Be_Advised
05-21-2015, 04:50 PM
Via CC Caller Times
The signs of success on the outfield walls at the Sinton and Robstown baseball fields are reminders of the past as well of the expectations that come with wearing the uniforms of the two schools.
The two South Texas baseball powers have combined for 14 state tournament appearances since 1975 and have won a combined five state championships.
But with all that history, all that tradition and all the years of relying on fundamental baseball for success, these two storied programs have never met in the postseason.
That will change this week. The two programs will face off in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal series, beginning with Game 1 at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cabaniss Baseball Field, and for both teams, and the towns they represent, it is just one more story to add to the legends of both programs.
“Both of us are powerhouse schools, known for baseball,” said Robstown junior pitcher and shortstop Jesse Ray Garcia. “We are expected to win every year and go deep every year in the playoffs. Our community really counts on us, and we just play our hearts out, and play with a great urgency.”
The two squads have been in the same district twice since Robstown dropped a classification during the 2008 realignment. They even shared a district championship two years ago, but didn’t meet in the postseason that year.
This season, though, it was almost destined for the two powers to see each other in the playoffs.
Robstown (23-4) won the program’s 27th district championship this season, while Sinton (17-10) had to turn on the jets just to get into the playoffs as the fourth seed, finishing the year winning six of the final seven district games.
That lone loss in that stretch was to the Cotton Pickers on April 7 to start the second half of the district season. In fact, Robstown swept the Pirates during District 31-4A play this season, adding some more intrigue to what will already be an intense series.
“Some of the players are surprised with where we are now, but I knew we all had it in us,” said Sinton senior center fielder and pitcher John Jacob Perez. “I knew what the team had, and we had to come together as one team. It’s going to be an interesting series, with lots of noise, lots of base hits and everything is going to be exciting.”
Both teams have relied on pitching and defense to get them to this point. Robstown has been a little more consistent in both of those categories this season, as Robstown’s pitching staff is among the deepest in the region in Class 4A, and that staff helped the Pickers finish a wild and woolly 31-4A campaign with a 13-1 mark.
But as the season progressed, Sinton’s pitchers kept it in games, while the offense and defense caught up. Now, the Pirates, who returned three regular players off last season’s state tournament-qualifying team, aren’t making the same mistakes defensively, and the pitching is just as good, or better, than it was in March.
“We made more than our fair share of mistakes both physical and mental early in the year due to our inexperience,” Sinton coach Gene Kaspryzk said. “We have minimized the mistakes over the last month or so. Baseball is a game of failure, and when you make mistakes you fail. When you have those things happen, you have to deal with them. We are dealing with mistakes a lot better.”
This will certainly be a series where one mistake could cost a team a game, or even the series. But both teams don’t make many mistakes and are so focused on taking care of the little things that having those mistakes will be rare. But when they do happen, both teams know they have to pounce.
“This series will feature a lot of great baseball, and well-coached baseball,” said Robstown coach Elias Vasquez. “(Kaspryzk) covers all the little things, and so do we. We prepare our kids for every situation that can happen in a game.”
What will be tough to prepare for is the hype and crowds that will be expected for this series. Overflow crowds will be likely, and the two teams will be playing not only for themselves and the tradition of their programs, but also their towns.
It’s a combination that has the potential for something that people will talk about for years to come.
“When you play someone that has so much tradition like you do, and the fan support, and the media, just everything,” Vasquez said, “the expectations are pretty high, and it’s going to be an intense series. You can’t play it down, you try to, but you just can’t.”
ROBSTOWN (23-4) VS. SINTON (17-10)
Round: Region IV-4A quarterfinals
Format: Best-of-three series
When: Game 1, 7 p.m. Thursday; Game 2, 7 p.m. Friday; Game 3 (if necessary), 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Cabaniss Baseball Field
Admission: $5 for adults; $3 for students
Sinton and Robstown meet for the first time in the playoffs this week in a Region IV-4A quarterfinal series.
Here are three things to watch for in the series
PITCHING WILL BE SPOTLIGHTED
Both squads have relied on their pitching in the postseason so far. Robstown’s staff has relied on junior Jesse Garcia and Elias Rodriguez for much of this season and has had to use only those two during the first two rounds of the playoffs. But coach Elias Vasquez is confident in his No. 3 pitcher, Justin Ruiz and other pitchers on the staff if there is a Game 3.
Sinton, meanwhile, has relied on the arm of sophomore Jordan Martinez and freshman Mason Hopkins. Throw in senior center fielder John Jacob Perez, and you have a solid trio of starters for the Pirates.
Runs will come at a premium in this series.
Get ready for small ball
If you’re a fan of home runs and lots of hits, this series may not be for you. Neither team has that masher that can change a game, but both teams can bunt, steal bases and move runners with the hit-and-run. And both teams rarely make mistakes leading to extra outs.
It will be intense
Both towns likely will come out in full force this week to watch the games, and the players will be amped up. How each team handles those emotions will be something to pay attention to in this series.
BY THE NUMBERS
14
Combined state tournament appearances for Sinton and Robstown
5
Combined state championships won by the two schools. Sinton won in 1988, 1989 and 2002, and Robstown won back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992.
