With baseball season well underway, the Varsity Bear Baseball team is working hard to uphold the standard of years pasts. They recently placed second at the Howard Estes Memorial Tournament. In addition, sophomore Jordan Alexander, junior Slade Green, and junior Michael Lee were all named to the All-Tournament team.

“It was an honor to be selected to the all tournament team,” Lee said. “The team is looking good right now and we are hitting the ball well. This year’s team is younger and less experienced but our hard work and long hours of practice are paying off.”

This year’s team is working to replace the 13 seniors that they lost at graduation. Last season the team made it to the 4A Region III Championship round. According to head coach Steve Griffith, the team’s goal this year is not necessarily to make it to the championship round, but to build the best team possible to represent the school and make it into playoffs as far as they can.

“Our challenge is in having to go up against several district opponents that have most of their team back from last year,” Griffith said. “We will overcome this by keeping our foot lightly on the gas at all times, never backing off of trying to improve and get better so we can be in position to compete with them.”

One of the new players to the varsity team is sophomore Ty Shugart. He said he has been working hard in hopes to acquire a starting position in the future.

“I put in extra time at the batting cage at my house,” Shugart said. “My family really pushes me and supports me in everything I do.”

Since this year’s team is filled with new varsity players, the team and coaches are working to fix anything that renders them from success.

“They play for a program that has had lots of success in the past,” Griffith said. “They play a game that a lot of kids all over the world wish they could play but for some reason or another don’t. We will be learning as we go. Our most memorable moment thus far was a game ending pick off play to win verses Palestine, Texas.”

Alexander, who is on his second year as a varsity players, said he is striving to become a leader and move the Bears closer to becoming a better team.

“I feel that I have an important part to this team in stepping up and doing a job for my team,” he said. “This year’s team is very different from last year’s. We are young and need people to step up and fill the shoes that the seniors did last year. The team’s goal is simple, and that is to win and play with no regrets.”