Marble Falls baseball has numerous all-district picks

CAPTION: Junior Canon Cochran’s ability to play various spots in the infield and at pitcher impressed district coaches. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School baseball team returned to the Class 4A playoffs this year thanks to some outstanding performances from several Mustangs.

These players left head coaches of other District 24-4A programs impressed, and they showed that by selecting them to all-district teams.

First team all-district honors went to Canon Cochran, Atreyu Machacek, Crawford Mattox and John Alan Whittle. All four were part of the Mustangs’ pitching rotation and came through at the plate in clutch moments that resulted in runs.

Named to the second team are Grant Carter, Braxton Dicken and Owen Nash.

Carter was a versatile infielder, whose speed was invaluable at second base. Dicken was the starting freshman catcher throughout the season and Nash’s versatility gave coaches options.

Brenton Liscum, the team’s lone senior, was named honorable mention.

Head coach Tyler Porter said the program felt good about the number of players selected.

He nominated Whittle for Newcomer of the Year, but that honor went to a Salado player.

“His numbers were better,” Porter said.

Salado, which won the district championship, reached the Class 4A Division II regional final but lost to Bridge City, which advanced to state semifinals. Bridge City beat La Grange in the regional semifinals. La Grange defeated Burnet in the area round of the playoffs one round earlier.

District runner-up Lampasas lost to Lumberton in the Class 4A Division I semifinals.

China Spring, which beat the Mustangs in the first round of the playoffs, defeated Lumberton to reach the state semifinals.

The results in the playoffs illustrate the depth in District 24-4A, Porter said.

“Undoubtedly,” he said. “We have a very good (Class) 4A district. The playoffs showed it.”

The loss in the first round coupled with seeing what’s happened in the postseason has fueled the Mustangs, Porter said.

“Hungry,” he said. “I think they each know what they have to pour into the game.”

Unlike the Marble Falls team that won the 2023 district title, the 2025 team is expected to return everyone except Liscum. And even better, the Mustangs found their starting pitchers in Cochran and Whittle and their closer in Mattox.

Porter believes the Mustangs also learned the different feeling from the regular season and the playoffs, something that can’t be experienced until a team gets there.

“It hadn’t been done in awhile,” he said. “We’re excited for next year.”

CAPTION: Sophomore John Alan Whittle’s ability to tag out runners and begin double plays while also being a starting pitcher was invaluable to the Mustangs. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro