BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR: College Park BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR: Erik Spujt, College Park BOYS WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Eli Sheeren, Klein GIRLS TEAM OF THE YEAR: Tompkins GIRLS COACH OF THE YEAR: Derek Ankney, Tompkins GIRLS WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Maddie Sandquist, Kingwood Park
PRIVATE SCHOOL
BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR: St. Thomas BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR: Michael Leholm, St. Thomas BOYS WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Tyler Langin, St. John's
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HOUSTON – This was the kind of game that Deer Park needed.
Amy Vidal knew her teams’ psyche had been affected in the last two playoff series, both being best-of-three, which the Deer had lost the openers in and had to fight back and win back-to-back games to advance.
Heading into the Region III-6A Semifinal facing Seven Lakes, there was no room for mistake. A stumble in game one, there was no game two and three to make a comeback.
“It forced us to make us to do something that was uncomfortable, and I think we responded well to it,” Vidal said.
Emma Overla, Lorelei Graham and Lindsey McKnight homered, Reanna Nieman and Madison Applebe combined to throw a no-hitter and Deer Park rolled past Seven Lakes 10-0 in the Region III-6A Semifinals at Summer Creek on Friday night.
The win advances Deer Park to the Region III-6A Championship for a second-straight season and moves their record to 38-4 overall.
“After those three-game series where we didn’t do well in the first game, playing in this first game well was a statement to everybody in the playoffs right now,” Graham said. “We’re a force to be reckoned with.”
The Deer struck first with RBI infield singles in the second and third inning to take a 2-0 lead. Deer Park made it 4-0 off Overla’s homer in the fourth inning.
While the Deer Park bats were providing the offense, Nieman was shutting down and shutting out Seven Lakes, which was in its first Regional Semifinal since 2016. Once Nieman’s night was done Applebe came in and slammed the door with a final couple of flawless innings.
The Deer Park one-two punch no-hit and shutout a team that hadn’t been since April 1 and had manufactured 32 runs in eight playoff games.
“I feel like teamwork is the dreamwork,” Nieman said. “I couldn’t ask for anyone better to come in behind me and perform how she did.”
Vidal added: “They responded to the call. We had to change some things up a little bit because we feel like everyone is expecting one or the other. I think they have handled everything I’ve asked and have handled it well.”
For Deer Park offensively, the 10 runs marked the fourth time these playoffs that the Deer have scored in double digits.
Now, Deer Park awaits the winner of the Katy-Pearland series, which is set to conclude on Saturday. The Deer know they have another “big series to win” before they even start talking about returning to the UIL State Softball Tournament.
The reining Class 6A State Champions checked off a few boxes on Friday night, the biggest besides getting back to the Regional Championship – winning a one-game series.
“We had preached all year long that at some point you have to win one game,” Vidal said. “I think it was for our kids. It was good all around.”
HOUSTON – After a tournament in Pensacola, Florida, Rayner Noble knew he had a “scrappy” bunch.
After a come-from-behind run-rule victory over Fort Bend Christian Academy after trailing 9-0 after the first inning, Turner Murdock (’24) knew this team was “different”.
After an 11-5 victory over The Brook Hill School on Thursday afternoon in Arlington, Luke Pettitte (’23) knew this team – the 2022 version of Second Baptist School baseball – were State Champions.
“It feels amazing and sounds amazing,” Pettitte said.
Second Baptist School completed the magical season, capturing the TAPPS Division II State Championship with the six-run win. It was the sixth title in program history and the 32nd overall for Second Baptist School.
“It was early in the year where I saw that we could do some special things,” Noble said.
Every team goes through adversity in a season.
Second Baptist School had to fight its way back from early deficits and fend off injuries throughout the year. One of the biggest ones early was Texas A&M-commit Ty Baker (’23) going down.
Step in Murdock.
“When he went down it was an opportunity for me to step up,” Murdock said. “Everyone stepped up, Leighton Reddy (’22) especially. He’s been an elite closer for us.”
Noble added: “He was huge. When Ty went down and missed almost half the season, Turner just picked up the slack and threw the ball extremely well. He did a great job.”
Being called upon on a big stage wasn’t new for Murdock.
In the fall, the sophomore led the Second Baptist School football team to the TAPPS Division II State Championship game in Waco. In the spring, he’s pitched the baseball team to ultimate glory.
