Once he heard former and current players were welcome to attend Kirk Saarloos’ introductory news conference as the next baseball coach at TCU, Josh Watson didn’t hesitate taking a break from his day job at Land Advisors Organization and heading to campus on Tuesday afternoon.

Watson called Saarloos one of the best coaches he had during his playing days and a significant reason why he landed at TCU. Saarloos started recruiting Watson when he was a sophomore at Arlington Martin in 2013.

That’s the year Saarloos added “recruiting coordinator” to his title along with pitching coach.

“I think I was one of the first recruits, if not the first, that he talked with,” said Watson, an outfielder who was part of two College World Series runs during his career from 2016-19.

“It was a pretty special moment to see him get a job that he very much deserves. I know he’ll do an excellent job. It’s been a really fun ride, getting to know him in high school and then in college and going to the College World Series and now hopefully getting to watch TCU in more College World Series with him in charge.”

Watson was among the many players who attended the news conference and praised TCU’s decision to promote from within after former coach Jim Schlossnagle departed for Texas A&M. Saarloos and associate head coach Bill Mosiello were two strong internal candidates who interviewed for the position as well as a few outside candidates.

Watson felt TCU couldn’t go wrong as long as it went with Saarloos or Mosiello. As a position player, Watson didn’t get day-to-day coaching from Saarloos but saw first-hand how much the pitchers developed over the years.

“I think Coach Saarloos is the best pitching coach there is in the country, and now one of the best head coaches,” Watson said. “The same thing goes for Coach Mosiello. He’s as good as it gets on the hitter side. But I learned a lot from Coach Saarloos, just how he called pitches against me. He knew me better as a hitter and what I struggled at arguably better than me, so understanding how he pitched to me in the fall helped me as a hitter in the spring.”

Former TCU pitcher Jared Janczak echoed what Watson said in terms of Saarloos’ on-field credentials.

“His baseball knowledge is great,” said Janczak, who is pitching in the Indians organization. “He’s played at the highest level, he knows what it’s like to be in those shoes. He’s a great personality, a great recruiter. I have the utmost confidence in him.”

Added former right-hander Brian Howard, who is pitching at the Triple-A level with the Oakland A’s: “If you talk about baseball, nobody has more feel than Kirk Saarloos. He’s able to understand what’s going on, diagnose it and respond in a way that gets the most out of a player every time. He just has the feel on the ball field of what a player needs and needs to hear to have success.”

Added left-hander Russell Smith: “As a player, there is no other guy you want to play for. I would run through a brick wall for him.”

And the list of players saying similar things goes on. Several chimed in with positive remarks on Twitter.

“Couldn’t be happier for @kirk_saarloos,” former pitcher Brandon Finnegan wrote. “TCU baseball is in great hands!!! Good luck coach!!”

Added former outfielder Johnny Rizer: “I don’t know anyone more deserving than @kirk_saarloos for the job & nothing better than having @Bill_Mosiello by your side! These guys are the best in the business. Can’t wait to see all the accomplishments of this dynamic duo.”

Along with Saarloos’ on-field credentials, several players expressed the importance of keeping the culture intact that had been established under Schlossnagle.

Several former and current players spoke of the “family-like atmosphere” of the program. A number of alumni who are in the professional ranks still live in Fort Worth and train at TCU during the offseason.

“It’s nice to keep TCU feeling like home,” Janczak said. “That’s what TCU has been built on, being a place that feels like home.”

Added Smith: “From last week to now, I think everyone in the program has been pushing for Coach Saarloos or Coach Mo to get the job so we can keep the culture and atmosphere that makes TCU baseball what it is.”

At the end of the day, Saarloos checked all the boxes TCU was looking for in its next coach. Athletic director Jeremiah Donati conducted a national search but knew the program had a couple strong in-house candidates.

TCU was able to keep both by promoting Saarloos as head coach and locking up Mosiello with a multi-year extension. Nobody is happier than former and current players.

“What those two have meant to all of us, on and off the field, it can’t be described,” Howard said. “They make TCU feel like home for all of us. They’re just incredible people. When I was there, from 2014 to 2017, we went to Omaha all four years and we don’t make those trips without them or their families. TCU baseball is what it is because of them.”

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