Lainie Fritz: Meet the KPRC2 sports reporter you're loving on social media

HOUSTON – KPRC: What a weekend to cover the NCAA Tournament! Despite the University of Houston Cougars heartbreaking loss at the buzzer Saturday night, what was it like to travel to Wichita to cover the games?

LAINIE: It was so much fun! This tournament, or at least the start of it, has been one of the most exciting I can ever remember! The Cougars definitely deserved to win that game and it was really hard to interview the players afterward and see how much they were hurting BUT I know they’ll use this as fire and come back stronger next season!

KPRC: You joined KPRC in 2016, and in that short time, you have had a chance to cover Super Bowl LI, the Astros' World Series victory, the Rockets playoff run last year, and now the NCAA Tournament. Which one is your favorite and why?

LAINIE: Although baseball is not my favorite sport I would have to say the World Series! I have never experienced anything like it and especially for that to happen after what the city had just gone through with the Hurricane, it was a moment in time all of us will remember forever! 

KPRC: You received some attention on social media this weekend after you were shown sitting next to Cougars legend Elvin Hayes during Saturday night’s game. Who did you hear from after the game?

LAINIE: Big E is a great friend and I enjoyed sitting next to the legend and hearing his expert analysis on the game as it played out.

I heard from a lot of people! Haha! My family was watching the game from New Orleans and they were watching for me because they knew I was sitting courtside with the media. My sister Brooke was the first one to text me, saying they had shown me, then all the messages started coming in! It’s been really fun hearing from old friends I haven’t heard from in awhile saying they saw me.

KPRC: When you were settling on a career choice, what made you want to cover sports on television and digital media? 

LAINIE: I’ve always known I wanted to do something in sports with my dad being a football coach. I couldn't imagine life any other way than revolving around sports. But when I was very young, maybe 10 or 11, an assistant coach's wife at the time, Tiffany Hecklinski, suggested to me, 'Hey you should be a sports reporter one day!' And that planted the seed in my mind, so from there, I worked toward that in high school and college, and feel very blessed that I get to do it as a career now. 

KPRC: What are the best ways to follow you on social media?

LAINIE: On Facebook at KPRC 2 Lainie Fritz and Twitter at KPRC2Lainie, but Instagram is my favorite. So for all things Houston sports follow either @KPRC2sports on Instagram, which our entire sports team runs, or me @KPRC2Lainie.