Yellowjackets four-year journey pays off with first playoff win since program rebirth
Four years ago, Menard High School decided to renew its baseball program and put coach Will Barker at the helm.
The first year was a success, as the team made the postseason, but they failed to capture a playoff victory losing to D'Hanis 2-0. The next two seasons were rough as the Yellowjackets finished last in their three-team district with Medina and Leakey. However, in 2024, the Yellowjackets broke through finishing the season 6-11 and 4-2 in District 28-A, which was second behind Medina.
Menard had a bye week in the first round and faced off against Sprurger in a one-game series. Tied 7-7 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Yellowjackets pulled out six unanswered runs to down the Pirates 13-7 for their first playoff win since the program renewed.
"It's good for the kids and the community to see that we can have success," Barker said. "And for me, I saw the potential the program had and I just think it needed a little push in the right direction. The kids are bought in and the community is bought in — there's going to be success for Menard baseball in the future."
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The Yellowjackets have their hands full next week in the regional semifinal with a program that has seen plenty of success in Fayetteville — last year's Class 1A state runners-up. The Lions boast an impressive 11-4 overall record and 8-4 district record, but Barker said he believes the tough schedule his team went through early in the season has his team prepared.
"I think it's good for us to see those teams early in the season because if you see good 2A teams early, all of the teams that are playing at this point in the playoffs are on that level," Barker said. "Just to see that level of competition and depth, I would say that's just good for them to see where they've got to get to."
Grape Creek, Winters and Center Point were a few of the teams Menard faced before seeing its first 1A opponent, Knippa, in the team's eighth game.
Menard will match up against Fayetteville in a best-of-three series starting with a doubleheader on Wednesday. It will be the Yellowjackets' first playoff action in a multiple-game series. Once again, Barker reiterated confidence in his team's preparation for this moment.
"We've got two or three pitchers that we can rely on," Barker said. "We started the first day of practice trying to develop pitchers because you never know who's gonna come into the game, especially in 1A. So, while it's our first series, I have some kids that I feel confident going to after the first game into a game two or three."
Eli Kothman saw the mound in 12 starts for the Yellowjackets boasting 96 strikeouts and a team-best 8.58 ERA, while Jager Leonard got three starts and four games of relief for a total of 18.1 innings with 23 strikeouts and a 12.98 ERA.
The first game of the doubleheader will be at 4:30 p.m. at Lago Vista High School. If a third game is needed, the two teams will decide when and where it will be played.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: HS Baseball: Menard finds playoff success in program restart
