)
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American

Louis Rodriguez

All-Big 12 (Honorable Mention)

Anthony Silva

All-Big 12 (Second Team)
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division 1 All-Region (Second Team Central)
NCBWA Freshman All-American (Second Team)
Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American
USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp invitee

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