Hereford baseball embracing the underdog role
There's been talk about the Randall baseball program and its potential to be a state title contender. There's been discussions about Canyon and its continued success. Heck, the fact West Plains had another playoff season, as a first-year program, has generated a lot of discussion as well.
There's another team that's right up there with all of them that came out of the same district. Another team that's advanced further than West Plains and is aiming to give Randall a run for its money.
That team is the Hereford Whitefaces.
The Herd enters the regional quarterfinal round of the 4A playoffs with a record of 20-9-2 overall. They finished fourth in District 4-4A with a record of 8-6 and have won six in a row dating back to the regular season. With the hoopla surrounding Randall and other teams, Hereford has flown a bit under the radar.
Head coach Grant Davis says the team is just fine with that. While fourth place in district may not cause your name to strike fear into an opponents heart, fourth place in a district like this one will help make you a whole lot better for the postseason.
“That’s what prepared us for the first two rounds of these playoffs," Davis said of the district. "You’ve got to line up and play against all these guys and it will definitely prepare you mentally and physically for what you’re going to have to do once you get into the playoffs.”
As far as who all has been getting it done for the Herd this season, it's always the same couple of names standing out in the boxscore. Carlos Duran has been a dominant force on the mound as the number one pitcher while also consistently performing at the plate.
“Carlos Duran is our leader," Davis said. "He’s been on the varsity for four years now and started learning then during the COVID year. The experience he’s gained from having been able to pitch in our district and in playoff series as a sophomore and as a junior has definitely prepared him for what he’s done this year. His work ethic is unbelievable whether he’s on the mound or playing shortstop he’s a leader.”
While Duran has led a group of seniors, that Davis heaped a ton of praise on, there's a youngster in this group that has people very, very excited.
Kalub Ramirez looked pretty good in the fall at football, but he made headlines a few months ago when he made his college commitment on social media. He's just a freshman and things can change in the next few years, but Ramirez has been offered and committed to the University of Texas.
“Kalub has done a great job, especially for being a freshman," Davis said. "He’s a talented kid and there’s high expectation for him and what’s been going on, but he’s just gotten better and better through the year. He’s pitched for us, he’s played third base, he’s played shortstop and that’s a talented young man who I’m glad plays for us.”
Marcos Acosta has been an absolute stud at catcher and a tough out at the plate. Davis pointed out that in the first game of Hereford's series against San Elizario, the Herd faced a pitcher who'd thrown 16 consecutive scoreless innings. Tell Bryant delivered a three-run home run in the first inning and was responsible for five of the six runs score. There's a host of other Whitefaces that have stepped up big time throughout the year.
What Davis pointed out consistently, though, was that it was this ultra tough district that allowed Hereford the opportunity to make this point of the postseason unscathed. He says it's teams like Randall and Canyon that the Herd is always trying to emmulate.
“I want to congratulate coach Hamilton on what he’s done," Davis said. "I haven’t been in baseball the whole time he’s been coaching, but what a great program he’s put together. Those guys are in the top of their district every year whether its 4A or 5A. Them and Canyon are the kind of programs that the rest of us want to be like. We want to be a playoff team every year and play great baseball throughout."
With that being said, Randall is the opponent this week.
Davis didn't sugarcoat how difficult of a task lays before them. The Raiders have lost just three games all year, have six seniors committed to play college ball and a Texas Tech commit in its junior class.
Davis believes the Raiders don't have a weakness in their lineup and the pitching depth will force Hereford to play almost flawlessly after they were outscored 23-2 in the regular season
But, Hereford is used to being in the underdog role. It's used to facing tough challenges. It's prepared for the task that it is going up against.
“...We’ve been in playoff mode for three weeks," Davis said. "Those last couple of games in district that we had to play just to get in and the last two weeks have seen our kids do a good job at that. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Hereford baseball embracing the underdog role
