Published: May 02, 2008 12:18 am            

Seniors have Hornets acting, playing like a family

Davis, Gougler and Woods help HHS baseball end four-year playoff drought

Huntsville seniors Cody Gougler, Justin Davis and Ethan Woods had one final shot this year at accomplishing something that had eluded them the past couple of seasons.

When the 2008 baseball campaign began back in February, the Hornet trio were hoping this would be the season when Huntsville finally made it back to the postseason after a four-year hiatus.

Mission accomplished.

After winning back-to-back games to close out the District 18-4A slate with a second-place finish, Gougler, Davis and Woods will get a taste of what it’s like to play in May when the Hornets battle District 17-4A’s Austin Travis in a best-of-three Region III bi-district series at Brenham’s Fireman’s Park beginning tonight at 7.

“It’s a first for us and we are excited,” said Davis, the Hornets’ ace pitcher and starting shortstop, following Thursday afternoon’s practice. “We just can’t wait to get out there. This whole week has just felt like the longest week all year. But it’s been a rush.”

And this has to be a rush for Davis and Gougler, who have been on the varsity team since their sophomore season back in 2006 when the Hornets were stuck in District 14-5A with baseball powerhouses The Woodlands and Klein Collins.

Things didn’t get any easier the following year despite a drop back to Class 4A because Montgomery was one of the top-ranked teams in the state and Brenham was no slouch. Huntsville came within a game of making the playoffs but stumbled down the stretch and was left at home for the third year in a row.

But this season, Gougler said they finally got tired of watching other teams enjoy the feeling that comes with making the playoffs. Thanks in large part to the three seniors, who have provided solid leadership, the Hornets (17-11) did something about it.

“We spent a lot of time going to other people’s playoff games, sitting there and telling each other, ‘Hey, let’s get there because that looks really fun,’” said Gougler, who is one of the Hornets’ top hitters and starting center fielder. “We are finally here and can’t wait. But we don’t want to settle for one round — we want to go as far as we can go.”

Things are a little different for Woods. Coming into the season, he wasn’t a lock to be a starter. But by working his tail off, Woods earned the starting catcher spot and has been steady behind the plate in ’08.

“With Ethan, he did a lot of bullpen catching last year and was one of those guys we weren’t sure about,” Hornets head coach Shelby Shaw said. “But over the offseason and summer and fall, he really worked his way into becoming a no question as to whether he was going to be a starter. He is a great leader and has done a phenomenal job for us.

“All three of my seniors have been great leaders, and we have been through a lot together.”

Woods’ effort to break into the starting lineup is exactly the kind of thing that has gotten this Hornets bunch over the hump. They battle each time they take the field and have really became the definition of the word team.

Huntsville’s players get along great and are more like a family than a baseball team. At Thursday’s practice, the Hornets acted like playoff veterans instead of rookies, laughing and joking and showing no signs of pressure.

That is why this group has transformed into a squad that has been able to win close games and not fold when something bad happens. In the past, critical mistakes oftentimes spelled disaster for HHS. It is also why the Hornets are one win away from tying the school record for most victories in a season (18) and two from breaking it.

“I think that overall we are a better team this year,” Gougler said. “We all get along and we keep fighting. Everybody has a nickname and we all call each other by that nickname. It is either Big A, Goose, Johnny Baseball or Giggles. Everybody is having fun with it and none of us want this to be over.”

The Hornets will throw sophomore left-hander Caleb Smith against the Rebels (15-12) in today’s opener then come back with Davis in game two on Saturday at 2 p.m. If there is a third game, which would follow 30 minutes after game two Saturday, Gougler will more than likely take the mound to try and wrap up the series.

Huntsville has a strong rotation, but it is going to come down to whether or not the offense shows up, especially since Austin Travis is batting .318 as a team and has four regular players hitting .360 or better.

When the Hornets are hot, they can slap the ball around the diamond, and that is what it is going to take to advance to area.

“I think we are seeing the ball a lot better,” Davis said. “After seeing (Montgomery ace Bobby) Stone the last game (a 2-0 victory), I think it will be all right. We have been hitting the ball well in practice and it really helps that we are heading into the playoffs on a two-game winning streak.”

        

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