For Palestine seniors Taylor Black, Logan Brown and Nathan Perkins, this past week has been something they’ve been waiting on for years.
Baseball practice in the month of May is something not seen at Wildcat Field for the past seven seasons, and something not really considered during the trio’s career.
But there they were, along with their teammates, practicing Tuesday — May 1.
Why? Because for the first time in seven years, the Palestine baseball team is playoff bound.
“Words cannot describe how happy I am,” Brown said. “We had high expectations (for this season).”
The Wildcats take on China Spring beginning Thursday, when Game 1 of the two teams’ three-game series kicks off at Wildcat Field.
It’s been a tough road for this year’s seniors, who won five games during their freshmen and sophomore years, combined.
But, things began to turn around some last season.
“I try not to take any credit, it’s (the players’) hard work,” PHS coach Joey Mason said. “I’m coaching the same way I’ve coached the last three years here. It’s seen them progress and advance.”
The Wildcats made a late-season run during district play, and were a win away from forcing a one-game playoff for a shot at getting back to the postseason.
“We’ve put in more hard work and it seems like everyone’s a bit more focused this year,” Black said.
That win didn’t come in 2011. In 2012, it did.
Palestine beat Fairfield, 5-3, Thursday in a one-game playoff to get into the playoffs, and now they plan on making the most of their opportunity.
“I think we can make a big run,” Perkins said. “We’ve got to throw strikes, play defense and hit the ball.”
That won’t come easy against the Cougars, who are ranked No. 22 by 3Abaseball.com, and who send ace Sterling Wynn — a Baylor-commit — to the mound Thursday.
But, Mason said he’s told his team that it’s a three-game series for a reason, and not to get too high or too low after just one game.
“This is a series. One game does not dictate what happens in a series,” Mason said. “Regardless of what happens in Game 1, you’ve still got to go win one or two games on Friday.
“That’s been our focus the whole second round of district, when we started playing so well. We play one game at a time and play that game, then worry about the next one.”
One player taking advantage of every game is Brown, who saw last season just what it was like to have baseball taken away from him.
Brown injured his knee just before baseball season began, and missed the whole season. That meant as his teammates were fighting for a playoff spot, he had to sit back and just watch.
“It was real tough,” Brown said. “Especially when it went down to the wire, knowing you couldn’t help your team out when they needed you most.”
As all three players reflected back on those early years, it’s easy to see that things were, at times, tough. Though none of the three ever doubted this year’s team, they all said that there were times in the early years when they wondered if the playoffs were ever in their futures.
“I didn’t think we would (get to the playoffs) at all,” Perkins says now, looking back. “We were pretty bad.”
The last time Palestine made the playoffs, the trio were in fifth grade. Pitcher and catcher Ryan Zavala, who’ll start on the mound Thursday, was in second grade. Even PHS pitching coach Austin Evans was still in high school.
Now, Black, Brown and Perkins are hoping that the team’s young nucleus of players can keep these May practices happening year after year.
“When times get hard, keep your head up,” Black said when asked what he tells younger players. “The game’s not over until the last out of the seventh inning. Just have confidence.”
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Sports editor Justin Rains can be reached via email at jrains@palestineherald.com
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