Eagles charting flight plan beyond loss
Falling at last step before state still stings, but Matthews has clear path for future
Atascocita’s playoff run came to a premature end last week.
The club’s slated best-ofthree regional finals series with Dallas Jesuit was reduced by inclement weather to one rain-interrupted game that began Friday and ended Saturday morning with a 9-1 loss.
“It’s still tough and it will continue to be that way,” coach Eric Matthews said Monday. “I thought we competed pretty well, and it was a less-than-ideal situation, with the rain and things that were out of our control. But they had to deal with the same stuff, and ultimately they handled it better than we did.”
A one-gamer is not the way to handle a regional final – or any playoff round in baseball.
But that’s what the Eagles were left with after waiting unsuccessfully for several hours for the weather to clear Friday.
“Baseball’s not the type of game that should be determined in one game,” Matthews said.
“It’s not that type of game and I’m a firm believer in series, but at the same time we were stuck in a situation where, due to the rules, that’s where we were.”
They were set up nicely for a series going in.
Junior Alden Blest started Game 1, junior Jonathan Petsch, who ended up finishing the contest Saturday, was slated to take the bump for Game 2, and senior Matt Willrodt was on tap for a Game 3.
“They’re three quality starters who give us a chance to win every time they take the ball, and I like that, but it didn’t work out like that,” Matthews said.
“There are a lot of woulda, coulda shouldas, but in the end it doesn’t really matter.”
Atascocita and Dallas Jesuit were tied 1-1 in the top of the second when Friday’s game was postponed to Saturday.
The Eagles ended up falling by eight runs, but it was much closer most of the way.
“I thought we were competing just fine, and really up until the sixth inning we were right in it,” Matthews said. “Then they laid down a two-strike squeeze and took the lead, 2-1, and things spiraled a little bit from there. But all in all we competed pretty well until the end, and that’s just baseball. “That’s how it goes.” Still, Matthews said he’s proud of the effort they put in all season, and throughout their playoff run, which included series sweeps of Montgomery, Pflugerville and Garland Naaman Forest in the regional semis.
They ousted Klein Collins in three games in the third round.
“Every run like this is special,” Matthews said. “It’s special for the boys who put in so much hard work, and every year is a little bit different, and how you get there, and the ride you have is a little bit different. But all things considered, it was pretty fun to watch what those boys were able to accomplish.”
Atascocita finished the season 28-9 overall and 10-2 in District 16-6A, giving them another district championship.
“They just competed,” Matthews said. “They had a will to find a way to win games, and that was one of the biggest things with this group.
“They were gritty and did whatever it took to try to win.”
Now they’re turning their attention toward the future, and how they’ll move forward without several key players.
The recently graduated class included Willrodt (Cisco College), catcher Anthony Tadaro (Goshen College), first baseman Adam Petersen (Temple College) and pitcher Jeb Zolman (Air Force).
“When it comes down to it, your team chemistry changes, whether you lose one or you lose 20, and every one for a different reason,” Matthews said.
“We had a lot of guys who were instrumental to our success, whether they played or not.”
Key returners include Blest, Petsch and shortstop Alerick Soularie, who all will be seniors.
“We’ve got a good group returning, and it’s just a matter of if they step up and take over those leadership roles and do what it takes to start it all over again,” Matthews said.