Lake Dallas L
Ready for another long playoff run
ake Dallas had one of its best playoff runs last season while soaring to a Class 5A region semifinal. But in a span of a few short months, the Falcons lost their head coach and a slew of seniors that had quickly become household names.
Rather than lower their expectations, this year’s Falcons and new coach Chris Haney intend to get right back to work.
He will have plenty to work with. Ben Price, a District 8-5A by Steve Gamel first-team selection who will pitch and play middle infield, returns and will be expected to help grab the reins following the graduation of Pitcher of the Year, Ryan Depperschmidt. Connor Perry returns after batting .322 with 17 runs and 32 RBIs, as do the likes of Hunter McDaniel and Jonah Webb.
“I definitely think these guys have what it takes [to make another run],” Haney said. “We have some core guys back who were involved in that run and knew what it took to do it. Hopefully, that will help us repeat that magic.” Having the right head coach also helps. Former coach Ryan Howard helped his squad capture lightning in a bottle while posting a 22-9 record. When he left, athletic director Scott Head wasted little time in hiring Haney. A former San Diego Padres minor league pitching prospect, Haney got into the coaching realm when his career was cut short by injury. After a brief stop at Justin Northwest, he became an assistant coach at Colleyville Heritage, which went 39-3 last year and won the Class 5A state championship. Simply put, Haney knows what it takes to perform at a high level and get the most out of his players. 28 | LAKE CITIES LIVING
| February 2020
“Defense and pitching will be extremely important, but this was a talented team that was well-coached last year,” Haney said. “They went four rounds, and they have that expectation that they can go out there and do it again. It’s a next-man-up mentality, and they have a chance to make a lot of noise.” The 2020 campaign has already started for the Falcons, who will be knee-deep in tournament play for the next month before District 8-5A action gets underway on March 17 against Justin Northwest. The district schedule again includes the likes of The Colony, Braswell, Ryan, Denton, and Little Elm. “The first several months have been great for me here at Lake Dallas, especially getting to know these kids and who we have coming back. The community support has been amazing, too. Everyone is a Falcon here, and that’s great to see,” Haney said. “At this point, we’re just ready to go out there and play some baseball.” www.LakeCitiesLiving.com
