Coming off a 10-13 overall record, 6-6 district performance and first-round playoff exit in his first full season as head coach, Brownwood third-year skipper Brian Harris expects the Lions to make more noise in the 6-4A baseball race in 2022.
The Lions open their season at 6 p.m. Thursday at Morris Southall Field as they welcome the Andrews Mustangs to open the Brown County Invitational.
“Last year was below expectation for me,” Harris said on a recent Brownwood Lions Coach’s Show on KOXE radio. “We ended up 10-13 last year. We did make the playoffs but were 6-6 in district. We were one and done in bi-district after we ran up against a tough Iowa Park team. There’s lot of great memories from last year, a lot of good seniors that did a good job of leading us. It was just another step toward where we want our program to be. We’ve got some seniors coming back this year and some juniors that were sophomores last year that have a better idea of what we want and our expectations, and we’re excited about it.”
Among the key contributors for the Lions will be 2021 first-team all-district pitcher Gavin Brandstetter, honorable mention all-district catcher Logan Posey,
Jakob Hataway, who missed last year due to injury, Aidan Howard, David Turner, Cole Miller, Jake Reeves, Kaden Bessent, Case Markham and move-in Kyle Ivy.
Brandstetter anchors a pitching staff that Harris described as the “highlight of the offseason.”
I’m really excited about these guys,” Harris continued. “The way the UIL restructured things with pitching, everybody’s got to throw. You have to have arms so we’re developing some guys that some people may not expect to see on the mound, but you’ve got to have that help.
Among those expected to see significant time on the mound, Harris said, “Gavin is looking really good. His velocity is going to get there, we still have some work to do getting arms in shape, but he does bring experience. We’re looking forward to seeing what Aidan Howard does for us, he was a JV player for us and had a phenomenal offseason.
“Some guys that were able to get varsity experience last year were David Turner, he’s very efficient, he’s around the strike zone, throws a lot of off-speed, he can throw it in any count, and we like that. Cole Miller, he’s a big, power arm and we’re looking forward to his contribution. Logan Posey is going to have to log some innings for us and he’s anchor for us behind the plate.
Regarding others who can emerge on the mound, Harris said. “We got a move-in, Kyle Ivy, from Early. There’s a lot of upside there and we’re looking forward to what he brings to us. We’ve got one left-hander that has a chance to help us out, Jake Reeves. We’re also looking forward to getting Jakob Hataway back. He didn’t play last year, was injured. We’re looking forward to having his leadership and his abilities, he’s very athletic. Case Markham got a lot of of work last year and we’re looking forward to what he can bring. He’ll pitch a little bit as well.”
Leading the charge offensively will be Brandstetter, Posey, Miller, Bessent, Markham and Hataway, according to Harris.
Regarding the strengths of the group, Harris said, “I expect a lot of leadership. We’ve only got three seniors – Kaden Bessent, Kyle Ivy, and Jakob Hataway – but at the same time I’ve been with a lot of these kids for a couple of years now and some of them are baseball only kids. I’ve had the opportunity to set the foundation of what we’re going to be about going forward with our program. I’m looking for leadership, that’s the main thing. If they’ll continue to work hard and buy into what we’re coaching, I think we’re going to be fine.”
Harris has revamped his pre-district scheduling philosophy in an effort to better prepare the Lions for the 12-game District 6-4A slate.
“At the end of last year, I told the kids what we did, it didn’t work being under .500 going into the playoffs,” Harris said. “I didn’t like that way that ended so I said we’re going to restructure everything. I redid the schedule, and we have a little tougher schedule. We’ve got three tournaments, we’ve got some Saturday games this year, some tougher teams are coming in, we just want to be more competitive. We’re going to play nine games then we start district, so we’re going to need those early games and hopefully the weather will cooperate with us.”
As for the 6-4A race, Stephenville is coming off a run to the state tournament while Gatesville returns to the bulk of its roster. Glen Rose and Lampasas are also expected to field solid teams.
“Stephenville is solid, they’re going to be there,” Harris said. “They’ve got that experience from making the run to state last year. Gatesville has everybody back along with the addition of one or two from the JV. We’re looking for a lot of competition from them and Lampasas. And Glen Rose has a new coach from Celina, which has a lot of baseball tradition.”
Brownwood Lions 2022 Varsity Baseball Schedule
| Feb. 24 | Andrews | 6 p.m. |
| Feb. 25 | Perryton | 4:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 25 | Giddings | 7 p.m. |
| Feb. 26 | Lake View | 2 p.m. |
| Feb. 26 | Breckenridge | 4:30 p.m. |
| March 3 | Waxahachie Life (at Glen Rose) | 2 p.m. |
| March 3 | Decatur (at Glen Rose) | 7 p.m. |
| March 4 | Ponder (at Godley) | 9 a.m. |
| March 4 | Krum (at Godley) | 4:30 p.m. |
| March 8 | Glen Rose* | 7 p.m. |
| March 10 | at Boyd | 6 p.m. |
| March 11 | Grandview (at Boyd) | 11:15 a.m. |
| March 11 | Tolar (at Boyd) | 6 p.m. |
| March 12 | Bridgeport (at Boyd) | 9 a.m. |
| March 15 | at Lampasas* | 7 p.m. |
| March 18 | Gatesville* | 7 p.m. |
| March 25 | at Stephenville* | 7 p.m. |
| March 26 | Mineral Wells | 1:30 p.m. |
| March 29 | at Glen Rose* | 7 p.m. |
| April 1 | Glen Rose* | 7 p.m. |
| April 2 | Graham | 2 p.m. |
| April 5 | Lampasas* | 7 p.m. |
| April 8 | at Lampasas* | 7 p.m. |
| April 12 | at Gatesville* | 7 p.m. |
| April 14 | Gatesville* | 7 p.m. |
| April 22 | Trinity Christian | 7:30 p.m. |
| April 23 | Trinity Christian | 2 p.m. |
| April 26 | Stephenville* | 7 p.m. |
| April 29 | at Stephenville* | 7 p.m. |
* District 6-4A Game