FORT WORTH – The Horned Frogs are dancing all the way to Fayetteville, Arkansas.

TCU baseball was selected to compete in the Fayetteville Regional, which will be hosted by the No. 3 overall national seed, the Arkansas Razorbacks. Arizona and Santa Clare are also in the mix.

“Just being able to play in the postseason, you know, with the way that things were going in the middle of the season, it was kind of like up in the air,” relief pitcher Luke Savage said. “… I think we’re all really excited and we’re playing good at the right time.”

One month ago, TCU baseball was in serious danger of missing the postseason. Winning the Big 12 Tournament automatically qualified the Frogs, but they would’ve been selected anyway; TCU finished the season winning 14 of 16, and the two losses were by one run.

“We really … made a conscious effort that we’re going to play for each other and … forget about the results,” Savage said. “Obviously, we want to win, but if we go out there and we play for each other and play to the best of our abilities, the results can take care of themselves.”

In May, designated hitter Kurtis Byrne is batting .410 and has 2o RBIs. He called Fayetteville an “awesome environment” to play baseball.

“I’m really excited,” Byrne said. “The whole deal going on took forever to find out where we’re going and ended up in Fayetteville. So really excited.”

Compared to some of the other host sites, Fayetteville is close to Fort Worth.

“It’s five and a half hours away,” Byrne said. “… Really looking forward to all the support that we’re gonna get. We’re really excited for all fans as well.”

TCU played Arkansas at the beginning of the season at Globe Life Field, defeating the Razorbacks 18-6. Byrne said the meeting a few months ago won’t provide an advantage.

“We played them three months ago,” Byrne said. “So, different clubs. We’re a different club.”

TCU is a vastly different team compared to the beginning and middle of the season. They have a different starting rotation, lineup and approach. In May, they’ve found the right formula and have been firing on all cylinders.

“It’s really nice to be playing our best baseball right now,” Savage said. “And so … just building off the stepping stone of winning the Big 12 Tournament and going from there. I think we’re all super excited about going to Fayetteville, and we’re all really confident with the abilities that we have and the run that we’re on right now.”

Up next

The Horned Frogs will face the Arizona Wildcats at 8 p.m. on Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Relief pitcher Garrett Wright, who struck out the side to secure the Big 12 Championship, was asked about the Horned Frogs’ ceiling. He quickly switched the focus to the next ballgame.

“First game against Arizona,” Wright said. “That’s all that matters, right? We need to go out there, and we need to win the first game. The biggest thing in regionals winning the first game. Don’t put yourself in a bad spot by losing that first game. It’s really hard to climb and … get out of that.”