Alright folks, so I spent my whole weekend at the Calallen Baseball Tournament field, trying to figure out who’s seriously bringing the heat this year. Grabbed my dusty lawn chair and thermos, parked behind home plate for like 12 hours straight both days.
First thing I did:
Made a beeline for the snack bar where all the coaches huddle. Overpriced hot dogs turned into great convo starters. Coach Martinez from Coastal Bend kept stressing how “pitching wins championships,” while that new assistant from Harlingen South kept bragging about their leadoff hitter’s stealing stats.
Scouting method? Simple:
- Jotted notes in my beat-up scorebook till my hand cramped
- Timed every fastball with this old stopwatch app on my phone
- Cornered parents during bathroom breaks like a creep asking “How many homers junior hit this season?”
The real contenders emerged by Saturday afternoon:
Veterans Memorial Patriots – Their catcher Ramirez blocked wild pitches like a human wall. Saw him gun down three runners at second, barehanded a bunt and threw to first while sitting in the dirt. Absolute madness.
Ray Texans – Lefty pitcher Davis? Kid throws a 92mph fastball that sounds like a shotgun blast. But his changeup made two batters swing so early they nearly twisted their ankles. Parents behind me were screaming “THAT’S MY BOY!” every five minutes.
Gregory-Portland Wildcats – Shortstop Garcia covers more ground than my neighbor’s lawnmower. Saw him backhand a liner up the middle, then did this pirouette throw to first. Bench went nuts spraying sunflower seeds everywhere.
Sunday’s championship shocker?
Underdog King Mustangs won it all after their third baseman – skinny kid named Thompson – cranked a walk-off grand slam. Nearly broke the scoreboard with that hit. Whole team dogpiled him at home plate like wild animals. My eardrums haven’t recovered from the screaming.
Final takeaway? Nobody dominated like Veterans’ defense, but King proved momentum beats paper stats any day. Might switch to tracking community college players next week – if my sunburned neck heals by Tuesday.