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Seven Frogs ready for Houston Homecoming
TCU opens NCAA Regional play Friday at 2 p.m. versus Baylor
May 31, 2007 HOUSTON -- Lupton Stadium is home to the TCU baseball team. Although TCU won't be hosting this weekend's NCAA Regional, it will still be a "home game" for a large contingent of Frogs who will take the field Friday at 2 p.m. versus Baylor at Rice's Reckling Park. Seven TCU players, including four pitchers, hail from the greater-Houston area: relievers Taylor Cragin (Friendswood), Sam Demel (Spring), Tyler Lockwood (Sugar Land) and Steven Maxwell (The Woodlands), infielder Matt Carpenter (Sugar Land), first baseman Matt Vern (Lake Jackson) and catcher Andrew Walker (Houston). "I'm excited for those guys," TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "I'm also excited for TCU because we have a lot of fans down there, and it's a recruiting area that has produced a lot of success for us." While many Frogs played a major role in last week's Mountain West Conference Tournament championship, Maxwell's arm and Vern's bat made the Space City proud. Maxwell recorded his first collegiate victory, while Vern delivered the game-winning hit as the Frogs scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 9-8 victory over BYU. The excitement of that come-from-behind win (TCU trailed 8-2 in the fifth inning) is now matched by the trip home for many. "All the Houston guys are definitely excited," Maxwell said. "If it wasn't going to be at Lupton, I'm glad it's a place so close to home." Maxwell is also aware of the larger stage he'll be playing on in comparison to the regular season. "It will be a little more intense and a little more exciting, so I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I'm glad that we'll be able to get into that atmosphere." Maxwell has posted a 3.86 ERA in 15 appearances, including one start. He has recorded 22 strikeouts while walking just six in 21 innings. Cragin, a sophomore, has also provided a strong presence out of the bullpen with a 1-0 record, one save and a 2.45 ERA in 12 outings. He has fanned 17 in 18 1/3 innings. Cragin was TCU's Male Athlete of the Week (May 21) after a pair of strong relief efforts against UT-Arlington and New Mexico. He earned the win after tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings versus the Mavericks. Lockwood (5-2, 4.18 ERA), a freshman like Maxwell, is second on the Frogs with 25 appearances. Only Demel (6-1, 2.12 ERA, 13 saves), an All-America and National Stopper of the Year candidate, has been called on more than Lockwood. In 31 games, Demel has limited opposing hitters to a .189 batting average with 68 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. Unlike his counterparts in the pen, Demel is a seasoned veteran when it comes to the NCAA Regionals. It's his third trip to the postseason. "This is the first time where it's going to be cutthroat and do or die," he said. "Every game means everything. "There's so much more on the line for this one." Walker (.329, 11 HR, 56 RBI) is also making his third visit to the NCAA Regionals. He made an immediate impact at TCU, earning Freshman All-America honors in 2005. He has been a first-team All-MWC selection the last two seasons and is on the watch list for the Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top catcher. "It's exciting," Walker said. "This will be the second time in three years that we've been back to Houston. "We went there my freshman year, and it was pretty cool. It gave my parents a day off from traveling every weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of my family." A true veteran for TCU, Walker also carries advice for the younger Frogs making their NCAA Regional debut. "I just tell them to soak it in because it's an exciting thing," he said. "It's going to be a tough atmosphere and a lot of competition. All four teams will compete and play really well." Carpenter was an All-MWC selection in 2006 after batting .349, including .373 in league play. He was limited by injury to eight games this season. Vern (.330, 5 HR, 36 RBI) has burst on the scene as a sophomore. Even before he became one of the heroes with his game-winning hit in the MWC Tournament championship game, he was going to be popular whenever he returned to the Houston area. "I love going home to play in my own backyard," Vern said. "It's always a blast because I have a lot of family there. "If I had a 1,000 tickets, I would love to give them to everybody." If anyone is thinking about pilfering a ticket from Demel, forget about it. "They're all gone now," he said.
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