Bill Merrell’s last season coaching after 44 years resulted in nine Boerne High baseball players being recognized as all-district players in 27-4A.
Seven of the nine were first-team selections for the Greyhounds that were one win away from playing at the 4A state tournament this past season.
Seniors Xander Cloudy and Landon LeStourgeon were both first-team pitchers, sophomore Hutson Hendrix was a first-team first baseman, senior Riley Pechacek was the unanimous first-team second baseman, junior Jace Preston was a first-team third baseman, senior Cam Johnson was the unanimous first-team shortstop and senior Cale Blalock was the unanimous first-team utility player.
Sophomore Brooks Perez was a second- team outfielder and sophomore Walker Hill was the only Greyhound recognized as honorable mention.
The underlying story for the Greyhound baseball team in the spring of 2023 was that its coach, Bill Merrell, was retiring. Merrell had coached 44 years, the last 14 at Boerne High.
BHS won the District 27-4A title and was hoping to make it to the state tournament in Merrell’s final season but came up one game short.
Once the playoffs opened, the Greyhounds met Sinton for the sixth time in the postseason since 2010. The 2023 clash pitted the two 4A baseball powers in the regional championship for the right to go to state.
In a wild series, the Pirates rallied past the Hounds in Game 1, but Boerne defeated Sinton in Game 2 in a contest that featured four ejections for the Pirates – two coaches and two players – before the Hounds won it in nine innings.
Sinton went on to take the decisive Game 3 9-0 against a depleted Boerne squad to advance to state. The Hounds finished the year at 35-7 in Merrell’s final season.
Comment
Comments