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A DIFFERENT PATH TO THE DUGOUT: Tubbs Ushering In a Brand New Vision for Elsik Baseball
THERE’S A NEWFOUND BUZZ AROUND ELSIK BASEBALL, AND IT STARTS WITH FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACH VERNON TUBBS.
Tubbs and his staff are breathing life into a program that, frankly, wasn’t even on the radar — sometimes even inside its own school.
“I had teachers in the hall who didn’t even know we had a baseball team,” Tubbs said.
A three-year starter at Prairie View A&M, Tubbs has taken on the role of promoter, builder, and culture-setter all at once.
“I’ve been a ringmaster of sorts, just promoting the program within the walls of Elsik High School,” he said. “My staff is made up of college baseball guys, and we have a plan. We don’t just want to win a few district games and sneak into the playoffs. We want to beat the best teams in this district — Foster, Fulshear, Strake Jesuit — and become a power. I can see it.”
The team’s new rally cry?
“Every time we break out as a team, it’s: 1, 2, 3 — Playoffs.”
Those are lofty goals for a program that has gone 14–68 over the last three seasons — a team without a true locker room, an equipment closet, or a clear identity. Tubbs isn’t shying away from that reality.
“We stripped it all down,” he said. “The first thing was preaching that we can compete with anyone we play. Our staff believes in these guys. We’ve seen tremendous growth during the fall and offseason. We hit the weight room and broke fundamentals down by position. Our pitchers are stronger. Our defense has vastly improved. We’re on our way.”
Tubbs’ baseball journey includes an unexpected chapter. After college, he earned several Major League tryouts, chasing the dream every ballplayer knows.
“I’ll never forget being cut at a Florida Marlins camp,” he said. “I wanted to get to the league That was my dream. I failed — and it hurt.”
Tubbs returned home to Houston and had to start over.
“That’s baseball,” he said. “You’re going to fail, and you have to be resilient.”
He coached briefly at his alma mater and with Perfect Game programs, but for nearly a decade, baseball wasn’t his profession. Instead, Tubbs became a therapist for the Mental Health & Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County.
“I worked with the homeless, juvenile offenders, and people with severe mental illnesses,” he said. “It was extremely tough work.”
That experience now defines his coaching philosophy.
“I learned to compartmentalize,” Tubbs said. “I couldn’t bring the work home. I left it at work, woke up the next day, and tried to do better than the day before.”
It’s a lesson he passes directly to his players.
COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED: Alief Taylor’s Calderon Poised to Shape Program’s Turning Point
MOMENTUM AND BELIEF ARE BEGINNING TO TAKE SHAPE AT ALIEF TAYLOR AS THE LIONS MOVE TOWARD A NEW SEASON — AND EVER CALDERON FIGURES TO BE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
Contributing on both the mound and in the infield, Calderon heads into his senior season at a pivotal moment for the ball club. The Lions are still working to reestablish themselves in the district conversation, but the team has an opportunity to start piecing wins together under first-year head coach Arthur Jenkins.
The game has not always been part of Calderon’s life, but once it entered the picture, it quickly became a driving force.
“Baseball first became a passion of mine when I watched the 2017 Astros win the World Series, which made me want to start playing,” Calderon said. “I’m usually a competitive person, so my drive to be the best has kept me in that pursuit.”
That fandom still shows today, with Calderon citing Astros stars Jeremy Peña, Yordan Álvarez, and Jose Altuve among the players he has admired.
Like many young athletes, Calderon’s early years came with growing pains.
“It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve been able to trust in my ability more as the years have gone by,” Calderon said. “Going from middle school ball to high school varsity as a freshman, I was very nervous. But the more I played, I just got used to the rhythm.”
That confidence culminated in one of the defining moments of his high school career a year ago – a campaign that saw the RHP receive an all-district honorable mention.
“There have been multiple highlights in my time at Alief Taylor,” Calderon said. “But I’d have to say that my favorite one was throwing a perfect-game shutout last season against Willowridge. Moments like those don’t come often, so you have to savor it when they do.”
From a team standpoint, Calderon has a clear picture in mind as the Lions look to get a competitive streak started.
“It starts with discipline and commitment,” he said. “We have the dependable players we need to win, so this is our chance to start putting it together with a new coach.”
As for what comes next, Calderon remains focused on both his athletic and professional future.
“Hopefully, I can begin to get scouted for baseball and start to make a career out of it,” he said. “If not, the plan is to go to a trade school, get a certification in HVAC, and go right into the job field.”
But in the short term, Calderon’s attention remains on the season ahead — defined by opportunity.