Burnet baseball performs well at Llano tourney

CAPTION: Freshman Hudson Crawford embodied all the positives that’s part of pitching during his performance against Llano. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Burnet High School baseball team went 1-3 at Llano’s Hill Country Classic Feb. 26-28.

The Bulldogs beat Harper 15-0 Feb. 27 and lost to Austin Hyde Park 13-5 and Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch 5-1 both on Feb. 26 and to Llano 3-1 Feb. 28.

The last game of the event against the host displayed so much. While the Yellow Jackets went with senior pitcher Austin Humphries, the Bulldogs put freshman pitcher Hudson Crawford on the mound.

Crawford performed like a seasoned veteran, who found the strike zone, didn’t allow many runs, and was quick off the mound to react to bunts and backed up his teammates defensively. On top of that, he forced several routine defensive plays and gave the Bulldogs a chance to score and win.

“He pitched to contact and threw the ball well,” head coach Russell Houston said. “I thought he got outs early, which is what he has to do, and then I thought we played pretty clean defense for the most part. He definitely has some poise on the mound for a freshman. He doesn’t get really rattled, and he pitches confidently.”

With the game tied at 1-1, Humphries helped his own cause with a two-out RBI single to center field. Then an infield error allowed the Jackets to score another run. When a pitched ball hit a batter to load the bases, Houston made a pitching change to Cooper Evans. The threat ended with a popup to third base.

The Bulldogs began to rally in the top of the sixth inning. After an out, a runner reached first on an infield error to have two Bulldogs on bases. They then stole second and third. Humphries forced another batter to fly out to center field then struck out the final batter to secure the outcome.

“The last batter of the ball game, that 10- or 11-pitch at-bat that our kid fouled off a bunch of pitches and then (Humphries) made a quality pitch, and we didn’t hit it,” Houston said. “I thought he just he stepped up and made some really good pitches at the end. Their kid was really good. I thought we were trying to get to him a little bit and make him throw a bunch of strikes or throw a bunch of pitches. We put pressure on him early, had a chance to score runs early, and he threw some really good pitches to get out of some jams.”

As for the tournament itself, Houston said he believes each contest helped his players get better.

“The last couple of years, we’ve been able to swing it really, really well and pound the baseball,” he said. “(This season) we’re learning that we have to play a little bit of small ball and play a little bit differently. But I think our kids have finally adjusted to that and are getting better at doing the little things as far as bunting and stealing and doing those types of things.”

He noted day one of the tournament was about sharpening the mentality at the plate.

“We emphasized a lot of not striking out, competing in the box and fouling everything off until you get something that you can handle,” the coach said. “And I thought they did a much better job with that on Friday and Saturday.”

The Bulldogs had different players in various positions, which allows the team to develop an important trait.

“I think they all played well at those positions, so I think just finding more depth and finding more kids that can do multiple things,” Houston said. “I thought we got better this weekend, overall. I think we were learning that we can’t strike out, they’re learning to make those adjustments. It’s just a learning curve and a learning process.”

Burnet will welcome Round Rock Westwood at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, then host its own tournament Thursday-Saturday, March 5-7. They’ll face Killeen at 9 a.m. Thursday, Elgin at 11:30 a.m. and Glen Rose at 2 p.m. both Friday, and Wimberley at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Then Burnet welcomes Marble Falls Tuesday, March 10, for the District 24-4A opener before traveling to play at the Mustangs’ Scearce Field Friday, March 13. Both junior varsity games begin at 4:30 p.m. with the varsity to follow at 7 p.m.

CAPTION: Wyatt Atkison safely slides into second on steal against Llano. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro