Rather than focusing on its 4-12 record (1-2 in district), the varsity baseball team is prioritizing a winner’s mentality and the strides made to start district play. The team continues the series against Plano West on Friday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Plano.
“Defending was the best we did [this week], but in terms of batting, there’s work to do,” junior pitcher Harvi Saenz said. “We can get more outs to dominate other teams, but if we don’t have the mentality of winning, we can’t win a game.”
Last week, the Farmers outlasted a then 13-3-1 Plano East team 2-1 at home, with another strong performance from senior pitcher Brandon Bonehill and a late hit by junior second baseman Samuel Marquez to seal it.
“It’s gigantic,” head coach Stephen Campbell said. “It really helps with your confidence. It’s good to get a district win early so you have some room to breathe and not press. You have the advantage of momentum going into the next game.”
The Panthers responded with a 5-0 win in Plano, leaning on a talented pitching staff featuring two All-District honorees from last season in seniors Brayden Bergman and Connor Schlegel. On the other side, the Farmers’ hitting issues continued, finishing with one base hit against the Panthers’ six. A nearly two-hour rain delay challenged the team’s focus 10 pitches into the game.
“I think the delay hurt our momentum a little bit,” Campbell said. “That happens, but you’ve got to be mentally sharp in baseball. Wet conditions can really change things, especially if the ball gets wet, and Plano East has really good pitchers.”
On Tuesday, March 19, the team lost to Plano West at home 11-3, improving to 8-6 overall and 2-1 in district. The Wolves offense was propelled by Jack Kilmer’s four runs driven on two hits and was a step back to a recently strong Farmers pitching performance.
“One of two games [against Plano East] is not bad at all,” Marquez said. “We were able to come back in the first, but we failed at the plate in our second. [For the third game], the team has less pitchers [than other schools], so the group can get tired every now and then.”
Two of the Farmers’ runs against Plano West came in the final innings, leaving something to build on when the teams meet again. The team will also host Denton Ryan, a 5A non-district opponent, at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23.
“I think we can play with them,” Campbell said. “When Brandon [Bonehill] or Trenton [Brantley] pitch, we have a chance to win every time. Plano West is not going to be hugely overpowering on the mound, so I would like to see us hit a bit better this week. To have quality at bats, [we need] a better approach and to think about hitting to right center or working with the counts.”
The Hebron Hawks (10-5-1) and Flower Mound Jaguars (17-3) are both 3-0 and atop District 6-6A. Plano West is third at 2-1, while the Farmers’ 1-2 standing places them in a four way tie for fourth–the last position which qualifies for playoffs. The team will have to turn mindset into more success everywhere to keep the position, especially with matchups against the Hawks and Jaguars in back-to-back weeks after the Wolves.
“I’m a positive person, so I expect us to win,” Saenz said. “We have high expectations for this season. Our team and offense is really good, but we have to play well and show it.”
