WATCH! TCU Baseball: Three Press Conferences the First Week of Spring Practice
Baseball season begins in just a couple of weeks. The TCU Baseball team held their first spring practice on Friday, January 28. Before that practice began, head coach Kirk Saarloos answered questions from the media about the upcoming season. That day, infielder Brayden Taylor and RHP Marcelo Perez also answered questions from the media.
Saarloos held another press conference on Wednesday, February 2. along with football head coach Sonny Dykes, and TCU Basketball Head Coach, Jamie Dixon.
Links to all three baseball press conferences can be found here:
Kirk Saarloos Press Conference - January 28
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Before the first spring practice, Saarloos visits with the media to discuss the upcoming season. Since becoming the new head coach, Saarloos is asked about changes. Saarloos says there really is not much change on the field. "A lot of stuff we do on the field has been the exact same for the last nine years." He did say, though, that guys will play with more freedom and have more fun and that fans will see more of their personalities.
He talks about the upcoming tournament in Arizona, who the starting lineup will be (spoiler alert - only Austin Krob has been named as one of the starters), catchers, infield changes, and the new guys that are part of the team.
"We're going to play a really difficult schedule," Coach Saarloos said. "I think it's going to be one of the most difficult schedules in the country."
On the culture of the team, he said "They are here to get an education. We are here to win baseball games. In between that, we are going to develop them off the field as well."
Brayden Taylor and Marcelo Perez Press Conference - January 28
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Also before the first practice Brayden Taylor, third baseman and unanimous Big 12 Pre-Season All Conference player, and Marcelo Perez, right-handed pitcher, took questions from the media.
Taylor talked about how much he learned from the upper classmen last year when he was a freshman and what his role is now for this year's group of freshmen.
"Last year, I was the young guy and I learned a lot from our senior leadership," he said. "I'm trying to apply that to my daily process and be the best teammate I can be to them (the freshmen)."
Perez talked about his responsibility to be a leader on the team. "The goal is to leave the team better than you found it."
Perez would like to resume the role of closer he had in his freshman year. "It's the adrenaline you get coming out of the gate. I live for that. Play the game one pitch at a time."
Kirk Saarloos Press Conference - February 2
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Coach Saarloos talks about the culture of the team and how it has not changed much. He continues to stress it's about three key areas - Selfless, Excellence, and Energy.
Saarloos talked about the four grad transfers that joined the team this year. All four came from Power Five universities and will have an immediate impact on the team. He also said that all four fit in perfectly with the team and that they are "phenomenal students and phenomenal young men." Saarloos' comments about each are:
- Caleb Bolden - RHP from Arkansas "He's the Charles King - the Swiss Army Knife that can play a lot of roles"
- Michael Petrie - Catcher from Washington "He's going to challenge Kurtis Byrne for the starting role."
- Brett Walker - RHP from Oregon "He was the Sunday starter in Oregon. He will slate into one of the starting roles for us."
- Tommy Vail - LHP from Notre Dame "He was a reliable bullpen arm for them (Notre Dame), and we are looking for him to do the same here."
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