Building A Tradition

Transcription

1 TCU Baseball: THIS IS TCU BASEBALL... LUPTON STADIUM & WILLIAMS-REILLY FIELD GAME DAY EXCITEMENT THE TCU LOCKER ROOM JUSTIN CENTER WALSH COMPLEX FROGS IN THE COMMUNITY Building A Tradition

2 Lupton Stadium & Williams-Reilly Field T he 2003 season marked the beginning of a new era in TCU baseball with the opening of the Charlie and Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium and Williams- Reilly Field. The stadium officially opened its doors Feb. 2, 2003 when the Horned Frogs dropped a 5-3, decision to long-time Metroplex rival Texas-Arlington. A crowd of 3,105 was on hand for the inaugural game. The stadium was officially dedicated prior to FROGS VERSUS OPPONENTS AT LUPTON STADIUM First Last Opponent Record Meeting Meeting Baylor BYU Charlotte Cincinnati Dallas Baptist East Carolina Houston Louisville Manhattan Memphis New Mexico Oklahoma St. John s Saint Louis Sam Houston St Southern Miss UT-Arlington UT-Pan Am UT-San Antonio Texas State Texas Tech Tulane UAB USF Utah Bold indicates 2006 Home Opponents the Frogs 5-2 loss to Houston March 28. The past three seasons at Lupton Stadium have been successful, as the Frogs have posted two 20-win campaigns and a schoolrecord 25 home wins in The Frogs are a combined on their home turf. Fans have also enjoyed the friendly atmosphere provided by Lupton, as over 120,000 patrons have watched the Frogs in action saw a new record set, as over 46,000 fans came through the turnstiles. In its three seasons, TCU is averaging nearly 1,400 fans per game. The state-of-the-art ballpark is located on the TCU campus, between the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center to the north, the Lowden Track to the west and the Garvey- Rosenthal Soccer Stadium to the east. Ground was broken for Lupton Stadium Oct. 18, 2001, and construction officially began Dec. 3, The $7 million ballpark stands as one of the premier facilities in all of college baseball. The ballpark is named for Charlie and Marie Lupton in recognition of a $2 million gift from the Brown- Lupton Foundation. The foundation was founded in 1944 by business partners T.J. Tom Brown and Charles A. Lupton, both deceased. The business leaders owned the Fort Worth Coca-Cola Bottling franchise and other bottling plants in Texas and California. Lupton Stadium is not the first project at TCU that the Brown-Lupton Foundation has helped make a reality, as the foundation has also contributed naming rights to the Brown-Wright Residential Community, the Brown-Lupton Student Center and the Brown-Lupton Health Center. Additionally, the foundation has donated to the construction of Tandy Hall and the Walsh Center for Performing Arts and to the expansion of the Mary Couts Burnett Library, as well as providing significant support for TCU athletics, research, scholarships and other university needs. In all, the Brown-Lupton Foundation has donated more than $11.5 million to TCU over the last three decades. The playing surface is named Williams- Reilly Field in honor of former TCU baseball letterman and coach Roger Williams and business leader Michael Reilly. Williams, who lettered in baseball at TCU from and served as the Horned Frogs head coach in 1976, is currently a member of the TCU Board of Trustees and served as chairman of the Lupton Stadium Capital Campaign. The owner of Roger Williams Chrysler-Dodge- Jeep in Weatherford, Williams has been a strong supporter of Horned Frog athletics throughout the years through both financial contributions and dedication of time. He is currently serving as the state of Texas Secretary of State. Reilly is a commercial real estate developer in the Metroplex. He has been a strong philanthropist in the DFW community for many years, supporting a number of area initiatives. Reilly served as a minority owner of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club from Williams and Reilly have been lifelong friends and were high school teammates at Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth. In all, more than 220 donors contributed to the construction of Lupton Stadium and Williams-Reilly Field. The facility features 3,500, seats and the unique two-deck structure allows for every seat to be extremely close to the playing surface and to have a great vantage point of all the exciting action on the field. A can- 12 TCU BASEBALL: BUILDING A TRADITION

