By Gene Schallenberg
Sports
NEW WAVERLY —
After advancing all the way to the regional semifinals as relative unknowns with little playoff experience in 2009, the Bulldogs knew they would have a lot more attention in 2010.
Ranked among the top five in the state for most the season, New Waverly did not disappoint.
For the second straight season, the Bulldogs swept through the regular season with ease and won an outright District 21-2A championship. Ranked as high as second in the state, New Waverly nearly booked its first trip to Austin for the state baseball tournament, but came one run shy and a handful of outs away from claiming the Region III championship against White Oak.
New Waverly’s run to the regional finals was the furthest the Bulldogs have gone in the playoffs and was possible thanks in large part to senior Kody Coleman and junior pitcher Matt Roberts, who were named to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State team.
“Those two guys did a great job all year long and they really deserve whatever awards they got,” New Waverly head coach Tommy Bohannon said Tuesday. “We’re real happy that they got some recognition.”
Coleman, who started out the season in left field before moving to second base, and Roberts were selected to the all-state second team.
Coleman, who was also named to the District 21-2A first team as a middle infielder, was among the Bulldogs’ most productive hitters, batting .378 with 34 hits, including a team-high five home runs and 31 runs batted in.
Coleman was also named as a THSBCA All-Star and helped the South squad win an all-star game last Saturday 6-5 at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond. In a nine-inning affair, Coleman played the final five innings and jump-started a game-ending double play to seal the win.
“Being able to move from the outfield to second base shows just how diversified (Coleman) really is,” Bohannon said. “Once he got there, he really shored up the position on defense. I’m not certain of it, but I don’t think he had an error all season. He helped us out a lot there and on offense, too.”
Roberts, building off his efforts from his sophomore season, had another stellar year. The junior right-hander allowed just 12 earned runs in the season in 19 appearances, including four in the playoffs over a span of 31 innings. Roberts, who was also tabbed to the district’s first team, finished the season with a 0.97 earned run average with 146 strikeouts against 14 walks and a 15-1 record.
“(Matt) was our rock this year,” the coach said. “We relied on him to give us great, consistent performances and he never let us down. He’s been just fantastic his whole career at New Waverly. He was always steady and he was someone you could always rely on.”
Also earning all-district first-team honors were senior pitcher Clint Brown, who tallied 97 strikeouts on the season for a 2.00 ERA, and senior outfielders Eli Amador, who led the team with a .416 batting average, and Ryan Reyes.
Second-team honorees for New Waverly were sophomore pitcher Cole Bohannon and juniors infielders Tate Maddox, Eric Koonce, junior outfielder Micah Bohannon and senior Matt Gray, who led the Bulldogs with 40 RBIs and 39 hits.
New Waverly head coach Tommy Bohannon was named the District 21-2A Coach of the Year. Corrigan-Camden pitcher John Hooks was selected as the district’s MVP and Groveton catcher Bryar Beecher was tabbed the district’s Newcomer of the Year.
Another honor
for Huntsville’s Smith
Even though the Huntsville Hornets had a disappointing season, failing to reach the playoffs for the second straight year, senior pitcher Caleb Smith had a good enough season to be named to the All-District 18-4A second team with Magnolia’s Joe Kirkland, Montgomery’s Brandon Holub and Waller’s Trent Rape.
Brenham junior Chance Bolcerek was a unanimous selection as the district’s MVP. Magnolia junior Duncan Wendell was tabbed the newcomer of the year. Brenham coach Jim Long, who guided the Cubs to a Class 4A state championship, was named the district coach of the year.
After finishing his high school career, Smith soon will begin another one at Sam Houston State, where he has signed to play for the Bearkats and head coach Mark Johnson.
