The wait is over.
In his 29th season at the helm of Houston High School baseball, head coach Brent Hall reached the 400-win mark for his career when the Tigers went on the road Thursday and thrashed Ellington, 20-7.
“There’s a little truth in every joke, but 400 wins just means I’m getting old and been doing something a very long time,” Hall said. “But in all seriousness, the thing that is most special to me is that I have been fortunate enough to be able to do this in one place, in one school for one team in the town I grew up in and went to school at.”
The Tigers had a season-high 17 hits in the contest. The offensive onslaught was highlighted by a career outing by junior Jasper McCloy, who went 3-for-4 at the plate with 2 home runs, a double and 4 RBIs. His 2 round-trippers gave him 6 in 2026, the highest single-season total ever in HHS baseball history. He also leads the squad in batting at .467 and RBIs with 28.
The host Whippets actually got on the board first, as they scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning with a rally including 2 doubles, a single and 4 consecutive walks.
But Houston responded with 6 runs on 5 hits in the top of the second (including an RBI double by McCloy), and then added 3 runs in the fourth frame, 5 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth and 5 more in the seventh.
McCloy’s first homer was a solo shot to right field in the sixth inning, and he smashed a 2-run job to center in the seventh.
“Jasper gives our team a lot of energy,” Hall said. “His play speaks for itself. He’s a big bat in the middle of our lineup and does a great job behind the plate with a plus arm.”
Senior Aaden Scantlin and freshmen Blake Sanders, Tucker Venn and Griffin Aaron shared pitching duties for Houston. Scantlin (the team’s ace) had a rough outing, lasting only 2/3 of an inning and allowing 3 hits, 2 walks and 4 earned runs. Sanders then worked 2 1/3 innings, followed by Venn and Aaron with 2 apiece.
The Whippets finished with 7 hits. Nine different batters had hits for the Tigers, with seven getting 2 or more. Ellington committed 4 errors, while Houston had 3.
“We still give up too many free bases with walks and errors,” Hall said. “But with the way we hit the ball, we can make up for those mistakes most times, which is what we did last night. In order for us to play at the highest level, we need to clean up on that as I’ve said before, and we are working tirelessly to do that.”
The result left Hall with a career record of 400-259. He is the winningest coach in HHS sports history.
“All the wins go to the players that have played here for the past 28 years,” Hall said. “A coach can’t throw a ball, hit it or field it for them. They are the ones out there doing all the work and the credit should all go to them, because without them there would be none of this.
“I’ve been blessed with great players and parents and a school that’s always supported me.”
Hall’s son, Garyn Hall, had a stellar baseball career at HHS before graduating in 2023 and is now his dad’s assistant coach.
“It’s very special to me having my son with me through this journey and having him coach with me,” Coach Hall said.
The Tigers wrap up their South Central Association conference schedule with a game Monday at Thayer and then close out the regular season with a home game on Tuesday against Mansfield.
Houston seeded second in district tournament
The Tigers will be seeded second in the upcoming Class 3 District 9 Tournament.
The 5-team event will be played at Tiger Field in Houston.
No. 4 Liberty and No. 5 Willow Springs will play a first round game at 1 p.m. Friday, May 15, with the winner taking on top-seeded Licking in the semifinals at noon Saturday (May 16). The host Tigers (11-9, 4-2 SCA) will face No. 3 Thayer in the other semifinal, scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.
The district championship game is set for 4 p.m. Monday, May 18.
Licking (22-8) is No. 3 in the latest Class 3 state rankings.
