Rounding into shape: Randall baseball firing on all cylinders as it nears district title
After a bumpy start to the season, Randall’s baseball team is now rolling.
The Raiders (16-9, 10-0 District 4-4A) started the season 6-9 in non-district play, but have since gone undefeated in district play to sit atop their district and ranked No. 7 in Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A rankings. With a three-game lead over Canyon and West Plains and three regular season games remaining, its next being at home against Hereford at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Randall now aims for its third straight district title before attempting to earn consecutive state tournament appearances.
It’s been a “rollercoaster” season for the Raiders, but first-year coach Brad Propst now has his team on a hot streak.
“We never hit the panic button,” Propst said. “We just had to get the guys convinced that we have a really good team, and now we’re showing that.”
Amarillo Sod Poodles Scores, schedules, ticket info and results for the 2024 Amarillo Sod Poodles
High School Golf Amarillo, Panhandle high school regional golf tournament qualifiers
High School Track Adam Burlison, Keely Harper help Amarillo High track and field to boys, girls team titles
Propst said he believes Randall’s pitching improvements between non-district and district play have made the difference. Before district play started, he introduced a new throwing schedule for his pitchers to help prepare them for starts and relief appearances. Each pitcher’s schedule begins about four to five days before the game and is designed to keep them fresh.
Having lost 11 seniors from last season’s Raiders team that reached the state tournament, Propst said he felt the change was necessary to help his inexperienced players. He thinks it’s helped pitchers such as juniors Brae Silva and Gio Miranda, who had little varsity pitching experience before this season, and even returning players such as senior Carson Haffner.
Randall has given up more than two runs in district play once, with four shutouts.
“I realized these guys maybe didn’t understand what they needed to do to get ready, and I think that was our struggle,” Propst said. “So, I put each guy on a schedule. If a guy is starting Tuesday, I want them doing certain things on Friday, Saturday and Monday.”
The Raiders have also produced on offense, winning six of their first nine district games by five or more runs. Everyone in Randall’s lineup can be a threat, from guys at the top of the lineup such as Haffner and junior Dylan Ray to those further down the order such as Silva and junior Breken Melton.
It’s made Propst feel like the Raiders don’t have a weakness at the plate.
“Everyone will scratch hits,” Propst said. “It's just been different guys every game so we haven't really had to rely on one guy offensively.”
The combination of Randall’s pitching improvements and offensive production has allowed it to perform on both ends effectively, something Propst said he feels didn’t happen much in non-district play. The Raiders would have games like their 2-1 loss to Lubbock Trinity on Feb. 22 where they pitched well but falter on offense, or games like a 9-8 loss to Levelland on March 7 where the opposite happened.
But that’s changed with games such as a 16-1 win over Amarillo Caprock on March 9, a 12-0 win over Perryton on March 26 and an 8-0 win over Dumas on April 5. Propst said Randall’s baserunning has also improved, making his team more complete.
“It was weird (before district play), but we knew that we’d eventually piece whole games together,” Propst said. “I think that's the reason we're sitting where we are right now in the district.”
And now, the Raiders hope to finish strong before starting their journey back to the state tournament.
“We just have to stick to what we’ve been doing,” Propst said. “We have to be consistent and keep doing the things that have made us successful.”
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Randall baseball firing on all cylinders as it nears district title
