The Lone Star College-Kingwood Coyotes baseball team is hoping to prove it’s in a league of its own…as it heads to compete in the Wood Wars tournament in Louisiana this weekend.
This will be the team’s third time competing in the tournament, which is being held at the Sterlington Sports Complex in Sterlington, Louisiana, November 1st through 3rd.
The team record is five wins, zero losses, and one tie. Head Coach Salvador Rico has high hopes for this year’s matchup.
“This year, with this new team of Coyotes...I believe we're going to grab some people's attention and be competitive, and that we'll be a force to be reckoned with.”
The baseball team got its start in 1995, with the help of faculty member Professor Steve Davis (currently History Professor at Lone Star College-Kingwood). At that time, the original name was the Rough Riders, and the team played against other Lone Star College teams.
In 2004, the team joined the NCBA (National Club Baseball Association) to compete against other colleges with club baseball teams. Now, the Kingwood Coyotes are one of the few 2-year schools who play against teams from 4-year institutions.
Coach Rico has been the leading the team since 2016.
“Given the history of this ball club, this season we have the opportunity to be one of the best teams in our school's history. Our challenge and goal are to reach the conference tournament and ultimately be in the NCBA World Series.”
Many of the players are local talent from districts including Aldine ISD, Cleveland ISD, Deer Park ISD, Houston ISD, Huffman ISD, Humble ISD, New Caney ISD, Porter ISD and Spring ISD, and some who played club baseball.
Team co-captain Tristan Garcia says he wanted to play for the Coyotes because it was close to home and he could keep playing baseball while continuing his education.
“When I got to meet the team on the first day of tryouts, I was very shocked at how everyone got along so well. I knew we were going to all get along and play well together and that alone makes playing for any team memorable for everyone.”
“Our players understand that we leave no one behind and that we trust and help each other to reach a new level of success,” said Coach Rico. “The respect and understanding we have for the game as well as for others helps us navigate through our current process of balancing our home life, schoolwork, along with the sport to become successful and productive. This team has a no quit attitude and doesn't really panic when it's behind. This type of attitude allows them to keep pace and stay on track to complete its task.”
Lone Star College System enrolls over 90,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSCS is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D. serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area. LSC has been named a 2024 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education. LSCS consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit Lonestar.edu.
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