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Tag: Coach Mike Rogers

Lake Travis to Replace Two Draft Picks Look to Make Another Round Rock Run

Written by Greg Sherman on . Posted in High School Baseball.

AUSTIN – In the 2019 6A semifinals against Southlake Carroll, Lake Travis was able to do what few teams did in the knockout rounds: force Southlake Carroll to work hard to win.  Future MLB draft pick Brett Baty kept the Cavaliers in the match until the 6th inning when his pitch count went over.  Once that happened and he had to leave, the Dragons scored 4 runs late to beat the Cavs and went on to win their 2nd straight 6A title.  With Baty (New York Mets), and Jimmy Lewis (Dodgers) now in the minors, the Cavs will look to their pitching depth to make another run to Round Rock.

Mike Rogers begins his 7th year as manager at Lake Travis and his 39th season overall with a good chance to hit 750 wins in his career and will have 7 starters returning from that 2019 squad.

“You cant replace a Brett Baty or a Jimmy Lewis but the kids are accustomed to pressure,” said Lewis.  Their returnees include shortstop Parker Guerin, and pitchers Storm Hierholzer, Kal Edmunson and Alec Grossman.  Those 3 along with 4 others are already committed to play college ball with many at the D1 level.  The first order of business will be to defend their 25-6A title against tough competition headed up by friendly rival Austin Westlake who almost upset 2-time defending finalist San Antonio Reagan in round 3.

“J.T. (Blair) is an outstanding coach and has done a good job building the program,” said Rogers.  “They made a big jump last year and with J.T. at the helm, it will be a dog fight for the district championship this year.”

Region 4 is filled with top teams such as LT, Reagan, San Antonio Johnson, and Laredo Alexander.  They combined for 4 finals appearances and 7 semifinals.  Though none won the golden trapezoid.

“Region 4 has lots of top teams and are as good as anyone with outstanding pitching staffs,” said Lewis who has 722 career wins.

But all roads go through Southlake Carroll.  The Dragons have won the last 2 titles and if not for a balk call in the 2017 semifinal loss against Deer Park, they might be going for a 4-peat.

“Southlake Carroll is very talented.  Winning it back to back is super impressive and I think they are the favorites.  When you face that situation you have to rely on pitching.  It is unusual at the high school level to have 9 batters you have to game plan for.  They have power and they have pitching and they stress your pitching.”

While the season wont start until late February, Lake Travis and Reagan will scrimmage February 15th at Wolff Stadium in San Antonio.  The UIL baseball semis and finals are scheduled for June 10-13 in Round Rock and Austin.

Greg Sherman is a freelance writer for Texas Sports Monthly.  Check out his Youtube channel youtube.com/user/buckeyesooner82

Cavs Baseball Future Bright

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in High School Baseball.

The 2019 baseball season appears to be the gift that keeps on giving for the Lake Travis Cavaliers.

Even as the highly-powered Cavs prepare to unveil another gridiron powerhouse, the ink on the final list of accolades from the diamond has barely had time to dry. 

Following a 37-5 overall campaign and a trip to the Class 6A state tournament in Round Rock, Lake Travis recently received word that four players — Brett Baty, Jimmy Lewis, Kal Edmundson and Austin Plante — had earned postseason honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA).

Baty headlined the quartet by being named the 2019 TSWA player of the year. The third baseman batted .602 with 19 home runs this past season and was also selected 12th overall by the New York Mets in the 2019 MLB draft.

Lewis and Edmunson, both pitchers, landed on the TSWA first team.

Brett Baty, a third baseman from Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, places his name on the draft board after being selected No. 12 by the New York Mets in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, Monday, June 3, 2019, in Secaucus, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Lewis, who was chosen 78th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2019 draft, compiled a 9-0 record with a minuscule 0.52 ERA and 83 strikeouts. Edmundson , a junior southpaw, went 5-0 this season with a 2.78 ERA and 26 punchouts en route to earning a first team nod as a reliever.

Plante, an outfielder, was selected to the TSWA second team after posting a batting average of .352 to go along with 38 runs scored, 38 RBIs and 11 doubles.

Lake Travis Baseball

Written by Daniel Jones on . Posted in High School Baseball.

Lake Travis one of the best baseball teams is set on winning a state championship

A year after losing in the 6A regional quarterfinals, Lake Travis High School’s baseball team has returned with a vengeance. At 27-3 (14-1 in District 25-6A) on the 2019 season, the Cavaliers, who are district champions and among the top teams in the state, have their eyes set on winning the whole thing. Lake Travis coach Mike Rogers said rankings aren’t at all important, because the school’s team has been ranked highly before, only to get knocked out of the playoffs prematurely.

“The purpose was not to maintain a ranking but to get ready for the playoffs,” he said. “Going in, there is no, ‘Hey, we have to do this now’ mentality. It’s just doing what we’ve been doing. We’re going to pitch really well, we’re going to play great defense. And we’re going to take advantage of offensive situations and try to put pressure on people.”

Coach Rogers said the team has increased its running game, amassing more than 100 stolen bases this spring, and also bunting the ball better than past years. But mostly his Cavaliers are strong on defensive and pitching. “We’re always going to be a pitching and defensive team first. You get in the playoffs, I think that’s the key,” he said. “You’re facing everybody’s number-one [pitcher], quality arms are solid there. So, we’ve done that. We’ve sure been blessed with offensive talent and just performed well throughout the season.”

Brett Baty at the Dell Diamond for our Photo-shoot with
Texas Sports Monthly. Photo: CJ Bills

Powerhouse seniors Brett Baty and Jimmy Lewis, and junior Storm Hierholzer, are the team’s top arms. Baty, also the team’s third baseman when he’s not on the mound, was named Gatorade Player of the Year last year when he hit .435 with 12 home runs. But he pitches consistently in the low 90s; although he has committed to play next year at UT, he is expected to be a first-round draft pick in June and will likely sign on to play professionally instead of attend college. Lewis, who also plays first base, throws in the mid-90s and has committed to play next year at LSU. He is also expected to be drafted pretty high, which may also encourage him to choose professional baseball over college. Lastly, Hierholzer, who has already signed on to play baseball at TCU, throws in the low 90s and is dominating in his own right.

And with strong pitching and defense, the team’s offense has been able to loosen up at the plate, often putting up football score-type games. Baty alone is hitting over .650 with about 50 RBIs and more than 15 home runs. “Obviously, we’re happy. I think the kids have embraced the early-season expectations and their own expectations as well,” coach Rogers said. “They’ve put a great effort forward, and [our record] is pretty nice. … We have the same routine every day. I think kids respond to that and get confidence in what they’re doing. It’s worked well for us.”

But the team is not invincible, as seen in the April 2, 9-5 loss at home to Akins, one of the worst teams in the district. Coach Rogers said he threw some different arms and wanted to see some non-starters get some playing time, although he said it’s not excuse. “It happens in baseball,” he said. “It didn’t work out. Also it was a wake-up call. Sometimes people think success is easy and take it for granted, so it kind of refocused us.”

Nonetheless, the team is focused on what it has to do to win a state championship in 6A. “We’re right where we thought they would be. It’s one of those things that really separates this bunch from earlier bunches as teams; is just the closeness as a unit. That’s something we talked about again in August, trying to maintain that bond and that cohesiveness and togetherness throughout the season. It’s easy to talk about; it’s hard to do sometimes when you’re playing more or not playing as much. But they’ve done a really good job of making sure that we stayed together.”