SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 420

WHEREAS, During 2010, the Texas Christian University baseball team earned national recognition and had the most successful season in the program's history; and

WHEREAS, The Horned Frogs finished the year as the number three ranked team in the nation in all four major polls, and the athletes attained a number of other notable milestones; they became the first team from Texas Christian University to qualify for the College World Series and the first to win 50 games, and the squad's impressive total of 54 victories was the second-highest ever compiled by a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I school; and

WHEREAS, Head coach Jim Schlossnagle was named Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, while Bryan Holaday was named an all-American and also received the prestigious Johnny Bench Award, given to college baseball's top catcher; the Horned Frogs hit .334 as a team and belted 101 home runs, and they set 16 team and eight individual records; and

WHEREAS, For the second year in a row, Texas Christian University's excellent regular season record earned the team the right to host the regional playoffs; they beat Lamar University 16-3 and then bested the University of Arizona by a score of 11-5; in the final game, Steven Maxwell pitched a 9-0 shutout against Baylor University, putting the Horned Frogs into the super regional; and

WHEREAS, For that round of the playoffs, the Frogs traveled to Austin to play The University of Texas Longhorns; Texas Christian University won the first game 3-1 behind the pitching of Matt Purke but lost the second to set up a dramatic tiebreaker showdown; Kyle Winkler got the starting assignment and did not allow a run for over seven innings, while Aaron Schultz and Bryan Holaday hit home runs to key the 4-1 victory that earned the team a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, to play in the College World Series; and

WHEREAS, In Omaha, Texas Christian University became the first school since 1994 to win its College World Series debut, when it beat Florida State, 8-1; the Horned Frogs went all the way to the semifinals, making their inaugural series a memorable one; and

WHEREAS, A total of 300 colleges begin every baseball season with a chance to get to the College World Series, but in the end only eight of them qualify; hard work and an enduring commitment to excellence earned the Texas Christian University baseball team one of those eight berths in 2010, and these skilled athletes may take justifiable pride in this accomplishment; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd Legislature, hereby congratulate the Texas Christian University baseball team on its outstanding 2010 season and extend to the players, coaches, and staff sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the team as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate.

Davis

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on March 2, 2011.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate