Aug. 2, 2010

FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU's Matt Purke has been named the Howard Green SABR Metroplex College Co-Player of the Year, sharing the honor with UT Arlington's Michael Choice. Purke is the seventh Horned Frog to earn the honor.

Purke, the consensus 2010 NCAA Division I Freshman Pitcher of the Year, is a 6-4, 180-pound ace from Spring, Texas, and Klein HS. He enjoyed the greatest single-season performance by a TCU pitcher on school worksheets and established a truckload of marks as a true freshman.

He led the nation in wins at 16-0 and capped the campaign with NCAA College World Series pitching wins over Florida State and eventual NCAA runner-up UCLA. His CWS record-tying two triumphs helped the Frogs become the first team since Georgia Tech in 1994 to win a game in their first trek to Omaha. Their third-place finish was the best for an inaugural squad since Tech in 1994, and his 16 triumphs were the most in Division I since current Reds' and Arizona State star Mike Leake won 16 in 2004.

Purke started 18 times, had a 3.02 earned run average, tossed 116 1/3 innings and struck out 142. He held opposing hitters to a .212 batting average.

Among a list of some four dozen honors and accomplishments by the svelte lefty in 2010 were Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America and Pitcher of the Year, NCBWA Pitcher of the Year, Baseball America Freshman of the Year, first team ABCA/Rawlings All-America, NCBWA Pitcher of the Year Finalist, Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, first team All-MWC and ABCA All-Midwest Region team.

The fabulous freshman also averaged 11 strikeouts every nine innings - 17th nationally in Division I, walked only 34 hitters in 116-plus innings, helped the Frogs go 18-2 in the 20 outings in which he pitched, had a complete game triumph over longtime Horned Frogs' rival Texas Tech and is the first freshman in NCAA annals to open his career with a 16-0 record (all in one year).

Purke, who became the ace of 2010 National Coach of the Year Jim Schlossnagle's staff, fanned a career-high 14 hitters against defending MWC tourney winner Utah in the '10 conference joust and earned All-MWC Tournament team laurels.

The prestigious award is named in memory of SABR Hall-Ruggles Chapter founder and original president Howard Green, who was a legend in Texas professional and college circles for over six decades and also served in several elected capacities in Tarrant County.

Previous winners of the award from TCU include: Scott Malone in 1993, Royce Huffman in 1998, Terry Trofholz in 2002, Clayton Jerome in 2003, Lance Broadway in 2005 and Sam Demel in 2007.