The thing is, though, the Tigers’ record of success speaks for itself.
Armed with a core group of gifted young players and a rich tradition built from 17 playoff appearances in the last 19 years, Belton is taking dead aim at another banner season.
“We have basically the same guys (from last year’s 17-12 playoff team),” said longtime coach David Tidwell, who entered his 20th season at the Tigers’ helm with 552 career victories. “We lost just four seniors, and only a couple of them started. So these guys know what we expect and they know what it takes to win.
“These players know the commitment they have to have and they can see the overall picture. The bottom line is we have really good athletes on the field right now, and they’re a year older.”
For the Tigers, it starts - but doesn’t end - with last year’s talented freshman trio of versatile Shane Hoelscher, bruising slugger Seth Alcozer and hard-throwing right-handed pitcher Dillon Newman.
Hoelscher was last season’s District 13-5A Newcomer of the Year, hitting .371 in league games. Alcozer hit .419 during district and was a 13-5A first-team pick, and Newman - a second-team selection - was 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA, 24 strikeouts and just six walks before missing the last half of district play with an arm problem.
The threesome is now part of a sophomore group that has grown with the additions of center fielder Kevin Thornton and pitcher Jordan Mattke - who will start today’s 1 p.m. game against Alvarado at the Waco tournament - and will be relied upon.
“The three guys that started last year as freshmen and are sophomores now. . . . I’ve had some good young players before, but these are special,” Tidwell said. “Then we bring in Thornton and Mattke, and that’s a really good core group.”
The Tigers (1-0), who won their season opener 11-8 at Round Rock Stony Point on Monday, also are bolstered by a strong cast of upperclassmen.
Right fielder/pitcher Cameron Arnett, left fielder Paul Wilson, outfielder Buck Lopez and pitcher/third baseman Jacob Phillipe headline the senior class, and all-district catcher Garrett Vail, second baseman Brett Hernandez and pitcher Nick Wright are juniors who contributed last season.
“We feel we’re pretty solid all the way around,” Tidwell said. “I’m not afraid to put any of these guys in. They all can play.
“In the past, I would kind of cringe when I put a kid in, hoping the ball wasn’t hit to him. Now, I’m all right.”
The biggest changes this season will be Hoelscher’s switch from center to shortstop and a temporary platoon at catcher until Vail is fully healed from shoulder surgery last fall.
“Having a sophomore shortstop, for the first year you go through some things,” Tidwell said. “I told him, ‘You’re not going to make every play that you want to make.’
“But he’s one of the leaders of this team. That’s a perfect position for him, and that’s where he wants to play. Plus, just being a sophomore, he’ll probably be our shortstop for three years.”
After facing Alvarado today, Belton will continue the tournament with games Friday against Corsicana at 3 p.m. and Fairfield at 7.
The Tigers also will compete in tournaments in Georgetown and Brenham. For the first time in a few years, Belton won’t host part of the Georgetown event, meaning the Tigers won’t play at home until March 14 - their second district game.
“We’ve always had such a great record at home that we wanted to focus on winning away,” Tidwell said. “Now we didn’t plan to play this many away, but that’s how it ended up.”
Tidwell said his team is already ahead of schedule compared to the last couple of years, and the Tigers should have almost two dozen games under their belts by the time they play at home.
“For the first time in a few years, we didn’t have to start by saying, ‘This is a baseball, and this is a bat,’” Tidwell said. “And because of the way these kids work, we’re getting a lot more out of practice.
“We’ve worked hard in the weight room and we’ve worked hard with the medicine balls, trying to make our kids stronger.”
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
