BASEBALL USA / H5AB TOP 10 PRIVATE SCHOOL WEEK #5
(03/29/10 8:11 PM)
1. Houston Christian
2. Westbury Christian
3. Second Baptist
4. Episcopal
5. St Pius
6. St Thomas
7. Lutheran North
8. Baytown Christian
9. Kelly
10. Northeast Christian
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Still ranked
The latest Baseball USA/Houston5ABaseball.com polls came out and we are still ranked at #8 in the region.
BASEBALL USA / H5AB TOP 10 PRIVATE SCHOOL WEEK #5
(03/29/10 8:11 PM)
1. Houston Christian
2. Westbury Christian
3. Second Baptist
4. Episcopal
5. St Pius
6. St Thomas
7. Lutheran North
8. Baytown Christian
9. Kelly
10. Northeast Christian
BASEBALL USA / H5AB TOP 10 PRIVATE SCHOOL WEEK #5
(03/29/10 8:11 PM)
1. Houston Christian
2. Westbury Christian
3. Second Baptist
4. Episcopal
5. St Pius
6. St Thomas
7. Lutheran North
8. Baytown Christian
9. Kelly
10. Northeast Christian
Saturday, March 27, 2010
BCA 9, Bay Area 8
A Cameron Johnson walk-off sacrifice fly helped the Bulldogs hold off a scrappy Bay Area team Friday 9-8. After building a 5-0 lead in the first inning, poor base-running and bouts of wildness on the mound caused what appeared to be headed for a mercy-rule shortened game into a hard-fought battle between these two rivals. Boogie Russell picked up the win in relief of Wesley Winn, and Ryan Bertram clubbed his fourth homerun of the season to lead the offensive attack.
Despite being able to put runners on base throughout the game, mental errors on the base paths ran us out of several rallies. Normally sound in the running game, this day seemed to be full of mistakes that seemed contagious. Despite the lapses, our proud warriors found a way to win despite the adversity and improved our record to 12-7. Great teams have to find a way to win despite continual wrenches being thrown in and our boys did that today. No matter what level of talent Bay Area has, they are going to give us their best effort and today was no different. Teams won't lay down and give us wins, and today was one of those days where we struggled, but ultimately the boys bit, scraped, and clawed their way to victory.
Ryan Bertram, Cameron Johnson, and Austin Wilson led the way offensively for the Bulldogs on a day when seven of the nine starters recorded at least one base hit. We are off until next Thursday when we travel to West Columbia for our first district game of the season and first-ever in TCAL.
Despite being able to put runners on base throughout the game, mental errors on the base paths ran us out of several rallies. Normally sound in the running game, this day seemed to be full of mistakes that seemed contagious. Despite the lapses, our proud warriors found a way to win despite the adversity and improved our record to 12-7. Great teams have to find a way to win despite continual wrenches being thrown in and our boys did that today. No matter what level of talent Bay Area has, they are going to give us their best effort and today was no different. Teams won't lay down and give us wins, and today was one of those days where we struggled, but ultimately the boys bit, scraped, and clawed their way to victory.
Ryan Bertram, Cameron Johnson, and Austin Wilson led the way offensively for the Bulldogs on a day when seven of the nine starters recorded at least one base hit. We are off until next Thursday when we travel to West Columbia for our first district game of the season and first-ever in TCAL.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Getting some recognition.
BASEBALL USA /H5AB TOP 10 PRIVATE SCHOOL WEEK #3 |
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Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Bridge City 8, BCA 3
Last night we drove East to Bridge City to take on the Cardinals, a regional semifinal team in 3A last year who returned the nucleus of that squad and are one of the favorites to contend for the 2010 state title. The Cardinals threw three tough pitchers on the evening and the Bulldog bats were held silent for most of the evening until a late rally fell short in the 7th, leaving the final tally at 8-3 in favor of the hosts. Bridge City combined an uber-aggressive approach at the plate with equally aggressive base running to score their runs and the Cardinal pitching and defense stifled our young lineup through six innings.