3 Lupton Stadium & Williams-Reilly Field tilevered roof system covers part of the stadium grandstand, protecting fans from the sun and rain. Seats range from lower-deck chairback seats to upper-level club seats, as well as general admission bleacher seating. Additional seating areas can be found in the spacious berm area located behind the first base line. Additionally, the ballpark features easy access to ticket booths, concession areas and restrooms right on the main concourse. Lupton Stadium also features three luxury suites, providing a spectacular view of Horned Frog baseball. For the players and coaches, Lupton Stadium features locker rooms for home and visiting teams, as well as a dressing area for umpires. The spacious home clubhouse features 35 custombuilt lockers for the Horned Frogs. Located under the main grandstand, the TCU clubhouse provides direct access to the Frogs third base dugout. Also adjacent to the TCU clubhouse are the assistant coaches offices and dressing areas for the Horned Frog coaching staff, a spacious athletic training room, laundry and equipment facilities, as well as indoor batting cages, available for year-round use. Local, regional, and national media will also have the privilege of covering games at Lupton Stadium from one of the finest press facilities in college baseball. The Garry Williams press box has ample seating for working media and is named in honor of Williams, a longtime supporter of TCU baseball. Home and visitor radio broadcasters will enjoy separate spacious booths to call the games as well. The playing surface features the latest technology in field maintenance, including a Bermuda TIFF 419 surface. The dugouts are heated with Major League-style bat and helmet racks, and spacious bullpen areas are located outside the field of play. The foul poles and flag poles, donated by Garry Williams to the old TCU Diamond, were moved to Lupton Stadium and add familiar features from the old ballpark for long-time NEW SCOREBOARD DEBUTS IN 2006 Texas Christian University TCU and Colorado Display Systems CDS have entered an agreement for installation of a new scoring and display system for Lupton Stadium & Williams-Reilly Field. The new system is scheduled for installation early in The new scoring and display system features a 21- x 11-foot full-color Philips LED video display, and a 36- x 10 foot LED Baseball scoreboard. The system also includes a decorative iron structure, featuring the TCU Horned Frogs logo, a 57- x 4- foot full color LED ribbon board, LED time clock, and pitch speed display. The new scoreboard and videoboard will, undoubtedly, have a tremendous impact on our program. Facilities represent commitment and this board will, without question, be one of the best in all of college athletics, not just college baseball. It will be entertaining for our college fan base and will greatly enhance the atmosphere and experience of attending a TCU baseball game, said Schlossnagle. Horned Frog faithful. The main entrance to the stadium even includes some of the bricks that made up the Wrigley Field-style backstop at the old TCU Diamond. Lupton Stadium and Williams-Reilly Field is one of the premier facilities in all of college baseball, said head coach Jim Schlossnagle. Without question, it is what first attracted me to TCU and has made the same impact on many outstanding high school and junior college players. Facilities represent commitment, and everyone, nationwide, now realizes that TCU is committed to competing at the very highest level of college baseball. We want to take care of our players at the highest level, and this facility allows us to do that. The Frogs would like to thank the following donors for their participation in making this scoreboard a reality: Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Dr. & Mrs. Jim Atkinson Brown & Lupton Foundation William & Catherine Bryce Memorial Fund JPMorgan, Trustee Coca-Cola Enterprises John, Mary & Gregor Esch Mr. & Mrs. Finley Ewing Mr. Larry Harris Michael B. & Anne Harrison Henry & Marcella Noor Railhead Barbecue Mr. Charlie Geren Mike & Beverly Reilly Greg & Sara Scheideman John R. & Patricia Vermillion Mr. & Mrs. J. Roger Williams LUPTON STADIUM ATTENDANCE: TOP 10 CROWDS 1. 4/26/05 UT-Pan Am 8-0 W 3, /2/03 UT-Arlington 3-5 L 3, /15/05 Texas Tech 4-7 L 2, /15/05 Louisville 11-0 W 2, /27/04 Baylor 0-4 L 2, /19/05 Baylor 2-1 W 2, /22/03 Texas Tech 3-2 W 1, /22/05 Oklahoma 4-5 L 1, /19/05 Southern Miss 5-4 W 1, /8/05 Texas Tech 9-2 W 1,848 TOP 5 SERIES CROWDS 1. 5/13-5/15/05 Louisville 5, /29-5/105 Houston 4, /26-4/27/05 UT-Pan Am 4, /1-4/3/05 East Carolina 4, /18-3/20/05 Southern Miss 4,448 YEAR-BY-YEAR ATTENDANCE Year Dates Att. Avg. Record ,581 1, ,657 1, ,848 1, Totals ,086 1, BACK-TO-BACK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS AND NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES 13

4 Game Day Excitement For the past three seasons, Lupton Stadium has provided exciting action to baseball enthusiasts from around the country. Fans are treated to lots of exciting happenings when they pass through the gates of Lupton Stadium. TCU owns a all-time record in front of their home crowds and average nearly 1,400 fans per contest. The unique structure of the stadium seats allows fans to feel like they are part of the action on the field. There are no bad seats in Lupton Stadium. 14 TCU BASEBALL: BUILDING A TRADITION

5 The Horned Frog Locker Several styles of game jerseys Rawlings Gloves A l l - w e a t h e r apparel Easton Bats Puma cleats, turfs and running shoes BACK-TO-BACK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS AND NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES 15

6 John Justin Athletic Center The John Justin Athletic Center opened in August The facility, located outside the south end of Amon G. Carter Stadium, houses the Athletic Academic Center, the football offices, the athletic administration office, video labs and the Heritage Center. The center is named after longtime TCU trustee John Justin, former CEO of Justin Industries. The Athletic Academic Service office includes individual tutor rooms, group study rooms and a computer lab. The center provides student-athletes with much-needed academic space near their workout and competitive venues. 16 TCU BASEBALL: BUILDING A TRADITION

7 Walsh Complex TCU s spacious Walsh Complex, located on the north side of Daniel Meyer Coliseum, provides student-athletes with a state-of-the-art facility for athletic training and rehabilitation as well as weight training and conditioning. In the all-sport weight room, the Horned Frog baseball squad is strengthened under the tutelage of three full-time weight coaches. Having such streamlined direction and individual attention in the weight room maximizes the team s time and efforts in the facility. TCU is committed to providing the best medical care possible for its student-athletes. Full-time trainers, team physicians and student trainers work together to prevent injury and oversee successful recovery and rehabilitation efforts. The vast resources available at the Walsh Complex aid in that purpose. BACK-TO-BACK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS AND NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES 17

8 Frogs In The Community The Horned Frogs take great pride in not only what they do on the field, but what they do off the field as well. The players participate in numerous events around the community. Each season, the Frogs make a trip to Cooks Children s Hospital and spend a few hours with the children. They are also active in SuperFrog s Reading Challenge, Habitat for Humanity and Score A Goal in the Classroom. Last season, the Frogs hosted a Kids Day at Lupton Stadium, honoring students who had perfect attendance during the school year. They also helped raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation at the Pink Out football game against Colorado State this past fall. 18 TCU BASEBALL: BUILDING A TRADITION