Hornet Sports
Related Photos
-
D.J. Shafer
Tools
Interim tag removed
Brumbelow officially named Huntsville baseball head coach
Hornets assistant Jeff Brumbelow was thrown into the head coaching fire right before the start of the 2009 Huntsville baseball season.
With two days to go before tryouts, long-time Hornets skipper Shelby Shaw stepped down to take a non-teaching job. That left Huntsville athletic director Mitchell Coey in a tough spot, so he decided to promote Brumbelow as interim head coach.
Even though the Hornets missed out on the playoffs, Coey saw enough from Brumbelow to remove the interim tag this week and officially make Brumbelow the head coach for next season.
“Timing-wise, when Jeff was the interim coach it was a very tough situation,” Coey said Wednesday afternoon. “It was two days before tryouts and the kids all of a sudden didn’t have a head coach. They didn’t make the playoffs and that is something we strive for each season, but I saw some good areas. I think Jeff deserves a chance with a full year to work with the kids.”
With a season under his belt, Brumbelow is ready to hit the ground running and add his ideas to the program.
“I’m elated and real excited for this opportunity,” the coach said. “After being around the kids for a year, things are going to be different. I have more of an opportunity to explore some of the things I want to do. I want to get these kids to know what it takes to be a team and to put all their individual talents together.
“I want them to know that everybody on the team believes in them and know that they are each going to come through when we need it.”
The Hornets were up and down this past season with a short-handed pitching staff. Huntsville got off to a good start by making it to the championship game of the Brenham/Montgomery tournament before losing to the Cubs 13-12.
Then District 18-4A action rolled around and the Hornets got off to an 0-4 start.
But instead of giving up, Brumbelow and his squad turned things around down the stretch. Junior Caleb Smith tossed a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over Magnolia, the eventual district champs. Huntsville went on to win six out of its last 10 league games to finish 6-8 in district and 10-15 on the season.
“We suffered a lot of adversity early,” Brumbelow said. “When you are used to doing things a certain way and a new guy steps in, it’s hard to adjust. But we all started stepping on the same page toward the end of the season.
“We have a good group of kids coming back and they want next season to be successful. We are always going to keep fighting.”
The Hornets closed the season on a good note by beating Willis 5-2, something they can build on in the offseason. Coey believes that with the development of some of the younger players and the returning veterans, Brumbelow will get the program back to the playoffs.
“Jeff gets a full year and he will be able to do things his way,” Coey said. “He needs to develop some of the young pitchers to go along with the Smith kid. That really hurt us this season because we didn’t have a deep rotation and this is a good baseball district.
“Jeff loves these kids and they respect him. He wants to win and I’m ready to give him the opportunity.”
- Hornet Sports
-
-
Trying to make history
The floor at Hornet Gym sure looked crowded Wednesday afternoon. That’s because there were 13 players running around like crazy — five on offense and eight on defense.
To get his team ready for Friday’s Region III semifinal game against Houston Yates, Huntsville coach Larry Carlson wisely devised a practice schedule that includes a hectic press-break drill complete with eight yellow-shirted defenders. -
Fish in the water
Huntsville freshmen Matthew Bitara and Sierra Wagner could hardly contain their excitement Thursday afternoon when talking about their upcoming meet.
The young Huntsville duo will be among the state’s top swimmers as they race in the UIL Swimming and Diving State Championships, which begin this morning at the Jamail Texas Swim Center in Austin. - Hornets excited about area-round clash with No. 25 C.E. King
-
Alive and kicking
HOUSTON — Kingwood Park hung around and hung around, but the Lady Hornets were just too strong down the stretch.
Huntsville finally wore down a feisty Lady Panthers squad in the fourth quarter to cruise to a 69-54 victory in the area round of the Class 4A girls basketball playoffs Friday night at the Campbell Center. -
Huntsville girls to put Panthers in pressure cooker
While the Lady Hornets were taking care of Elgin in the bi-district round of the playoffs Tuesday night, Huntsville assistant girls basketball coach Mike Ray was scouting Huntsville’s next opponent.
The Lady Hornets (23-7) are set to battle Kingwood Park in the area round today at 6 p.m. at the Campbell Center in Houston. -
Confident and ready
Huntsville girls basketball coach Jay Oliphant is not the least bit nervous about his first trip to the playoffs.
-
Another Huntsville swimmer qualifies for state
Matthew Bitara already started making plans for Austin for the state swimming meet in nearly two weeks, but now he’ll have some company.
Monday morning, fellow Huntsville freshman Sierra Wagner received some good news when she was listed as a call-up in two events and will be joining Bitara at the state meet.
-
Hornets blast Magnolia West 6-0
The Huntsville varsity boys bombed Magnolia West 6-0 last Saturday in a District 40-4A soccer game.
The Hornets got three goals from Mark Ortega, and one score each from Kevin Santos, Gerson Flores, and Nelson Privado. Miguel Moncada, Roberto Varela and Julio Blas all had assists in the game.
-
Hornet freshman headed to state
Huntsville freshman Matthew Bitara is going to state and he may have a few of his teammates tagging along with him.
On Saturday at the Class 4A Region V swimming championships, Bitara won the boys 100-yard backstroke in a time of 53.98 seconds. That earned him a trip to the UIL State Swimming and Diving Championships, scheduled Feb. 26-27 at the Jamail Texas Swim Center in Austin.
-
Twenty wins and counting?
The Hornets set two goals prior to Friday’s final home game of the season. They wanted to notch their 20th win of the season, and they wanted to stay away from injuries while doing it.
- More Hornet Sports Headlines
-
Trying to make history
