Dear Horned Frogs:

Are you ready for some Friday night football???  We look forward to seeing many of you in Amon G. Carter Stadium for our 7:00 p.m. Spring Game tonight!  If you cannot make it, the game will be televised on ESPN+.  It is a Horned Frogs doubleheader as our baseball team hosts UNC Wilmington at 5:00 p.m.

The stadium gates will open at 6:00 p.m. for the Spring Game with free parking in Lots 2, 3, 4 and the Lot 5 garage.  Throughout the event, we will have $3 Happy Hour specials for beer, soda, popcorn, peanuts, nachos and hot dogs.  Immediately following the game, at 8:00 p.m., we will have a fireworks show.  Enjoy!


 
FROM THE TICKET OFFICE
The momentum from our College Football Playoff appearance continues.  Season ticket renewals are currently more than double the pace of where we were at this point last year.  All those who renew by the April 21 deadline will receive a commemorative ring for our CFP Semifinal Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Championship.  Thank you for your support!

As a reminder, the donor season parking renewal deadline is also on April 21.  Fans who renewed their football tickets by the deadline and requested to upgrade their seat or parking location will see that process begin on Monday, May 8.
 


WELCOME MARK CAMPBELL
We are very excited to have Mark Campbell as our new head women's basketball coach.  Mark has been instrumental in some of the biggest program turnarounds in the sport.  Most recently as head coach at Sacramento State, he guided the Hornets to their most successful season with 25 wins and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.  He was previously the lead recruiter as an assistant coach at Oregon, where he played a major role in the Ducks reaching the Final Four and producing 11 WNBA players.  Coach Campbell and his staff, Xavier Lopez, Minyon Moore and Nia Jackson, are already off to a great start on the recruiting trail!



DESMOND BANE MURAL
I was very proud to see Desmond Bane selected as one of our featured alumni in a nationwide mural campaign to celebrate 150 years of TCU.  During his time on campus, Desmond represented everything that is right about collegiate athletics.  Now as a standout for the Memphis Grizzlies, Desmond is making the most of his platform as a leader in advocating for youth.  It was an honor to travel with Chancellor Boschini, Jamie Dixon and others to Nashville last night to see Desmond recognized.  Please watch this video to hear from Desmond.

FROGS UP
It has been quite a successful season for our athletics program, and as we enter the home stretch of our spring seasons…we are not done yet.
 
Ten of our 21 sports have been ranked in the national top 25 (baseball, men's basketball, beach volleyball, equestrian, football, women's golf, rifle, women's soccer, men's tennis, men's outdoor track and field).  Four sports (beach volleyball, equestrian, rifle, men's tennis) have been No. 1 in the nation, including three simultaneously (beach volleyball, rifle, men's tennis).
 
Equestrian defeated Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of its national championship and will face SMU today at 1 p.m. in the semifinals.  If you are in the Austin area on Saturday night, you can see our third-ranked men's tennis program take on No. 1 Texas for the Big 12 Conference regular-season championship. 


 
Beach volleyball will take its No. 1 ranking and 28-0 record on a West Coast road trip this weekend.  Track and field is at the Sooner Invitational in Norman, and congratulations to first year Head Coach Khadevis Robinson on our men's team being ranked 23rd. 

Baseball is ranked as high as 17th nationally, won a weekend series over No. 16 Oklahoma State and is right in the thick of the race to repeat as Big 12 Conference Champions.  We host UNC Wilmington in a three-game set this weekend.  Men's and women's golf have had their share of success this spring.  Gustav Frimodt was the runner-up at this week's Aggie Invitational, while Caitlyn Macnab represented us for a second straight year at the Augusta National Women's Amateur and tied for ninth.

Despite coming up short against Gonzaga in the second round, it was still a men's basketball season to celebrate as we made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1953.  Along the way, we won a program record six games against top-25 teams and were ranked 15 consecutive weeks – another TCU mark.  We have indeed come a long way in men's basketball under Head Coach Jamie Dixon.  I think back to when I first arrived at TCU in 2011 and what if someone told me then that we would be disappointed with a second round NCAA Tournament season.

FROG CLUB NOTES
Friday night's Spring Game marks the one-year anniversary of the Investors Society, the exclusive philanthropic giving society of TCU Athletics and the TCU Frog Club.  Almost 120 members have invested more than $50 million in support of the 525 student-athletes in our 22-sport athletics program.  THANK YOU to those families who have made such a meaningful impact in one short year.  I am looking forward to seeing our continued growth in year two, and I invite others to #InvestInTheFort.  The generosity of our members is celebrated through exclusive events such as Dinner on The Field, pregame field access and team travel to road games.  To learn more about Investors Society membership, visit InvestInTheFort.com.

Our Frog Club Appreciation Day will take place during this Saturday's 4:00 p.m. home baseball contest versus UNC Wilmington.  Throughout the game, Frog Club members will be celebrated and spotlighted as we thank our current members and grow awareness for the impact their support has on TCU student-athletes.  Our Frog Club's very own Assistant Director of Development for Strategic Communications Mary Hannah Johnson will sing the national anthem, and Frog Club Advisory Board Vice-Chair and Block T Association Hall of Famer Victor Payne will be throwing out the first pitch, showing his athletics ability goes well beyond the gridiron!  

One of our more popular annual events is the Coaches Classic golf tournament.  This year's event is on Monday, April 24, at Texas Star Golf Course in Euless. It is a great way to meet and spend time with the coaching staffs in all our sports.  Tee times are at 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  We have a limited number of playing spots available.  To register or learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please click HERE.
 


MORE COACHING NEWS
We set a TCU record in the 2021-22 athletics season with five recipients of Conference Coach of the Year awards: Eric Bell (women's soccer), Hector Gutierrez (beach volleyball), David Roditi (men's tennis), Haley Schoolfield (equestrian) and Kirk Saarloos (baseball).  We might be challenging that mark again. 

Congratulations to Haley on repeating as Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, and to Anthony Crowder on being our first Big 12 Women's Diving Coach of the Year.  We are also proud of Bill Montigel being recognized by the Ben Hogan Award Foundation, the Friends of Golf and Golf Coaches Association of America with the 2023 Eddie Merrins Award, presented annually to an individual who has made significant and lasting contributions through their service and dedication to college and amateur golf.
 
SPRING SALE
Many of you have inquired about a potential spring sale this year.  Good news - it is back by popular demand!  Our Spring Sale with official team issued gear from all 21 sports will take place on Saturday, April 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Amon G. Carter Stadium Visiting Team Locker Room.  The entrance will be at Gate 4 on the west side with parking available in Lots 1 and 2.  We hope you enjoy the TCU shopping spree.
 


#PROFROGS
It was very exciting to see our women's soccer All-American and Academic All-American Emily Alvarado return to her home state of Texas and sign with the Houston Dash.  Emily was a fixture in goal as our program became an NCAA Tournament mainstay.  We now have five active players in the National Women's Soccer League.
 
Mike Miles recently announced his decision to forego his remaining college eligibility and declare for the NBA Draft.  We cannot thank Mike enough for a great three years with us as well as what he has meant to our men's basketball program and TCU as a whole.  We wish him the absolute best as he prepares for his professional career.
 


DID YOU KNOW?
The TCU record for most players selected in an NFL Draft is eight in 1957.  We have a very good chance to break that mark when this year's draft begins on Thursday, April 27.
 
Go Frogs! 


 
Jeremiah Donati, J.D.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics