Jaguars breaking barriers one at a time
Emery/Weiner records breakout season with first postseason trip
Emery/Weiner has endured its share of nearmisses in its long-running quest to reach the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Division 4A baseball playoffs.
“We missed it my first season by a game and, my second year, we lost a (district) play-in game for the last spot,” said Emery/Weiner head baseball coach Adrian Adams. “Last year we took a step backwards. We graduated a lot of seniors and were rebuilding, but we were still disappointed.”
This season, Emery/ Weiner was out of excuses – and patience – and the Jaguars did something about it, securing the school’s first-ever baseball postseason appearance.
It didn’t come down to the final regular season game, either. Emery/Weiner finished strong, tying Northland Christian for second place in TAPPS Division 4A-District 5 with a 9-5 league mark and claiming the No. 2 seed by virtue of a sweep of the Cougars.
Emery/Weiner’s most significant victories were a 3-2 win over Lutheran South and a 5-3, extra-inning triumph against Fort Bend Christian, a game in which the Jaguars blew a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning before pulling it out in the 10th.
“We just wanted to make the playoffs. We weren’t expecting to be district runner-up, but we beat Northland twice,” Adams said. “We probably overachieved a little bit.”
Emery/Weiner, which posted a .500 record (1515-1), probably was a year ahead of schedule, with no seniors in the starting line-up and only one off the bench.
That took away some of the sting of the Jaguars’ 2-0 loss at Austin Hyde Park 2-0 in a TAPPS Division 4A bi-district playoff game.
“Austin Hyde Park was in the state championship game last year and had a lot of players back. Plus, they were at home,” Adams said. “I was proud of how our kids competed. What’s exciting is we return everyone next season.”
Junior third baseman/ pitcher Evan Sack and junior pitcher/first baseman Jacob Grzebinski led the way for Emery/Weiner. Sack and Grzebinski were voted as co-team most valuable players and earned first-team all-district honors.
Sack, an early commit to Florida International University, hit .370 with 10 doubles, one triple, six homers, 29 RBI, 22 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and a .471 on-base percentage. On the mound, he was 2-2 with a 2.59 earned run average.
“Evan didn’t pitch as much as he did his sophomore year, but he did an excellent job at third base,” Adams said. “Evan also hit in the high .300s with six homers out of the No. 3 hole. He was definitely one of our most productive players.”
Grzebinski’s numbers were solid, too. Offensively, Grzebinski delivered nine doubles and 13 RBI, but he saved his best for the mound, going 7-3 (including 4-1 in district) with a 2.84 ERA, three complete games and 62 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. Grzebinski turned in a pair of 11-strikeout performances in wins against Northland Christian and Lutheran South.
“Jacob was our No. 1 pitcher and won some important games for us,” Adams said. “Jacob was sharp in our playoff game against Austin Hyde Park. He only allowed one earned run. Unfortunately, we didn’t give him any run support.”
Junior shortstop Michael Ran and sophomore second baseman/pitcher Ben Blachman each made second-team all-district.
Ran hit .316 with four doubles, a triple, 20 RBI, 21 runs and a team-high 18 stolen bases. Blachman had a .306 average with a homer, 19 runs and 11 stolen bases. Pitching-wise, he tallied 39 strikeouts and hurled a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts against Westbury Christian.
“Michael was our cleanup hitter and always came through when we needed a big hit,” Adams said. “Ben is only a 10th-grader, but he played with a lot maturity.”
Honorable mention alldistrict picks were junior center fielder/third baseman Jordan Hudson (27 runs), sophomore pitcher/ first baseman/outfielder Joe Sondock (.284, 18 RBI, 21 runs, four wins and two saves on the mound), sophomore catcher Coby Lowenstein and freshman designated hitter Ethan Samuels (.341). Hudson shared the most-improved player award with Blachman.
Rounding out the starters were sophomore Ryan Tiras and junior Garrett Glover in left and right field, respectively.
Utility player Myles Henson, the lone senior, came off the bench, filling in at second base, in the outfield and as a designated hitter.
Adams is optimistic about the future, with Emery/Weiner a legitimate contender for the district title and a second straight playoff trip in 2017.
“We had a lot of sophomores and juniors on the field this year,” Adams said. “Hypothetically, we should be a lot better. I’m looking forward to it.”
Tennis second
Emery/Weiner continued its proud tennis tradition, with the boys placing third in Division 4A at the TAPPS State Tennis Tournament at the Waco Regional Tennis Center last month.
The boys doubles duo of seniors Collin Hecht and Sam Stewart defended their state title, beating Ben Clements and Conner Cooper of Tyler All Saints 6-3, 6-3 in the finals. Hecht and Stewart didn’t drop a set and allowed only 15 games in four matches.
Emery/Weiner head tennis coach Dave Green believes Hecht and Stewart, who will compete collegiately at the University of Nebraska, deserve a special place in the program’s rich history.
“Collin and Sam were two-time state champs and they made it to state all four years,” Green said. “They both had incredible careers at Emery/Weiner.”
The Jaguars sent a second team to state, with senior Greg Holste and sophomore Zack Pokroy losing their opener to Connor Velasco and Zach Herrera of Victoria St. Joseph 7-5, 6-0.
Emery/Weiner didn’t have a representative in boys singles, but that’s only because sophomore Michael Barsky dropped out of the district tourney because of the flu.
“Michael won state as a freshman and had an excellent chance to do it again,” Green said. “If Michael had played at state, I think we would have first place as a team.”
On the girls’ side, sophomore Jillian Greenberg reached the girls singles semifinals. After allowing only seven games in her first two matches, Greenberg lost to eventual champ Danielle Quevado of Tyler Grace Community Christian 6-0, 6-0.
“Jillian went 34-4 in girls singles her first two years, including 17-2 as a sophomore,” Green said. “Jillian has proven she’s one of the top players in TAPPS.”
Senior Lauren Schoen and junior Bethany Yeh competed in girls doubles, bowing out against Christine Schrader and Riley Carter of Austin St. Michael’s 6-1, 6-1 in the second round.
Green said it was a tremendous season for Emery/Weiner, which won a combined TAPPS Division 4A-District 5 title. In addition to the Jaguars’ seven state qualifiers, junior Ian Arzt and sophomore Megan Haas won matches in boys and girls singles to make it possible.
“It was definitely a total team effort,” Green said.