Kleberg Bank College Classic Field Set

CORPUS CHRISTI - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Scott Malone and his seventh Islanders team have a compelling guest list for the 2014 Kleberg Bank College Classic, set for Whataburger Field February 20-23.

Malone's alma mater, TCU, returns for the first time since 2007. The Horned Frogs, who jumped from the Mountain West Conference to the Big 12 last year, inducted Malone, a two-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year (1991-92), into their athletic Hall of Fame 13 months ago.

UTSA, a former Southland Conference rival of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, is headed to the Sparkling City as well. Malone served as a Roadrunners assistant early in his coaching career.

Seeded fourth, UTSA won the 2013 Western Athletic Conference Tournament and advanced to the Oregon State Regional before switching to Conference USA.

BYU rounds out the tournament field. The Cougars compete in the West Coast Conference and have made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances. Like the Islanders, BYU finished second in conference round-robin play last season.

"We've been blessed with another great field this time around," Malone said. "Anytime you get to compete against your alma mater, it's special. Coach (Jim) Schlossnagle has done a remarkable job at TCU. They captivated the college baseball world in 2010 with that five-game World Series run. He's been there for 10 years and they've made nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

"It'll be neat to face the Roadrunners again. Having the opportunity to renew that series should get our fans excited and their fans travel well. (Coach) Jason Marshall had a great debut last year; they certainly made a statement with a young club.

"What can you say about BYU? That's one of the great programs in all of college athletics. We are accommodating them with a doubleheader on Thursday because of their travel plans. That'll be a treat for college baseball fans who won't have to wait another day for the Classic to begin."

Kleberg Bank, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Caller-Times have partnered on the Classic since 2011. The Hooks have hosted a Division I tournament since 2006.

Here's a look at the schedule:

Thursday, February 20
BYU vs. Islanders (DH), 3 p.m.
 
Friday, February 21
TCU vs. BYU, 2 p.m.
UTSA vs. Islanders, 6 p.m.

Saturday, February 22
BYU vs. UTSA, 2 p.m.
TCU vs. Islanders, 6 p.m.
 
Sunday, February 23
UTSA vs. TCU, noon

Tickets go on sale January 31 at cchooks.com and the Whataburger Field Box Office. Order via phone at 361-561-HOOK (4665).

BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS
City/State: Provo, UT
Founded: 1875
Enrollment: 30,290
School Colors: Blue and White
Home Field: Larry H. Miller Field
Dimensions: 345-385-400-385-345
Conference: West Coast Conference
Athletics website: byucougars.com

COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Mike Littlewood
Alma mater (yr): BYU (1988)
Record at School (seasons): 32-21 (1)
Overall Record (seasons): same
Assistant Coaches: Trent Pratt, Brent Haring, Jeremy Thomas, Brett Adams

TOP RETURNERS
C Dakota Hernandez, 6-2, 200, Jr., .298-0-12
C Jarrett Jarvis, 6-0, 187, Jr., .278-0-14
IF Trace Hansen, 5-10, 180, So., .288-0-9
IF Bret Lopez, 6-0, 190, Sr., .281-4-25
IF Hayden Nielsen, 5-10, 170, So., .251-0-15 (All-Freshman WCC)
IF Brock Whitney, 6-3, 210, Sr., .293-3-35 (1st team All-WCC)
OF Kelton Caldwell, 6-2, 205, Sr., .277-4-26
RHP Jeff Barker, 6-3, 190, Jr., 6-3, 3.67, 68.2 IP, .278 BAA
RHP James Lengal, 6-3, 195, Jr., 1-3, 5.20, 27.2 IP, .299 BAA
RHP Desmond Poulson, 6-2, 205, Sr., 7-2, 3.24, 100 IP, .245 BAA (2nd team All-WCC)

Everyday players returning: 5
Everyday players lost: 4
Letterman returning: 20
Letterman lost: 14

2013 RECAP
Overall: 32-21
Conference (finish): 15-9 (2nd)
Home: 17-5
Road: 11-10
Neutral: 4-6
Conference Tournament: 1-2

TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI ISLANDERS
City/State: Corpus Christi, TX
Founded: 1947
Enrollment: 10,000
School Colors: Blue and Green
Home Field: Chapman Field
Dimensions: 330-404-330
Conference: Southland
Athletics website: goislanders.com

COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Scott Malone
Alma mater (yr): McMurry (1998)
Record at School (seasons): 156-185 (6)
Overall Record (seasons): same
Assistant Coaches: Marty Smith, Brett Gips, Kenny Jackson

