Matt Purke’s baseball career comes full circle as a TCU star returns home
Most people believed Matt Purke would begin his professional baseball career in 2009 when the Texas Rangers drafted the highly-touted left-hander with the 14th overall pick. Heck, Purke himself thought he’d be joining the Rangers organization once both sides agreed to the multi-million dollar deal he was set to receive.
But things fell apart when MLB took over the Rangers’ finances. The organization was headed to bankruptcy under disgraced former owner Tom Hicks and the most MLB allowed the team to offer Purke was $4 million, about a third less than the $6 million he was reportedly going to get.
So Purke headed to TCU, helping lead the program to its first College World Series appearance in 2010. He pitched again as a sophomore in 2011 before starting his professional career as a third-round pick by the Washington Nationals. He eventually reached the big leagues for a brief stint with the Chicago White Sox in 2016.
Purke ended his playing days this offseason, officially calling it a career after spending the 2019 season in independent ball with the Sugar Land Skeeters. He’s now back at TCU to complete his undergraduate degree and serve as a student assistant on the coaching staff.
“It’s always tough as a player when it’s time to walk away from the game,” Purke said. “But it wasn’t difficult for me to come back here and do this. I’m not leaving the game completely. I’m still a part of the game. To have an opportunity to be here, I count it as just as much of a blessing as being able to play.”
Purke follows in a line of former players to join the coaching staff as a student assistant. Former outfielder Josh Elander spent the 2016 season as a student assistant and is now an assistant coach at Tennessee. Former pitcher Kyle Winkler served as a student assistant in 2019 and is now the pitching coach at Incarnate Word.
For Purke, pursuing a coaching career is something he’s embraced. The experiences he’s encountered throughout his baseball journey have prepared him to mentor the next generation.
“Now I can take what I know and the experiences I had and give these players the best opportunity to do it,” he said. “That’s ultimately what my goal is here — to give everything that I know and that I went through and give them an opportunity to achieve their dream.”
Purke has been to that mountain top, but he’s seen the valleys, too. He battled a number of injuries throughout his college and professional playing days, including two shoulder surgeries and Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery. But despite those setbacks, Purke will always be able to say he reached the majors.
“I accomplished my dream. We play this game as little kids to play in the big leagues,” Purke said. “I had an opportunity to do that. I’m very thankful to the White Sox for giving me that opportunity. I would’ve loved to have more opportunities, but it didn’t work out that way. But I’m one of about 18,000 players to ever do it. That’s something that’s special to me.
And, now, being more than a decade removed from his decision not to join the Rangers, Purke looks back with a new perspective. Everything happens for a reason, after all.
Purke met his wife, Sophie, at TCU and they now have two young daughters Finley and Hadley. That wouldn’t have happened if Purke spent his TCU years pitching for the Rangers’ Low A affiliate in Hickory, North Carolina.
Plus, Purke got to experience the thrill of reaching the College World Series with a sensational freshman season in which he went 16-0. The 16 wins remain a school record and Purke earned a number of accolades, including the consensus National Freshman of the Year in 2010 and being named an All-American by four outlets.
Purke became a fan favorite in Fort Worth, known for his passion and energy on the mound. That’s something he plans to bring in his new coaching capacity.
“When you watched me play here, it was no mystery that you knew I wanted to be out there and wanted to be playing at a high level,” Purke said. “I was going to give everything I had every single day that I stepped on the field. I want to instill that in these guys.“
TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle couldn’t be more excited to have Purke return to the program. Schlossnagle recalled a news conference following the 2009 season when the Frogs were eliminated by Texas in a Super Regional.
A reporter asked what TCU needed to get over the “hump” and into the CWS.
“I looked in the camera and said, ‘Matt Purke, we need to have you come to college,’” Schlossnagle said. “We were in that same situation in 2010 and we ended up winning the Super Regional in Austin. That moment turned our program to another level.
“There’s been a lot of tipping points in the history of our program over the last 17-plus years and none of them are bigger than when Matt Purke decided to not sign a professional contract and come to TCU. It’s awesome to have him back with us.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
