Nick Cerda, who will be a senior at Lehman next season, was named the second-team Class 4A All-State shortstop by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. He led the Lobo baseball team in almost every major offensive category as a junior, batting .449 with a Central Texas leading 10 homers and 47 runs batted in this season. (Photo by Judy Cooper)
by JASON GORDON
Lehman couldn’t have picked a better representative for its first All-State player.
Nick Cerda, who will be a senior next season and led the Lobo baseball team in almost every major offensive category as a junior, was named the second-team Class 4A All-State shortstop by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Cerda batted .449 with a Central Texas leading 10 homers and 47 runs batted in this season.
He helped lead Lehman to its first two playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011.
“This is definitely a huge honor for Nick, our baseball program and our school,” Lehman head baseball coach Toby Robinson said. “It shows the direction we’re going as a team. You see some of the other guys that made All-State on teams that went three or four rounds deep in the playoffs and to the state tournament. To be honored by coaches around the state says a lot.”
Cerda was also an Academic All-District performer.
“He’s the perfect example of a student-athlete,” Robinson said. “He put in a lot of late nights not only working on his baseball game but on his studies. His hard work in and out of the classroom is what got him to where he is now.”
Cerda said he was honored when he learned he made All-State.
“It was a great feeling, but I think it’s more of a team award,” Cerda said. “I’m glad something like this helps put Lehman on the map. It feels real good to be able to do something for your school and your program. I hope this helps show what Lehman is all about.”
Robinson said Cerda is the kind of player who can change a game at any time.
“He’s just a total team player,” Robinson said. “If we need him to drive in runs he can hit a home run or a double into the gap. If we need him to get on base he does that. He even sacrifice bunted when we needed him to move guys on the base pads in the first game against Hays this year and that helped us take the lead.”
Lehman third baseman/pitcher Justin Vajgert said Cerda was deserving of the honor.
“I’m real happy for him,” Vajgert said. “He does a lot for our team. He’s a guy a lot of the younger players look up to as a role model. Nick deserved this.”
Robinson said he challenged Cerda to not get complacent after being named All-State as a junior.
“A lot of guys stop working when they do well as juniors and don’t have good years as seniors,” Robinson said. “Nick promised me he’s not going to stop working.”
Cerda said there’s no chance he won’t be motivated as a senior.
“Next year my goal is to be first-team All-State,” Cerda said. “My goal has always been to work hard, be a team player and let everything fall into place and that’s not going to change.”
