On a breezy Tuesday evening at Lupton Stadium, the No. 7 Horned Frogs beat the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks 7-3 in an offensively dominated 21-hit ballgame.

A few key defensive plays allowed TCU (8-4) to seal the victory under the leadership of starting freshman pitcher Stefan Crichton and three Frogs relievers. Mavs starting pitcher Chase Weaver recorded the loss, giving up two runs on three hits in two innings of work. The Mavericks fell to 6-6 for the season.

The California-based hamburger chain In-N-Out Burger has begun early stages of construction on a Fort Worth location, and would open in mid-summer if construction goes according to plan, said Carl Van Fleet, vice president of planning and development for In-N-Out Burger.

The restaurant is located off West Seventh Street, Van Fleet said. The burger chain is also evaluating many sites in the Metroplex, and has also begun construction at locations in Allen and Frisco, he said.

A Sports Illustrated/CBS news report ranked TCU's football program best among SI's preseason top 25 with the fewest number of players with criminal records. TCU had zero, but athletic administrators have declined to comment on what exactly TCU has done to achieve that.

TCU and Oklahoma were the only two schools of the top 25 teams listed that performed regular background checks, according to the Sports Illustrated article.

Boschini named to board of trustees on national council Chancellor Victor Boschini was named this week to the board of trustees to the American Council on Education, a national association focused on...

TCU alumnus Tim Halperin competed in this season of "American Idol" until getting voted off Thursday, March 4.

Now, one week later, Halperin said he is excited about the next chapter in his career, beginning with a return to Fort Worth.

Halperin, who graduated this past May, has been playing music since high school, but said he really became serious about pursuing his career as a singer-songwriter after enrolling at TCU in 2006.

Defense rarely plays as large a part in a baseball game, as was the case Tuesday night as the No. 7 TCU Horned Frogs took out the UT-Arlington Mavericks, 7-3.

TCU's offense exploded early in the game to cushion the Frogs' lead, 4-1. Junior shortstop Taylor Featherston scored three runs while driving in two. His home run to center field confirmed that the new regulation NCAA bats weren't the root cause for the previous Frogs' hitting slump after TCU tallied 45 hits at Texas Tech over the weekend.

A high school tennis injury forced Michael Smith to find new ways to spend his free time.

Smith, a freshman business major, said he's been pursuing rap music ever since.

Along with Charles Croley, a freshman at Texas A&M University, Smith formed the band "Crew of Two." Smith wrote the lyrics and rapped for the group, and Croley created the instrumentals. They released their first album "Two Fly" on iTunes Jan. 8 and are working on their second album to be released sometime next year.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period that symbolizes the time Jesus Christ spent in the desert. Lent is also a time for individuals to refocus their dedication, Associate Chaplain of Religious and Spiritual Life Jake Hofmeister said.

Amanda Oleksy, a sophomore early childhood education major, said she is one of several TCU students who will participate in Lent and give up something that is important to her.

Just say no.

We've heard it related to drug use, and many educators take that same approach when they attempt to teach what I cringe to call "sexual education." The fact of the matter is they hardly educate at all.

The study discussed in Wednesday's column, "Lower teen sex rate proves abstinence works," concluded that from 2006 to 2008 fewer young adults chose to become sexually active. However, the study did not come to a conclusion of why that is. I refuse to believe it is the result of sexual education that hinged on the "abstinence only" viewpoint.