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This is the time of year when Major League pitchers begin the long season by preceding the rest of the lineup to spring training. Arizona, Florida, and California are comfortable venues, as the remainder of the country withstands another month of winter. The Llano baseball Jackets are part of that country, and they played five games in the final week of chilly-to-cold February and recorded three wins, a loss, and a tie. No more winter training—the season has arrived.

Llano 12, Brownwood 1

“We got off the bus, February 22,” head coach Brad Harman said, “and the wind was blowing 50 miles an hour from the north.” Perfect—if you’re safely inside the Carrier Dome.

The Jackets weren’t bothered at all. Nine guys got at least one hit, and the game was decided by a six-run eruption in the second and five more in the third. Clayton Maples had three runs batted in, while Travis Ramos, Dean Redden, and Taylor Osbourn had two hits each.

“The kids were fired up to put the uniform on, we hit the ball hard, and Dallas Redden threw an unbelievable game,” Harman declared. He struck out ten Lions in five innings.

Llano 4, Seminole 1

This began the Fredericksburg tournament, February 25-27. Nice to get a victory in the Jackets’ first visit here since an 8-7 loss in eight innings which knocked Llano out of the playoffs a year ago.

Raven Herron, the junior playing varsity ball for the first time, allowed just three hits and fanned five in four innings. “The game is a lot faster than JV,” Herron stated. “He pitched a heck of a game,” the coach noted.

Llano 2, Crockett 1

Ramos had two hits, but one will monopolize future conversations. It was a two-run home run in the fifth inning. “I want to hit line drives,” the shortstop contended; that is to say, that commands greater respect. “Tony Gwynn said home runs are a mistake.” Some of us would think that’s true—a pitcher’s mistake. Gwynn, in the Hall of Fame, had more than 3,100 hits in his 20-year career in San Diego. 135 were homers.

Osbourn got the win in this one. It seemed like everyone but Ian or Ty Compton were handed the ball last week.

Fredericksburg 7, Llano 1

This was pretty much a mess. Harman wasn’t too down, saying simply, “We didn’t hit the ball very well.” He would later advise his youngsters any extra work they’d like to do in the cage would be acceptable.

The secret: “Keep your weight back and work at it,” said Herron. Ted Williams claimed hitting a baseball was the toughest challenge in sports. Not so much for him in 1941 when he hit .406, and .344, lifetime. And some Koreans would say speed skating together is a bigger challenge.

Llano 6, Brownwood 6

And you thought there were no ties in baseball. This was a dandy game that was called after seven innings so the final in Fredericksburg could be played.

“The kids were upset with the tie,” Harman asserted. “They wanted to finish it.”

The Lions led 2-0 until the top of the third when the Jackets got doubles from Clay Tarter and Herron. Raven drove home Clay and later scored on an error.

In the fifth, Brownwood nudged in front, but some fine defensive plays prevented further damage. With runners at first and second, Dean Redden fired to Estevan Aviles who nailed his man at third on the front end of a double steal. Same inning: Michael Rusche made a fine catch in right centerfield on a line drive—again with two on.

Llano answered quickly. Maples slammed a double to left center, and it was time for Ramos to make another mistake: a majestic, towering fly ball to deep center that soared over the 360-foot sign. “Travis has been murdering the ball,” homicide detective Harman told the press. “If it hadn’t been for the wind at Brownwood, those two doubles of his would have been homers.” Tarter singled in Cody Wisdom for a 5-3 lead after five and a half innings.

Brownwood tied the game in its half of the sixth, but one huge defensive play occurred as Maples, in left, hurled home to Redden. No out there, but Dean continued the action with a dart to Herron covering second. That runner was gone.

Jordan Cavness, who collected two saves in his work at Fred, singled in Raven for a 6-5 advantage in the seventh. Herron had opened the frame with his second double of the contest.

The Lions tied it for the last time, but would have won except that when a pitch by Cavness got away from Dean, he recovered in time to toss the ball to Jordan at the plate, and the man trying to score from third was tagged out.

“We have some work to do, but we have a lot of fight,” Ramos advised. “It was a good first week,” Harman maintained. “One thing I liked was we were always competing; we kept throwing punches to the very end. Because of that, we’re going to win a lot of games this year.”