Marble Falls baseball team beats Akins

CAPTION: Junior John Alan Whittle fills many roles for the Mustangs as a batter, base runner, infielder and pitcher. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School baseball team shut out Austin Akins 10-0 March 24 in a non-district contest that ended in five innings.

In the first inning, junior John Alan Whittle led off with a double off the left-field fence and went home on a single by sophomore Crawford Mattox. Junior Cade Briseno drew a walk and scored and freshman Landon White hit a 2 RBI single for a 4-0 lead.

In the second inning, junior Casey Layton drew a walk, scoring one run, Briseno drew his second walk of the game and scored a run, and White hit his second 2 RBI single for the 8-0 advantage.

Mattox hit a double in the bottom of the third inning for a 9-0 lead.

White went 3 for 3 at the plate and had 4 RBI, while Whittle and Mattox each collected multiple hits.

“That’s (White’s) second three-hit game in about three games,” head coach Tyler Porter said. “They’re all singles, but he just hits them well. So very happy for him. He hits so well that we’re not taking him out of the lineup.”

As a team, the Mustangs drew nine walks. Briseno and junior Grant Carter each drew two walks and Carter had two stolen bases.

Whittle (6-0, 2-0 in District 24-4A) allowed one hit, two walks, no runs and struck out four in four innings. Senior Canon Cochran threw one inning of no-hit baseball. Marble Falls didn’t commit an error.

“There’s just a weird ball that landed between first and second and we didn’t cover first and it just was weird,” Porter said. “It wasn’t like a big deal nervous, no-hitter type of deal. It didn’t leave the infield, literally. If we had had somebody on first, they would have fielded it, thrown it and got the out. (Whittle and Cochran) both pitched great – that’s the big point.”

Porter credited the performance to several factors.

First, the Mustangs took a three-day weekend after the 3-2 victory at Georgetown Gateway March 19 in District 24-A play. So they looked rested, refreshed and refocused, he said.

Second, the maturity of this team also showed, he added, meaning the players have fun and understand that when it’s time to play, they bring their best to the diamond.

“It’s kind of the same thing I’ve said all year,” the coach said. “If we’re playing an opponent and — no disrespect to them — an opponent that we ‘re better than them, (then) we did what we’re supposed to do. Having a bye week is good because we can play some kids that haven’t got as much playing time, rest some guys that need rest, get some kids at-bats that haven’t had many at-bats yet this year for whatever reason, and kind of figure some things out for later.”

He pointed out the final month of the season is coming quickly beginning against two crucial weeks. The first is at Salado Tuesday, March 31, and then the Mustangs welcome the Eagles Friday, April 2, followed by a home date against Lampasas April 7 and then going there April 10.

Both Salado (12-5-4, 5-0) and Lampasas (11-8, 5-0) are tied for first in the district standings followed by Marble Falls, Burnet (6-13-1, 1-4) and Jarrell (2-11, 1-4).

But before the Mustangs can focus on district play, they will play at Akins Friday, March 27, with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity at 7 p.m.

Porter said his team has a lot of “good baseball players,” and he is still looking for more consistency at the plate.

“They might have a game where they’re 1 for 3 or 2 for 3 and then have a game where they’re 0 for 3, and we can’t put it all together,” he said. “It goes with young kids, so not a weakness necessarily, but every at-bat they get, they get better. The big thing for us as we build to the playoffs this year, and then towards next year, is making sure that those kids are getting better every time.”

CAPTION: Senior Canon Cochran is handling much of the catching duties in 2026. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro