Currently fifth place in the district behind Hebron, the baseball team must win its final two games and have the Hawks lose their last outing in order for the team to tie with Hebron for fourth place and a chance at the playoffs.
The Farmers [13-15 overall, 3-10 district] host Hebron [18-13, 5-8] Thursday at 7 p.m. and then close the regular season at third-place Coppell Friday at 6 p.m. Hebron hosts second-place Marcus on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Hawks beat the Farmers 2-0 in a road game on April 5, but lost at LHS 5-3 on March 22.
The competition has been tough in the district and nearly every game has been down to the wire, with the last six games being decided by 2 runs or less. In last Tuesday’s game against Marcus, the Farmers went to the bottom of the seventh tied 5-5 but were defeated by the Marauders 6-5. With two games left in the season, the team is focused on continuing to put forth their greatest effort to make it into the playoffs.
Senior outfielder and pitcher Cory Duran, who has signed to play baseball for North East Junior College, has a 3.65 ERA and has struck out 52 batters in 48 innings according to Dallasnews.com. Duran said he believes the team has been working hard and can get back on track and finish the season strong.
“My ultimate goal is to not only make it into the playoffs but to make it deep and make a run,” Duran said. “Our coach has prepared us every day in practice to be able to succeed at our best level during games.”
According to the Texas High School Baseball website, Flower Mound [#3], Marcus [#16], and Coppell [#22], the top three teams in the district, are all ranked among the top 25 in the state for Class 5A.
Senior third baseman Niko Buentello, who hit a three-run home run against Marcus on Tuesday, has been playing baseball since the age of 9 and is signed to the University of Oklahoma. Buentello, who leads the team in batting with a .366 average along with 7 home runs and 28 RBIs, said the worst game this season was against first-place Flower Mound, but is glad the team has been able to gain ground since then.
“We didn’t really show up ready to play against them,” Buentello said. “But we were able to make a change and became more mentally prepared for the next game.”
Buentello said a pro player he looks up to and tries to imitate is New York Mets third baseman David Wright, who recently extended his errorless streak to 64 games.
“I try to play the game hard like he does,” Buentello said.
Coach Mike Campbell said he’s been pleased with the progress his players have made.
“Everyone has gotten better,” Campbell said. “They’ve grown up and matured into better men and baseball players.”
Senior first baseman and pitcher Blake Arthurs said he hopes fans will come out and root for the players as they try to make the postseason.
“We’ve been working hard and it’s been paying off pretty well,” Arthurs said. “We just need all the support we can get.”
