Carpenter enjoying life on the road
5/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 27, 2006
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The TCU baseball team has been on the road for 10 consecutive days. For third baseman Matt Carpenter, there's no better formula for success for his team and himself.While TCU has a nine-game winning streak, Carpenter is working on a stretch of six consecutive multiple-hit games. During that period, he's 15-of-25 (.600) at the plate. In the Horned Frogs' two Mountain West Conference Tournament games, he's 5-of-10 with three RBIs.
TCU, who faces BYU Saturday at 5 p.m. (Central) in the championship game (another contest would follow if the Cougars won), has been away from Fort Worth since May 17 when it departed for Albuquerque for a three-game series against New Mexico.
Following the conclusion of a sweep against the Lobos, which helped clinch the regular-season MWC title, TCU headed straight for Las Vegas to begin preparations for the league tournament.
As the No. 1 seed, the Frogs earned a first-round bye Tuesday while the other six teams took to the field.
Following an extended relationship with planes, buses and hotels, Carpenter sees a tight-knit team in the Frogs' dugout. It's a closeness he believes has contributed to the nine-game winning streak that has seen the Frogs outscore their opponents by a 90-41 margin.
"When you get a chance to go on a long road trip, especially with a great group of guys like we have, it gives you a chance to come closer as a team," Carpenter said. "We've done that, and it's showing on the field by the way we're playing.
"We've been on a roll lately. It's definitely a result of us being around each other all the time. Everybody has a relationship with each other, so it's pretty neat."
Carpenter, a sophomore from Sugar Land, has a .356 batting average to place second on TCU behind only former Elkins High School teammate Chad Huffman (.391).
Carpenter and shortstop Bryan Kervin are the only Frogs to start all 58 games while also being tied for the team lead with 80 hits. They were also both second-team All-MWC selections.
While Carpenter has made his mark at the plate, it's his defense that has particularly caught the eye of TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle. Carpenter, who began the season at first base, has just four errors in 245 chances in the field.
"Matt has played lights out defensively at third base," Schlossnagle said. "It's a position where he didn't get a whole lot of work in the fall.
"He's also been a very good clutch hitter for two years. He seems to have a lot of two-out RBIs. Matt is just a gamer and a guy we really lean on."
Carpenter's impact at TCU came immediately as a freshman. He made 41 starts and batted .289. As his game advanced to the next level this spring, Carpenter believes his maturity level has been a contributing factor.
"It was a big help being able to go through a full college season, all the way to the Regionals, like we did last year," he said. "I'm way ahead of where I was as a freshman.
"Playing on a team with a lot of older players last year added to my maturity. I think I've grown up a lot."
Maturity was indeed a key in Carpenter, who batted .373 in league play, being one of seven Frogs to earn All-MWC accolades.
"I was pretty excited about that," he said. "I worked hard in the offseason to improve my game, especially defensively.
"The Mountain West Conference has a ton of great players, so it's an outstanding honor."
As a high school senior, Carpenter was ranked as the 18th-best player in the state by Texas Baseball News. When asked why he chose the Frogs during the recruiting process, he said he wanted to be a part of the first TCU team to reach the College World Series.
With a win on Saturday, Carpenter will have a chance to reach that goal as the Frogs would be in the NCAA Regionals for the third consecutive season.
