By Jeff Wilson
Frogs Today senior writer
FORT WORTH — TCU didn’t come home from the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships empty handed. They came home with a national champion.
Du Mapaya captured the title, the second of his career, in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 57-feet-6 (17.26 meters) in Eugene, Ore. The mark was the best of his career, broke his own school record, and ranks as the fourth-best jump in the world this year.
Mapaya leaves TCU as a nine-time All-American, a feat that is sure to put him in the TCU Athletics Hall of Fame at some point down the road. He also won the triple jump in 2019.
He wasn’t the Horned Frogs’ only first-team All-American. Robert Gregory Jr. became an All-American in the 200 meters and 4×100 relay, along with Bryson Stubblefield, Tino Matiynega and Leo Maguranyanga. Gregory finished seventh in the 200, and the relay team also finished seventh.
Jaren Holmes was an honorable mention All-American in the triple jump after finishing 23rd. Grace Anigbata finished 16th in the women’s triple jump to earn second-team All-America honors.
Pledging Frogs
In case you missed it, TCU football continued to add to its recruiting class of 2023 with two big (literally) commitments over the weekend.
The first to sign on was Cooper Powers, a three-star offensive lineman from the famed De La Salle High in California. The Frogs had the inside track on Powers, whose brother, Jack, graduated last season after playing for the Frogs as a wide receiver.
Four-star defensive end Avion Carter, from Armarillo Tascosa High, made his pledge Sunday.
The commitments are big in a figurative sense, as well. The Frogs’ class jumped into the top 25 nationally, and momentum around new coach Sonny Dykes continues to build.
Verbal commitments are non-binding, and Carter is planning a visit to Texas. The Frogs will have told hold serve until the early-signing period begins in December, not just on Carter but the other eight who have already committed and others who are bound to sign on the next six months.
Wins on the field will be a big help in securing the wins on the recruiting trail.
Stock watch
The good thing in college baseball is that a player can be selected in the MLB Draft and can even negotiate with a team without losing his eligibility.
It would be silly if a player had the opportunity to attend the MLB Draft Combine but passed.
Austin Krob and Riley Cornelio aren’t silly people. They are headed to the combine Wednesday at Petco Park in San Diego.
They were the Friday and Saturday starters in the Frogs’ season-opening rotation. Krob was slowed by a shoulder injury in March, at which time Cornelio emerged as the Friday starter. He, too, needed time down for an injury, though not long.
It seems likely that both will be selected in the 20-round draft. The question becomes if they will be drafted high enough and for enough money to push them into professional baseball. If not, another college season could allow them to improve their draft stock in 2023.
TCU would benefit from both returning or even just one returning. Right-handers Cam Brown and Caedmon Parker figure to be front-runners for the rotation, and the Frogs will be keeping an eye on the transfer portal to supplement those returning to the pitching staff.
What to watch this … offseason
The Frogs are done competing for the 2021-22 school year after track and field wrapped up over the weekened at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. So … what the heck are we going to cover the next seven weeks until football opens fall camp?
You’d be surprised.
We have plans, lots of them. There will be fresh content each week, including a big splash next month during the Big 12 Conference football media days at AT&T Stadium. The Frogs Today show will keep cranking as we work our way toward becoming a daily show.
In other words, don’t hesitate if you’re thinking about becoming a paid subscriber. You won’t regret it.
The lighter side
Vacation recap: If you’re anything like I was about 10 days ago, you’re probably wondering, “What the heck is there to do in Chattanooga, Tenn.?”
The answer is plenty.
That’s where the fam spent five days last week after the in-laws won an auction for a Vrbo there. I was very skeptical, but it turned into a great trip.
We did a lot outdoors, including a great few hours fishing on Chickamauga Lake just off the Tennessee River channel. I landed a 8.1-pound largemouth and a 17-pound blue catfish, for those scoring at home, thanks to guide Steve Kite. He was great in helping me and my 9-year-old, who caught the biggest fish of his life, too.
If you’re going to be in the area and want the guide’s info, contact me at the email address below. If you’re an outdoorsy type, Chattanooga would be your kind of place.
More classic country: You can bet that my Spotify playlist was blaring most of the drive to and from Tennessee. It’s an interesting drive either way you go, though I prefer the I-20 route over the I-30 route. And there’s a funky little area just outside of Chattanooga where you’re briefly in Georgia.
Anyhoo, my playlist is filled with classic country, and not necessarily the most well-known singers from the era. To wit, here’s Tom T. Hall, known as the Storyteller. He was profilic song writer who might be best known for writing Harper Valley PTA, which Jeannie C. Riley turned into a hit.
My personal favorite is A Week in a Country Jail, a catchy, fun and clever tune that falls in line with Hall’s other songs (The Year that Clayton Delaney Died, Faster Horses, I Like Beer). It’s good stuff.
Bad golf shots: Just wait until this guy gets out on the course. Enjoy. See you next week.
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Jeff Wilson, jeff@frogstoday.com
