by MARK CAUL

Justin Vajgert (pictured) will be one of the varsity newcomers hoping to help Lehman to its first-ever baseball playoff appearance this season. (Photo by Judy Cooper)

Things are definitely looking up for Lehman head baseball coach Toby Robinson and his varsity baseball squad in 2010.

The second-year head coach has the Lobos pointed in the right direction and is out to make believers out of everybody else around the district.

With a good blend of returning veterans and talented newcomers, the Lobos appear ready to make a serious playoff push in District 17-4A.

The Lobos bid adieu to three key seniors who had been cornerstones of the Lehman baseball program for several seasons in Jacob Sendejo, Kenny Weber and Jerry Escamilla.

Weber led the team offensively in his last season while Sendejo shouldered the bulk of the pitching load for the Lobos. Escamilla was the team’s vocal leader and captain in 2009.

Weber and Sendejo were both first-team all district picks last season.

“It was hard to lose players of that caliber from our program because they were great leaders who made a big impact on our program while they were here,” Robinson said. “This year’s seniors know that they have big shoes to fill.”
Despite the significant personnel changes, Robinson believes his returning players have had time to adjust to his style of coaching and now he is ready to see the results on the field.

“It was a big blow for us to go into the last game of the season with a chance to get into the playoffs and not be able to finish the deal,” Robinson said. “The four or five core players that are coming back have set some goals for this season. We want to win a district championship and we want to make the playoffs and the kids have really worked hard to get themselves ready for this season. I’m relying on these seniors a lot this year.”

The talented senior trio of JP Flores, Tre Abeita and Cesar Ornelas have all stepped into the leadership role vacated by Escamilla and will strive for a chance to do what no other Lehman baseball team has ever done before – make the playoffs.

Flores will begin the season as Lehman’s top pitcher after logging valuable minutes behind Sendejo in 2009.

The rest of the pitching staff looks promising with the return of two-year starter,  senior Orlando Banda along with sophomore hurlers Justin Vajgert and Nick Cerda. Abeita and Ornelas will also see time on the mound.

“JP will have to be our workhorse this season because he has so much experience and he’s a great student of the game,” Robinson said. “He knows how to pitch effectively under pressure and he is probably one of our fiercest competitors.”

Abeita and Ornelas will patrol an experienced outfield when they aren’t on the mound.

While the pitching staff and outfield are loaded with veterans, the infield will be relatively young with junior Chris Tello at first, junior Max Solis at second, Cerda at shortstop and Vajgert at third base.

“Both Solis and Cerda both started last season but they are only entering their second year of varsity ball,” said Robinson. “They both have a lot of talent and should be ready to build on what they did last season. Tello and Vajgert are first-year varsity players. It will be interesting to see what those two guys can do.”

The Lobos will enter the season relatively inexperienced at catcher, with senior Garrett Miles and sophomore Rudy Martinez both locked in a highly contested battle for the starting nod.

Robinson is also expecting a positive contribution from Joey Hernandez, another first-year varsity player who should see time in both the infield and outfield during the course of the season.

“Garrett and Rudy will both get playing time at catcher, but right now the position is up for grabs,” said Robinson. “Joey will basically be our tenth guy because he can play a variety of positions. That will be huge for us.”

Robinson has compiled a very competitive schedule that includes a trip to the Copperas Cove-Lampasas Invitational to start the season along with a trip to the Austin ISD Invitational just before the start of the district season.

Robinson hopes the demanding non-district slate will prepare them for what will be a grueling district schedule that includes Hays and San Marcos. Last season, the Lobos finished one game out of a possible playoff berth, before losing to Manor on the final day of the regular season.

“Our kryptonite in the past has been our lack of focus when we have had leads late in games,” Robinson said. “If we concentrate and cut down on our mistakes under pressure, I fully expect us to be in the mix for the district championship.”

Lehman will play at the Ingram Tournament this weekend after a non-district road matchup with Austin Lanier.