The Harper Longhorns baseball team surpassed season expectations after finishing the regular season with 20 wins and only a handful of losses.
On the heels of a 7-0 shutout win over Rosebud-Lott on Saturday, May 4, the Longhorns advanced to the area round of the playoffs where they faced Iola.
Harper came out on the wrong side of a 5-3 score last Friday at Del Valle High School in Austin.
“Our kids were ready to play,” Head Coach Scott Lake said. “It was weird. We jumped out on them 2-0 in the first inning and then they (Iola) had a couple of unearned runs in the second.”
Harper scored three runs off of five hits, while committing four errors.
“We didn’t have many hits, but we lined out deep into their outfield three times and they were shots that could have broken the game open,” Scott Lake said. “In the seventh inning, Walker Green popped the ball deep into left field with one runner on base. We thought it was gone, but Iola’s outfielder caught the ball at the warning track and that was the end of it.”
If the ball had just traveled a little further, Harper would have tied the game with that deep hit.
“We had our opportunities, and we just couldn’t get it done,” Scott Lake said. “It’s one of those things that I don’t know if we beat ourselves or they really beat us. It was almost like the game of baseball beat us. It was a tough one.”
Walker Green went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Drew Chandler added one run scored.
Bryson Lake collected two hits and William Spaeth added one hit.
On the mound, Bryson Lake pitched five innings and struck out six batters.
Green pitched in relief and allowed no earned runs to score.
With the loss, Harper finished their season with an overall record of 22-41.
Recapping the season
Scott Lake was pleased with the team’s performance and overall growth this year.
“At the beginning of the year, we lost a couple of games,” Scott Lake said. “It was early in the season, and I thought that’s just baseball. Then, we started winning some games and beating a few teams that we probably had no business beating. After beating Blanco, we thought ‘maybe we are pretty good’.”
Harper split the season series against district champion, Johnson City.
In addition to that, the Longhorns swept the Mason Punchers.
“Our success kind of snuck up on us,” Scott Lake said. “It’s one of those things on paper, talentwise, that it definitely wasn’t the most talented team I’ve ever coached, all the way through the lineup.
But these kids just enjoyed being together and playing together; coming to practice, and it was proof right there that it was more about comradery and caring about each other; not wanting to let each other down. That’s why we were successful this year.”
Senior leadership
Harper relied a lot on senior leadership from Bryson Lake and Walker Green throughout the season.
“We only had two seniors this year,” Scott Lake said. “I tell people that we are only losing two seniors and other people tell me ‘you all will be pretty good next year’ and they don’t realize that the two we are losing are really, really good.
“If not impossible, they will be really difficult to replace.”
Taking it for the team
Drew Chandler drew praise from Scott Lake for his ability to get on base by taking it for the team.
“I think he got hit by pitches 23 times this season,” Scott Lake said. “That shattered his own record from last year, but that’s just from being totally unselfish.”
Memories to cherish
Scott Lake said there are numerous memories and storylines that he will always remember from this team’s special season.
“My biggest memory is going to be how much these kids cared about each other,” Scott Lake said. “We never had arguments and we never had fights. They really, really cared about each other. I’ve never had a team that really gelled like this one.”
Looking ahead
It’s way too early to talk about next season, but Scott Lake is certain that the cupboard is full, and the team will be ready to make another run next year.
“We’ve got a bunch of kids coming back and our junior varsity team had some pretty talented kids,” Scott Lake said. “Some of the younger kids are going to push our older kids for starting positions on the varsity team next year. I’m excited about next year.”
Iola 5, Harper 3 Friday, May 10 At Del Valle High School Individual stats Hitting:
Walker Green, 2 runs, 2 hits; Drew Chandler, 1 run; Bryson Lake, 2 hits; William Spaeth, 1 hit.
Stolen bases: Walker Green 1.
Pitching: Bryson Lake, 5 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned, 6 SO; Walker Green, 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 0 earned.