“It’s definitely been a fun year,” Murdock said. “It’s been a lot of big stages. It is preparing me for the future.”
Mid-way through the season, Baker did make a comeback and “bolstered” the pitching staff to make a difference down the stretch. As for the closer, Reddy was on the mound on Thursday when the final out was recorded with a throw across the diamond from Pettitte to first base.
That moment was a “blur” for the Second Baptist School junior. It was a “routine” ground ball that he has fielded hundreds of times in his career. He caught it and then “threw it as hard as I could” to make sure the championship was clinched.
Next, Pettitte threw his glove and hat in the air, rushed the mound, hugged Reddy and was jumping around as his teammates joined in.
The State Championship is special for the Pettitte family. In 2016, when the Eagles last won a baseball crown, older brother Jared, who is now in the Miami Marlins organization, was a part of that team as a senior. His father Andy – a World Series Champion himself – was the pitching coach for that team.
In 2022, Andy was back on the staff with Luke chasing a title.
“It’s pretty cool, especially since my dad was able to be the pitching coach for both of us,” Pettitte said. “He was there right by our side. He went through the thick and thin with us and the ups and downs. It’s pretty cool.”
Noble was a part of that coaching staff in 2016 when Second Baptist School last won it. He was an assistant on the staff led then by current Houston Baptist University baseball coach Lance Berkman.
Since 2012, Noble has been at Second Baptist School, and this was his third year leading the program as the head coach. Winning this title as the lead man in charge is special for the longtime baseball coach.
“It’s always nice when you’re the head coach, there’s some strong satisfaction just knowing what you did throughout the course of the year was good enough and it held up,” Noble said. “Any State Championship is good whether you are the head coach or an assistant coach but it’s really gratifying when you feel like the leadership you provided was enough to get it done.”
Finishing off a season as a State Champion is just a “testament to everyone’s hard work”, Murdock said, and they worked their “tails off” to get here.
In the end, this wasn’t Murdock’s last time to pull on a Second Baptist School jersey. For the seniors though, it was. To send them off as champions – not a better feeling in the world.
“It means a lot to these seniors,” Murdock said. “They’ve been working for the last four years. To finally get one, it’s nice to send them off with a happy ending.”
HOUSTON - It took 48 years for Bay Area Christian to win its first boys team State Championship. It took the Broncos just 12 more months to add a second.
The Bay Area Christian Broncos (28-13) defeated Lake Country Christian 5-3 on Friday afternoon at the University of Texas-Arlington inside Clay Gould Ballpark to capture the program's second-straight State Championship. BACS has now won TAPPS Division III State Championships in 2021 and 2022.
"It is special the fact that we can be No. 1 in the state the entire year coming off a State Championship," BACS baseball coach Kyle Kennedy said. "Everybody is out to beat you. Our guys rose to the occasion, and we were able to win it again. Hats off to them for all that they did. It was a special season."
Adam Atwell was named the player of the game. He finished pitching 5 1/3 innings giving up one run. Atwell hit 3-for-3, one walk, scored a run in the State Championship game for the Broncos. Baylor-signee Jordan Medellin closed out the game for the Broncos on the mound.
There was drama as Lake Country Christian loaded the bases with one out and scored a run on a groundout to cut the lead down to two. With runners at the corners and two outs, Medellin was able induce a groundout to Atwell, who stepped on second base and end the game.
"Amazing, the best way to end our high school careers," Bay Area Christian senior Josh Flory said. "Couldn’t have asked for a better team to do it with. I felt this would happen right after we won last year."
The BACS roster carried a total of 10 seniors on it in 2022.
It was a class that was supposed to graduate at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night, but with them advancing to the State Tournament and playing for the State Championship, they will graduate a day later. Now, they will walk the stage with two gold medals.
"For these seniors that helped build this place, I think for us to have sustainability for what we want to do in our program at Bay Area Christian these guys have helped," Kennedy said. "Not just help us go forward and win championships, it helps excel our program to make it a viable program here in League City for really good baseball to be played. Guys being able to go play DI, DII level in college, we're able to do that now.
"It's because of this group that has really helped sustain the program to where we are a viable option for baseball in the Houston-area."
The Broncos defeated Northland Christian 7-5 in the State Semifinal on Thursday night to advance to the State Championships.
