CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It is no surprise that the Calallen Wildcats are ranked number one in the state in class 4A. Playoff time is their favorite time of year, especially for their coach Steve Chapman. He has led the Wildcats to the three state titles, 30 consecutive years to the playoffs and with 1,082 career wins, he is just 34 wins shy of becoming the winningest coach in Texas high school baseball history. The baseball field is also named after him.
His players are well aware of his success and they love being coached by a legend. "When I found out that coach Chapman was in reach of the most wins in Texas, I made it a personal goal of mine to help him achieve it," said Wildcats third baseman Brayden Sprencel.
Justin Lamkin is one of the best pitchers in all of South Texas. His 8-0 record includes two no hitters and three one hitters. Just a junior, he has already committed to play at Texas A&M. He also realizes he is being coached by one of the all time greats. "He is a great coach to play for because he gives us the best opportunity possible and makes us great players," said Lamkin. "he works with us every day and helps us achieve our goals."
The biggest goal of course is winning another state title. Coach Chapman is always cautiously optimistic but felt like going into this season, this team could be extra special.
"I have been thinking that way since last year, we had six or seven sophomores coming back and they are the foundation and we have a great group of seniors," said Chapman. "I have been really excited since last year hopefully we can continue to get better with every game."
The Wildcats will play Pearsall in the second round of the playoffs Friday night at Steve Chapman Field. It will be a one game winner take all affair.
