New players no problem for Tigers
Katy graduated 14 players last year, and more than half of them went on to play college baseball.
That didn’t stop this year’s club from starting 14-0.
The streaking Tigers still were undefeated going into their District 19-6A opener against Katy Taylor.
“It’s been great,” coach Tom McPherson said. “The kids have played really well.
“We’ve had good pitching and timely hitting and probably the best defensive infield we’ve had in a long time, and yes, it’s been a surprise.”
Now the goal is to keep it going even as the pressure mounts with each victory.
The Tigers were 10-0-2 at one point last season, but they went 8-6 in district, leaving them in third place.
“It’s in their minds and everything, but we’ve told them the preseason’s preseason,” McPherson said.
“It doesn’t mean a thing.”
That’s especially true in this district, where it seems everyone is playing well.
After opening against standout pitcher Trey Morris, a TCU signee, and Taylor on Tuesday, the Tigers next face a surging Mayde Creek club.
“A lot of our teams in our district are really playing well this season,” McPherson said.
“Seven Lakes is playing extremely well, Strake ( Jesuit) is undefeated, so they’re playing extremely well, Mayde Creek is having one of their best seasons, and of course Cinco (Ranch) is always playing well.
“Our district is pretty good from top to bottom, so we’ve got to be ready to play every game.”
Pitcher Dane Haveman, Katy’s No. 1 starter the last few years, leads the team with a 3-0 record on the mound.
But he has plenty of help.
Sophomore Coy Cobb is 3-0, Garrett Doiron is 2-0 and closer Keaton Denzer has four saves.
Defensively, middle infielders J.J. Padilla, a junior, and Hayden Ebrecht, a sophomore, are leading the way.
“We’ve already turned more double plays this year thanwe did the entire season last year,” McPherson said.
Senior leadoff Hayden Baker, who’s also 2-0 on the mound, is hitting nearly .600 on the season, Ebrecht is at .488, and cleanup Matt Solomon leads the team in RBIs, helping Katy hit .388 as a group.
“We’ve really hit the ball extremely well,” McPherson said.