Things turned around in the top of the 7th, as Bridge City coach Chad Landry, a former collegiate teammate of BCA head coach Kade Johnson, brought in his ace Matt Hicks to close the game. Hicks is a true ace, sporting a 91+ mph fastball and a wicked exploding slider, and was named to the All-State team last season as a junior with a 1.60 ERA, 13 wins, and 136 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched. Not intimidated, our young sluggers furiously rallied for three base hits and a walk that combined with the first, and only, Cardinal error for a three-run rally. The rally was started by the bottom of the lineup, with freshman shortstop Tyler Beasley getting things started with a single through the right side of the infield. Beasley, Clay Wiseman (single), and Robert Russell (walk) all scored in the inning before Hicks slammed the door shut to end the comeback.
Clay Wiseman took the loss on the mound for the Bulldogs, pitching four innings, and Robert Russell tossed the final two frames to close the game out. Ryan Bertram, Tyler Wilson, and Cameron Johnson also recorded hits in the game, with Bertram tallying the only BCA stolen base of the game.
Next up is a matchup with long-time rival Bay Area Christian here in Baytown at 4:00 PM Friday, so come on out and enjoy some great baseball!
Things turned around in the top of the 7th, as Bridge City coach Chad Landry, a former collegiate teammate of BCA head coach Kade Johnson, brought in his ace Matt Hicks to close the game. Hicks is a true ace, sporting a 91+ mph fastball and a wicked exploding slider, and was named to the All-State team last season as a junior with a 1.60 ERA, 13 wins, and 136 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched. Not intimidated, our young sluggers furiously rallied for three base hits and a walk that combined with the first, and only, Cardinal error for a three-run rally. The rally was started by the bottom of the lineup, with freshman shortstop Tyler Beasley getting things started with a single through the right side of the infield. Beasley, Clay Wiseman (single), and Robert Russell (walk) all scored in the inning before Hicks slammed the door shut to end the comeback.
Clay Wiseman took the loss on the mound for the Bulldogs, pitching four innings, and Robert Russell tossed the final two frames to close the game out. Ryan Bertram, Tyler Wilson, and Cameron Johnson also recorded hits in the game, with Bertram tallying the only BCA stolen base of the game.
Next up is a matchup with long-time rival Bay Area Christian here in Baytown at 4:00 PM Friday, so come on out and enjoy some great baseball!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
BCA Baseball Web Site
Our team web site is now up and running. Please check it out at:
www.bcabaseball.com
We are still adding content, so be sure to check back time to time for updates!
www.bcabaseball.com
We are still adding content, so be sure to check back time to time for updates!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Meet your Bulldogs - Class of 2012
#3 Grant Harber
#2 Cameron Johnson
#16 Dustin Martin
#12 Robert "Boogie" Russell
Meet your Bulldogs - Class of 2011
#11 Bradley Armstrong
#6 Ryan Bertram
#15 Caleb Harp
#7 Tyler Wilson
#1 Clay Wiseman
Day three of the O'Connell Invitational Tournament
With the threat of rain upon us, tournament organizers moved our game time against Northeast Christian up to 9 AM today. Despite the quick turnaround, BCA was able to avenge the run-rule loss they took against this opponent at the same tournament in 2009 with a dominating 14-6 victory. Grant Harber picked up his second win over the spring break week with three quality innings in relief of starting pitcher Clay Wiseman. Harber mixed in an effective breaking ball with a fastball he spotted up at will to overcome some occasional wildness, including an inning where he plunked consecutive batters.
The offense was dominant against the ace of the Warrior staff, with Ryan Bertram putting the exclamation point on the fireworks display with a towering clout to centerfield for a grand slam and his third homerun of the season. Tyler Wilson, Cameron Johnson, Wiseman, Austin Wilson, Brandon Horne, and Boogie Russell all collected base hits in the route, as the Bulldogs claimed a second-place trophy with their best performance of the tournament. Harber, Wiseman, and Wesley Winn all received all-tournament honors due to their performances on the mound and at the plate.
Next up for your Bulldogs, we travel to Bridge City Tuesday night to take on the 10-3 Cardinals, who should provide another tough test for our young squad. First pitch is slated for 6 PM.
The offense was dominant against the ace of the Warrior staff, with Ryan Bertram putting the exclamation point on the fireworks display with a towering clout to centerfield for a grand slam and his third homerun of the season. Tyler Wilson, Cameron Johnson, Wiseman, Austin Wilson, Brandon Horne, and Boogie Russell all collected base hits in the route, as the Bulldogs claimed a second-place trophy with their best performance of the tournament. Harber, Wiseman, and Wesley Winn all received all-tournament honors due to their performances on the mound and at the plate.
