By Moses Leos III.
The 2013 Lehman High Lobos baseball season never fell short of exciting finishes. Eight of their 14 district games last year were decided by two runs or less.
Lehman Lobo senior pitcher and third baseman Mark Garcia begins to wind up during a practice session at Lehman High. With a team filled with experience, the Lobos look to make a return to the postseason in 2014. (Photo by Moses Leos III) |
However, with a record of 6-8 in district play and a 14-15 overall mark, the Lobos often couldn’t get on the winning end of those close games.
The Lobos look to change that in 2014 with a team brimming with experience.
Lehman returns eight starters, six of them seniors. They include a senior-laden outfield, led by Ryan Tello, and third baseman Mark Garcia on the infield. Lehman will be anchored by senior pitcher Justin Penney, who fills the shoes of 2013 27-4A MVP Hunter Lehman.
According to head coach Toby Robinson, Penney has worked to refine his game during the offseason.
“He’s been doing some fine tuning,” Robinson said. “[Penney] is an awesome pitcher that had some bad breaks. We’ve practiced so we can support him better than we did last year.”
For Garcia and Penney, cohesiveness within the group is paramount.
Penney said Robinson stressed an “all in” mentality, which the team adhered to. Having familiarity within the program will be an asset shared by the team.
“It’s good to know everyone [on the team],” Garcia said. “You know what everyone’s about and that everyone’s on the same page.”
Stronger communication skills on the field are also what Robinson hopes will advance the program. He believes having a team “as tight as they are” will help strengthen team solidarity.
For Penney, a higher sense of leadership may take precedence for the team.
“We lacked some leadership in past years,” Penney said. “This year, we have eight seniors and a few juniors. We have the leadership to help the new kids going into this year.”
The Lobos look to project their experience into a tough district. All four playoff-qualifying teams – Hays, Alamo Heights, Kerrville Tivy and Schertz Clemens – reached the third round or further in 2013.
Robinson said getting the team set up in the right direction will be a crucial task, from kick-starting the offense to finding a suitable relief pitcher for Penney.
“We will need to get the bats in the right direction [during district play],” he said. “We will try to get our wheels going in the same direction.”
Thus far in the preseason, Robinson said the team is working to shake off the rust.
But for Lehman, the goal is to end the year in much more pristine condition – with a playoff appearance.
“We want to get back to the playoffs,” Penney said.