TOP RETURNERS
C Russell Vaughan, 5-9, 165, Sr., .181-1-9
IF Cody Stephens, 5-9, 165, Sr., .312-2-28 (3rd team All-Southland)
IF Brandon Tierney, 6-1, 205, Sr., .257-2-19
OF Kyle Danford, 6-3, 180, Jr., .260-1-13
OF Jordan Lee, 5-6, 150, Jr., .307-1-23
LHP Trevor Belicek, 6-3, 215, Jr., 9-2, 3.12, 80.2 IP (3rd team All-Southland)
RHP Matt Danton, 6-3, 175, Jr., 5-3, 4.20, 70.2 IP
RHP Jacob Dorris, 6-1, 150, Jr., 1-2, 2.36, 26.2 IP

Everyday players returning: 4
Everyday players lost: 5
Letterman returning: 15
Letterman lost: 11

2013 RECAP
Overall: 33-24
Conference (finish): 17-10 (2nd)
Home: 21-10
Road: 11-12
Neutral: 1-2
Conference Tournament: 1-2

TCU HORNED FROGS
City/State: Fort Worth, TX
Founded: 1873
Enrollment: 9,925
School Colors: Purple and White
Home Field: Lupton Stadium
Dimensions: 330-380-400-370-330
Conference: Big 12
Athletics website: gofrogs.com

COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Jim Schlossnagle
Alma mater (yr): Elon (1992)
Record at School (seasons): 417-203 (10)
Overall Record (seasons): 494-250 (12)
Assistant Coaches: Bill Mosiello, Kirk Sarloos, Zach Etheredge

TOP RETURNERS
C/OF Boomer White, 5-8, 195, Jr., .314-1-27
IF Kevin Cron, 6-5, 245, Sr., .208-2-20
IF Keaton Jones, 6-2, 195, Sr., .231-0-23
IF Derek Odell, 6-1, 185, Sr., .247-1-32
OF Cody Jones, 5-11, 175, Sr., .269-1-18
OF Jerrick Suiter, 6-4, 235, Sr., .186-0-10
RHP Preston Morrison, 6-2, 185, Sr., 7-3, 1.51, 107 IP, .217 BAA (1st team All-Big 12)
LHP Brandon Finnegan, 5-11, 184, Sr., 0-8, 3.18, 79.1 IP, .257 BAA

Everyday players returning: 6
Everyday players lost: 3
Letterman returning: 14
Letterman lost: 15

2013 RECAP
Overall: 29-28
Conference (finish): 12-12 (T-6th)
Home: 16-14
Road: 11-12
Neutral: 2-2
Conference Tournament: 1-2

UTSA ROADRUNNERS
City/State: San Antonio, TX
Founded: 1969
Enrollment: 30,474
School Colors: Blue and Orange
Home Field: Roadrunner Field
Dimensions: 335-375-405-375-340
Conference: Conference USA
Athletics website: goutsa.com

COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Jason Marshall
Alma mater (yr): Texas A&M (1996)
Record at School (seasons): 35-25 (1)
Overall Record (seasons): same
Assistant Coaches: Jim Blair, Brett Lawler, Nick Zaleski

TOP RETURNERS
C John Bormann, 6-0, 200, Jr., .286-1-29
IF Horacio Correa, 5-10, 185, Jr., .304-1-37
IF R.J. Perucki, 6-1, 195, Sr., .350-12-48 (1st team All-WAC)
IF Mike Warren, 6-3, 220, Sr., .318-3-29
UT Tony Ramirez, 6-0, 205, Sr., .289-4-26
OF Jesse Baker, 6-0, 180, So., .270-4-34
OF John Welborn, 5-11, 185, Sr., .250-0-21
RHP Brock Hartson, 6-3, 195, So., 9-5, 3.40, 106 IP, .273 BAA (2nd team All-WAC)
LHP Michael Kraft, 5-11, 175, Sr., 5-5, 4.10, 68 IP, .269 BAA
LHP Nolan Trabanino, 6-4, 210, So., 4-3, 4.38, 74 IP, .303 BAA

Everyday players returning: 7
Everyday players lost: 2
Letterman returning: 22
Letterman lost: 7

2013 RECAP
Overall: 35-25
Conference (finish): 15-11 (4th)
Home: 21-9
Road: 10-15
Neutral: 4-1
Conference Tournament: 4-0, won WAC tournament
NCAA Tournament Record (site): 0-2 (Oregon State Regional)