Next up for your Bulldogs, we travel to Bridge City Tuesday night to take on the 10-3 Cardinals, who should provide another tough test for our young squad. First pitch is slated for 6 PM.
BCA 8, Pope John XXIII 4
On day two of the O'Connell Invitational, we took the field against the scrappy Pope John Lions and came away with a 8-4 victory on the strength of Wesley Winn's best pitching performance of the season. Winn picked up his first victory of the season using a solid breaking ball and good command of his fastball to pitch out of several jams that shaky defense got the Bulldogs into via three errors. Winn struck his final two batters with the bases jammed to end his last inning before giving way to Robert Russell, who threw the final inning for a save. The lineup hit the ball well and ran the bases with aggression, with the rally-igniting being done by Tyler Beasley and Austin Wilson. Wilson clubbed two doubles and Beasley crushed a ball into the right field corner for a stand-up, opposite-field triple. Despite the defensive woes, the night was a great bounce-back effort after Thursday's tough loss.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Lutheran North 10, BCA 7
On day one of the Galveston O'Connell Invitational, the Lutheran North Lions downed your BCA Bulldogs 10-7 on a day when the pitching staff couldn't seem to command the strike zone. Any veteran pitcher can tell you that there will always be days that they don't have their best stuff, and today was one of those days for staff ace Clay Wiseman. Coming off his last start, a dominating complete game win over cross-town sluggers the Robert E. Lee Ganders, Wiseman didn't have his usual control following the extended break from the mound. Combine that with some sloppy defense and poor hitting with runners on base and you have the recipe that very few teams are ever able to overcome.
Wiseman, Cameron Johnson, Tyler Wilson, all had multiple hits on the day, and the team stole several bases, but clutch hitting was the downfall of the Bulldog offense this day. All game long we had runners on base and failed to get the big hit, and we stranded multiple runners on base at the end of several innings. As a young team, we are still learning the importance of scoring runs when we have the opportunity to do so.
Tomorrow we take the field to do battle with another pride of Lions, this time being the group from Pope John XXIII High School of Katy. First pitch is slated for 7:00 PM and we hope to see lots of friendly Bulldog fans in the stands.
Wiseman, Cameron Johnson, Tyler Wilson, all had multiple hits on the day, and the team stole several bases, but clutch hitting was the downfall of the Bulldog offense this day. All game long we had runners on base and failed to get the big hit, and we stranded multiple runners on base at the end of several innings. As a young team, we are still learning the importance of scoring runs when we have the opportunity to do so.
Tomorrow we take the field to do battle with another pride of Lions, this time being the group from Pope John XXIII High School of Katy. First pitch is slated for 7:00 PM and we hope to see lots of friendly Bulldog fans in the stands.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Battle of the Bulldogs
BCA 22, Hitchcock 4.
Grant Harber earned the win on the mound in the first varsity start of his career. Cameron Johnson, Ryan Brown, and Robert Russell led the Bulldog attack with 4 hits each. Ryan Bertram tallied three base knocks, and Clay Wiseman, Tyler Wilson, Austin Wilson, and Tyler Beasley each added two base hits. The Bulldog bashers combined to draw six bases on balls, steal ten bases, and smash five extra-base hits. It was an outsanding day full of offensive fireworks and a great start to the week of spring break competition. Bradley Armstrong and Ryan Bertram each through an excellent inning on the mound in relief of Harber.
Grant Harber earned the win on the mound in the first varsity start of his career. Cameron Johnson, Ryan Brown, and Robert Russell led the Bulldog attack with 4 hits each. Ryan Bertram tallied three base knocks, and Clay Wiseman, Tyler Wilson, Austin Wilson, and Tyler Beasley each added two base hits. The Bulldog bashers combined to draw six bases on balls, steal ten bases, and smash five extra-base hits. It was an outsanding day full of offensive fireworks and a great start to the week of spring break competition. Bradley Armstrong and Ryan Bertram each through an excellent inning on the mound in relief of Harber.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Battle of Baytown 2.0
Fans of high school baseball last night here in Baytown were presented with an unusually tough decision, watch Sterling take on Lee or Goose Creek Memorial host the BCA Bulldogs. It was an exciting night on both diamonds, but those who chose to watch the Bulldog vs Patriot showdown were entertained by a dogfight that ended with a 9-7 BCA victory. Austin Wilson picked up his fourth win of the season with an outstanding relief peformance and Ryan Bertram led the 12-hit Dogs barrage with two homeruns. Putting a charge into both balls, Bertram's performance was the highlight of a spectacular night at the plate for the BCA lineup as we upset the Patriots, who were just ranked #6 in the Houston region by Houston5Abaseball.com. We are now 2-0 against crosstown rivals Robert E. Lee and Goose Creek Memorial, and the Baytown baseball bragging rights are ours for 2010!