The signs of success on the outfield walls at the Sinton and Robstown baseball fields are reminders of the past as well of the expectations that come with wearing the uniforms of the two schools.
The two South Texas baseball powers have combined for 14 state tournament appearances since 1975 and have won a combined five state championships.
But with all that history, all that tradition and all the years of relying on fundamental baseball for success, these two storied programs have never met in the postseason.
That will change this week. The two programs will face off in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal series, beginning with Game 1 at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cabaniss Baseball Field, and for both teams, and the towns they represent, it is just one more story to add to the legends of both programs.
“Both of us are powerhouse schools, known for baseball,” said Robstown junior pitcher and shortstop Jesse Ray Garcia. “We are expected to win every year and go deep every year in the playoffs. Our community really counts on us, and we just play our hearts out, and play with a great urgency.”
The two squads have been in the same district twice since Robstown dropped a classification during the 2008 realignment. They even shared a district championship two years ago, but didn’t meet in the postseason that year.
This season, though, it was almost destined for the two powers to see each other in the playoffs.
Robstown (23-4) won the program’s 27th district championship this season, while Sinton (17-10) had to turn on the jets just to get into the playoffs as the fourth seed, finishing the year winning six of the final seven district games.
That lone loss in that stretch was to the Cotton Pickers on April 7 to start the second half of the district season. In fact, Robstown swept the Pirates during District 31-4A play this season, adding some more intrigue to what will already be an intense series.
“Some of the players are surprised with where we are now, but I knew we all had it in us,” said Sinton senior center fielder and pitcher John Jacob Perez. “I knew what the team had, and we had to come together as one team. It’s going to be an interesting series, with lots of noise, lots of base hits and everything is going to be exciting.”
Both teams have relied on pitching and defense to get them to this point. Robstown has been a little more consistent in both of those categories this season, as Robstown’s pitching staff is among the deepest in the region in Class 4A, and that staff helped the Pickers finish a wild and woolly 31-4A campaign with a 13-1 mark.
But as the season progressed, Sinton’s pitchers kept it in games, while the offense and defense caught up. Now, the Pirates, who returned three regular players off last season’s state tournament-qualifying team, aren’t making the same mistakes defensively, and the pitching is just as good, or better, than it was in March.
“We made more than our fair share of mistakes both physical and mental early in the year due to our inexperience,” Sinton coach Gene Kaspryzk said. “We have minimized the mistakes over the last month or so. Baseball is a game of failure, and when you make mistakes you fail. When you have those things happen, you have to deal with them. We are dealing with mistakes a lot better.”
This will certainly be a series where one mistake could cost a team a game, or even the series. But both teams don’t make many mistakes and are so focused on taking care of the little things that having those mistakes will be rare. But when they do happen, both teams know they have to pounce.
“This series will feature a lot of great baseball, and well-coached baseball,” said Robstown coach Elias Vasquez. “(Kaspryzk) covers all the little things, and so do we. We prepare our kids for every situation that can happen in a game.”
What will be tough to prepare for is the hype and crowds that will be expected for this series. Overflow crowds will be likely, and the two teams will be playing not only for themselves and the tradition of their programs, but also their towns.
It’s a combination that has the potential for something that people will talk about for years to come.
“When you play someone that has so much tradition like you do, and the fan support, and the media, just everything,” Vasquez said, “the expectations are pretty high, and it’s going to be an intense series. You can’t play it down, you try to, but you just can’t.”
ROBSTOWN (23-4) VS. SINTON (17-10)
Round: Region IV-4A quarterfinals
Format: Best-of-three series
When: Game 1, 7 p.m. Thursday; Game 2, 7 p.m. Friday; Game 3 (if necessary), 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Cabaniss Baseball Field
Admission: $5 for adults; $3 for students
Sinton and Robstown meet for the first time in the playoffs this week in a Region IV-4A quarterfinal series.
Here are three things to watch for in the series
PITCHING WILL BE SPOTLIGHTED
Both squads have relied on their pitching in the postseason so far. Robstown’s staff has relied on junior Jesse Garcia and Elias Rodriguez for much of this season and has had to use only those two during the first two rounds of the playoffs. But coach Elias Vasquez is confident in his No. 3 pitcher, Justin Ruiz and other pitchers on the staff if there is a Game 3.
Sinton, meanwhile, has relied on the arm of sophomore Jordan Martinez and freshman Mason Hopkins. Throw in senior center fielder John Jacob Perez, and you have a solid trio of starters for the Pirates.
Runs will come at a premium in this series.
Get ready for small ball
If you’re a fan of home runs and lots of hits, this series may not be for you. Neither team has that masher that can change a game, but both teams can bunt, steal bases and move runners with the hit-and-run. And both teams rarely make mistakes leading to extra outs.
It will be intense
Both towns likely will come out in full force this week to watch the games, and the players will be amped up. How each team handles those emotions will be something to pay attention to in this series.
BY THE NUMBERS
14
Combined state tournament appearances for Sinton and Robstown
5
Combined state championships won by the two schools. Sinton won in 1988, 1989 and 2002, and Robstown won back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992.