Elkins extends honor to former longtime coach
Carpenter’s contributions rewarded with renaming of field
Rick Carpenter is coaching baseball five hours away where temperatures during the season sometimes dip below freezing, but his love for Elkins still burns hotter than most. Ever since he built the program and led it to great success, including a national championship, Carpenter’s name has been synonymous with Elkins baseball. Now his name will be on the field forever.
Two weeks ago the Fort Bend ISD School board voted in favor of naming the Elkins baseball field Carpenter Field. The move comes seven years after Carpenter left Missouri City to become the coach at Prosper, a Class 5A school north of Dallas.
“It’s humbling and shocking,” Carpenter said. “It’s the coolest honor I’ve ever received.”
Carpenter led Elkins to nine district titles, six regional titles, three state titles and the 2002 national championship. He helped 71 players earn college scholarships, and 20 were drafted by professional teams or signed professional contracts.
Four reached the Major Leagues. They are Kip Wells, Chad Huffman, James Loney and his son, Matt. Matt Carpenter is the leadoff batter for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Carpenter won 366 games at Elkins and has continud his success at Prosper. He won his 750th career game during the 2015 seasons.
Carpenter found out about his most recent honor in January when he returned to induct players into the Elkins baseball Hall of Fame - something he established and returns for every year.
Current Elkins coach Tyler Porter called all of his former players to the front of the banquet to make the announcement. The only thing standing in their way was the formality of the school board approving it.
Porter played at Elkins under Carpenter. So did assistant coach Jason Slanina. They still keep in touch with Carpenter. The former coach may be five hours away, but having two of his former players leading the program he built is a source of pride.
Porter and Slanina have led the Knights to consecutive district titles and this year played into the third round of the playoffs.
“That is so neat,” Carpenter said. “Those guys were great kids to coach. To see them come in and accomplish that is great. Their hearts and minds are in the right place. I’ve heard nothing but good things.”
Meet of Champions
George Ranch’s track team left its mark on the inaugural Texas Track and Field Coaches Association’s Meet of Champions last week in Waco. The meet invites state champions and othe top finishers from all classifications to compete against one another.
The Longhorns 400-meter and 800-meter relays both placed second. They included Xavian Marks and Tylen Guidry, who also earned medals in individual events. Marks placed second in the 100 dash, just like he did at the Class 5A state meet. Guidry placed third in the triple jump.
Stafford’s Lynette Amaram placed third in the 800-meter run. Eagles take long view
Second Baptist failed to defend its Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 4A state baseball title.
If that was the only measuring stick of success, it wasn’t a superb year for the Eagles. But Second Baptist head coach Jeff Schroeder believes that stance would be a bit unfair.
“We didn’t reach the final goal we set, which was to make it to state and win another championship. Talent-wise I thought we were good enough,” Schroeder said. “That was a disappointment, but this team still accomplished a lot.”
Second Baptist finished in a three-way tie for the TAPPS Class 4A-District 5 title with Fort Bend Christian and Lutheran South, the eventual state champ.
The Eagles were one win shy of reaching the TAPPS State Tournament, falling to Austin St. Michael’s 7-6 in a regional playoff game. But they surpassed the 20-win mark (22-10), while Schroeder picked up his 500th career coaching victory against Baytown Lee.
“We had some nice highlights, but we have pretty high standards here,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder felt his squad was at its peak in the Aggieland Classic near Pensacola, Florida. Second Baptist went 4-0 on its spring break trip in mid-March, knocking off powerhouse Tate in the finals.
“At the time, Tate was nationally ranked and undefeated,” Schroeder said.
— Jeff Jenkins