After 13 games, our record stands at eight wins and five losses, with all five losses being to tough and battle-tested perennial playoff powerhouses. Next, host Hitchcock on Monday in a Bulldog vs Bulldog match-up. Next Thursday we begin the Galveston O'Connell tournament, as defending champions, and hope to bring home an undefeated week full of victories to celebrate the spring break from classes. We hope to see you all out there as we continue our focused and deliberate march toward the 2010 TCAL baseball title!
After 13 games, our record stands at eight wins and five losses, with all five losses being to tough and battle-tested perennial playoff powerhouses. Next, host Hitchcock on Monday in a Bulldog vs Bulldog match-up. Next Thursday we begin the Galveston O'Connell tournament, as defending champions, and hope to bring home an undefeated week full of victories to celebrate the spring break from classes. We hope to see you all out there as we continue our focused and deliberate march toward the 2010 TCAL baseball title!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sometimes you get beat...
One of the last lines in the classic baseball movie "Bull Durham" states,
"A good friend of mine used to say, 'This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.' Think about that for a while."
And then there is, "sometimes you are the Louisville Slugger, sometimes you are the ball. Sometimes it all comes together, sometimes you're gonna lose it all..." and these lyrics by Dire Straits couldn't say it any better.
Finally, there is the age-old maxim "sometimes you are the windshield and sometimes you are the bug".
Yesterday at Sterling High School we were squished. The Channelview Falcons are pretty good at baseball. Sometimes people who are good at baseball beat you, and there’s not much you can do about it. No matter our level of effort or desire, yesterday nothing seemed to go right for the BCA Bulldogs. When the dust cleared, we found ourselves on the wrong end of a devastating 20-3 loss. I once read some thoughts by a baseball writer about learning how to accept tough losses, and how accepting the bad beats in life is a learned trait.
"I watched the last few innings of the Little League World Series yesterday, and although I was delighted for the kids from California, my heart went out to the boys from Taiwan. I just wish the network hadn’t pointed the camera at them after the game.
Learning to lose well is an important part of becoming a man, but these kids aren’t men yet, and it’s hard to watch."
Our entire coaching staff is used to winning. We love to win, we want to win, and we expect to win. More importantly, we desire to see every boy on our team grow in to a man who is a winner. As we told them yesterday after the game, we coach boys with a desire to see them become men who will be winners as ballplayers, employees, and citizens. Men who grow up to love their wives, father their children, and work heartily unto the Lord. Men who know the cost that is often required in life in order to win, and who step up to the plate and pay up. A big part of this is learning how to lose well and move forward, even after the worst of defeats and the darkest of days. As the quote above says, sometimes it's hard to watch, but we all know the pain of watching those we care about deal with adversity. I am reminded of some words from a friend,
"The best thing about playing Little League for me was being on teams that got their butts kicked, not because it was fun but because years later I knew how to handle the sting of defeat and I understood that no matter how badly YOU wanted it there were other forces at play that could and would potentially affect the outcome. It also makes winning when you get there that much sweeter."
For those of you reading this, please rest assured that the lessons we hope to take from losing three out of the last four games to opponents that were supposed to beat us like they did will be learned. Our boys are not men yet, but I believe they are another step closer. The highlight of the day yesterday didn't happen on the field, although Clay Wiseman was 2 for 2 at the plate and several of our young reserves did wonderful things with the opportunities that they were provided, the highlight of the day occurred when the BCA Bulldogs looked one another in the eye for over an hour and let each other know that they are in this together. Being part of a true community, one of like mind and purpose, is one of the greatest gifts this life offers, and our boys are living it.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
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