Baseball & Softball Teams Are Back

TeamsBASEBALL & SOFTBALL Back! ARE

by Steve Gamel

Marcus baseball coach Jeff Sherman didn’t just think he had a good team heading into the 2020 high school season. He knew that he had a state champion ball club in the making, and you couldn’t convince him otherwise.

“Man, I had six [pitchers] deep — all throwing 90 plus. I could put anyone in at any time, and, offensively, no one could hold us down. We were 11-2 and had already faced 11 or 12 Division I pitchers. So, we had faced everyone’s best up to that point,” he said. “We were primed and ready — all seniors and juniors. They were ready to beat everyone.”

Sadly, the Marauders never got a chance to prove their coach was right. After just 13 games, both the baseball and softball seasons were shockingly canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There’d be no chance to play the game they loved. There’d be no district championships or deep playoff runs.

More importantly, no champion would be crowned. “It was just so numbing because of how great we were playing,” Sherman said. “I remember us coming back from a tournament in California, and it was over. It was gut-wrenching to see all of that get taken away.”

Marcus wasn’t the only program affected by the pandemic. No one played, including other teams right here in Denton County. Teams in the Murray Media coverage area include Flower Mound, Guyer, Argyle, The Colony, Hebron, Liberty Christian, Lake Dallas, Justin Northwest, and Byron Nelson. Overall, that’s 20 teams between baseball and softball.

No one can go back and fix the past. But as everyone turns the page to the 2021 season, several area coaches are speaking on behalf of their players — all of whom are eager to make up for lost time. Both the baseball and softball seasons are officially underway, with many teams planning to win big as district play starts in mid-March.

“I have guys who are now in college at Rice, etc., sending me texts,” Sherman said. “They are excited for us.”

Guyer softball coach Keith Medford agreed.

“I’d be lying if I said we didn’t get knocked to our knees by this last year,” he said. “Not getting to complete a full season makes us very appreciative for this season. We are thrilled to death to be competing again.”

Argyle baseball coach Ricky Griffin added his own take. And rightfully so. His team was coming off an unbeaten run to the Class 4A state title in 2019 and had many of the same pieces in place to defend that title before the season was ended.

“Obviously, everyone is looking forward to getting back on the field,” Griffin said. “I felt really good about our chances last year with the team we had, and having it cut short was disappointing. We weren’t the only ones in that boat, though. A lot of people, especially early on, have hopes of winning the whole thing. When it’s all taken away, it’s tough. It was strange.”

Thankfully, Denton County — and really, the entire Dallas-Fort Worth area — is still loaded with talent. Two years ago, Argyle and Liberty Christian won state titles in baseball. Several more, including Guyer’s softball team, Flower Mound baseball and softball, and teams at Hebron, are perennial playoff favorites. These programs tend to reload rather than rebuild, which will make for some exciting games over the next three months.

“I’ve basically got most of my varsity back except for the 12 seniors, and that was basically our pitching staff,” Sherman said. “It’s interesting getting back into the fight and feeling the emotions during the game.”

Griffin agreed. The Eagles still have their top pitcher, Trevor Duck, along with quite a few arms in the pitching rotation. A slew of stars join them, including Tyler Abrego and Ethan Gonzales. “We have about five or six who were on the field quite a bit last year, plus a few move-ins who will help us out,” Griffin said. This is an unusual situation for us because, for one, prior to the past six or seven years, I could have told you our entire starting lineup. Secondly, the season was cut short last year. What that means is that I have a lot of kids who haven’t seen a varsity baseball game yet. We still have the talented players, though. It’s a different team, but there are a lot of kids who we are really excited about.”

After missing out on an entire season, that’s all you can ask for — and a chance to compete for a title.

“NOT GETTING TO COMPLETE A FULL SEASON MAKES US VERY APPRECIATIVE FOR THIS SEASON. WE ARE THRILLED TO DEATH TO BE COMPETING AGAIN.”