Jan. 30, 2013

BIG 12 MEETINGS
Two days of meetings for the Big 12 athletics directors and Commissioner Bob Bowlsby were held earlier this week. It was great to be with my colleagues in the conference. You might have seen or heard some of Commissioner Bowlsby’s comments in various media reports. We touched on a variety of topics that included alliances with other conferences, bowl tie-ins and future scheduling. It was a very productive 48 hours.

PURPLE RODEO
TCU will paint Will Rogers Coliseum purple Thursday night for our first Rodeo Purple event. The TCU Frog Club, along with the Neeley Business School, Alumni Relations and Donor Relations, will host a sold-out dinner prior to the rodeo for over 500 of our most loyal Horned Frog fans. Student-athletes from our nationally-ranked equestrian program will make an appearance at the dinner. There’s also a rumor around the stalls about a few surprise guests in the Grand Entry. Since tomorrow, Jan. 31, is TCU Day at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, anyone wearing TCU-logoed apparel that day will gain free entry to the grounds.

KANSAS GAME SOLD OUT
Our home men’s basketball game next Wednesday, Feb. 6, versus top-ranked Kansas is officially a sellout. We still have tickets remaining for our other remaining Big 12 home games. However, make sure to not delay in picking them up as large crowds are expected for remaining contests versus West Virginia (Feb. 9), Texas (Feb. 12), Oklahoma State (Feb. 27) and Oklahoma (March 9). With our students on Spring Break when the Sooners come to town, we have $5 general admission tickets available in the student section for the OU game.

BASEBALL A HOT TICKET
For the second straight year, we have sold out of baseball season tickets. Our record-breaking number this spring is 1,925 season-tickets sold at Lupton Stadium. We will have single-game tickets available Feb. 11. The Feb. 22 home opener versus Cal State Fullerton is just around the corner. We will also host Big 12 series versus Kansas, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas.

WOMEN’S CLINIC
Our very popular and fourth-annual TCU Women’s Baseball Clinic will be held next Thursday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility. For more information and to register, please click here.

FACILITY UPDATE
The entire Amon G. Carter Stadium field has now been excavated. A new drainage system will be installed over the road base, followed by a gravel layer, sand and then sod for our new grass field. There’s also plenty of work being completed at Lupton Stadium in time for our upcoming season. The new warning tracks, fence pads and terracing of the berm are in the process of being finished. A wind screen at the top of the seating bowl has also been replaced. At the conclusion of the season, we’ll begin work on new batting cages and an infield hitting area.

We have a new patio available in front of the rightfield bullpen if you want a special area to enjoy a game. Just contact Brian Pound in our marketing office at (817) 257-4786 or b.t.pound@tcu.edu for more information.

ON THE DOCKET
There’s another great week of athletics competition ahead of us, highlighted by a very busy Saturday. Make sure to support our women’s basketball program as we host Texas at 11:30 a.m. in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. We then have quite a Saturday of tennis at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. Our men host No. 26 Texas A&M, while our women face No. 9 Alabama simultaneously at 1 p.m. The men will be outside with the women indoors. We’re looking at breaking our all-time attendance record that afternoon. We’ll have complimentary tacos from Salsa Limon, free pizza from Buffalo Bros and other giveaways. Our tennis week actually begins tonight, when our men host Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 5:30. Also tonight, our women’s swimming and diving program has a 6 p.m. home meet versus North Texas. Women’s tennis has a home match on Friday at 2 p.m. versus Old Dominion. We also have road contests for women’s basketball tonight at Oklahoma, men’s basketball Saturday at Texas and rifle at UTEP.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
I’m sure many of you remember Patrick Batteaux ‘00 as the quarterback who rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns in our 1998 Sun Bowl victory over USC. It was also our first bowl win since the 1957 Cotton Bowl. A four-year letterman on the gridiron, Patrick helped lead us to a 1999 WAC championship and a pair of bowl victories. He was also a member of our basketball team. Patrick is currently a senior business relationship manager for Wells Fargo. He joined Wells Fargo after his playing days as a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. Patrick lives in Plano, Texas, and is active in our TCU Lettermen’s Association.

MEET THE STAFF
Kit Mintz is in her second year as an assistant director in our athletics academic services office. Kit works directly with our women’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s track and field and men’s tennis programs. She also assists in our summer orientation for all incoming student-athletes. A native of Shreveport, La., and graduate of LSU, Kit came to athletics after working as a graduate advisor in TCU’s College of Communication. She and her husband, Joe, have two daughters: Jackie and Stephanie. In her spare time, Kit enjoys walking and playing golf.

SPANNING THE GLOBE
This week’s edition of TCU supporters flashing the Horned Frog sign and apparel from all points worldwide comes from Jared Bradley ’04 in San Francisco. We see Jared's wife Nancy, a 2003 TCU graduate, giving us a “Go Frogs” while ziplining in Saint Lucia. Please continue to send me (delconte@tcu.edu) your images. These are fun to share.

NAME THE MOVIE QUOTE
Last Week's Answer: I’m sure some of you had no problem correctly answering Office Space as the cinematic classic with the line of, "We need to talk about your TPS reports.”

This Week's Quote: "Is that a pledge pin on your uniform?" Check back next week for the answer on which movie this line is from.

COMPLIANCE CORNER
National Signing Day for football, soccer and track and field is on Feb. 6 this year. With this day just one week away, it is important to remember that institutional staff members may not comment about a particular prospect’s ability or potential contribution to his or her team. Institutional staff members are also prohibited from publicizing or arranging for publicity of a prospect’s visit to campus. Once a prospect signs a National Letter of Intent or financial aid agreement, he or she may be announced to the media. However, only one formal news conference may be held to announce all prospects who have signed with the University.

KEEP IN TOUCH
Please let us know if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding our program. This is also your program and we value your feedback. We welcome all calls and emails.

Go Frogs!

Christopher M. Del Conte
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

TCU Athletics News