Realignment has added a pair of strong baseball teams to Houston’s district.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association’s two-year cycle has brought Strafford and Springfield Central to Class 3 District 10. They will compete alongside the Tigers, Ava, Liberty, Mountain Grove and Willow Springs.
The district’s two-time defending champion, Cuba, slid over to District 9. The other district opponent from last year, Salem, moved up to Class 4.
“It’s tougher than the cycle we’ve been part of the last two years,” HHS coach Brent Hall said.
Adding a pair of strong teams to the district would be an apparent concern for the Tigers. They were 6-15 last season and have finished under .500 two straight years –– the only two times Hall’s teams have not had winning records in his 15-year tenure.
But with just two graduating seniors and the core of his team with two years of starting experience, Hall believes his team has the makeup to compete at a potentially higher level.
“Maybe if it was last year or the year before, I’d be a little concerned,” Hall said of the new district. “I know we’re coming off a subpar season last year, but we’ve got a lot of guys returning and who played a lot during the summer. I definitely think we can compete and be in the top part of the district.”
Hall estimated the Tigers are in the bottom fourth of the Class 3 schools in enrollment. Since a runner-up finish in Class 2 in 2007, they have yet to make it out of districts in four seasons in a bigger class.
But Hall said a hot team can make a run in any class. His state semifinal team proved it.
“Baseball is a little different than football or basketball,” he said. “You can usually pick the teams that are going to predominantly win the district based on look and stats. In baseball, any give day you can go out and beat anybody. I think we will have the talent to hopefully compete for a district title.”
The Tigers’ biggest disadvantage may be their location relative to the rest of the district. They will have the longest distance to travel for this year’s district tournament hosted by Springfield Catholic. They will likely also have a difficult time winning the coaches’ vote to host districts.
“That’s the part I don’t like,” Hall said.
Following realignment, the members of Houston’s baseball district for the next two years are:
-Ava Bears
-Liberty Eagles
-Mountain Grove Panthers
-Springfield Catholic Irish
-Strafford Indians
-Willow Springs Bears