Baseball, softball kick off in cold temps

As basketball comes to a close, baseball and softball season is just beginning to heat up – metaphorically speaking. Despite the cold blasts plaguing south Texas, the teams have continued to practice and participate in scrimmages in order to gear up for the upcoming season.

“To keep the boys from getting hurt, we make sure they take their time stretching and run them a little bit more in the cold weather,” head baseball coach George Villa said. “And with the addition of coach Oropeza, we’ve been able to really individualize our workouts, which has helped us a lot in the pre season.”

Both the Warhorses and Arabians endured the cold this past weekend in their respective tournaments, both of which were cancelled on Saturday, the last day of play. The boys, who were set to face Sinton in the championship game of the Pleasanton tournament, now share the title with the Pirates.

“Playing in the 30 degree weather was pretty intense,” senior James Pompa said. “Being able overcome that obstacle and still do well in our tournament was a big thing for us.”

The ladies, however, had one tournament under their belts before their Three Rivers tournament was called off. The previous weekend, they played in the Navarro tournament.

“The tournaments we’ve been playing in are really benefitting us by letting us know what needs work,” senior Shelby Ortiz said. “This way, we know all the small things that need fixing and fine-tuning.”

Next up for the Arabians is the Seguin tournament, which starts on Thurs. March 5 and continue into Sat. March 7. The Warhorses will play on their home turf in the annual Devine Invitational this week, which will also start on Thursday.

“We’re hoping to continue the success we’ve had so far,” Pompa said. “The teamwork is always a big part of it, and we plan to show those other teams just how a team works together at our tournament.”