What went right for the Longhorns in 2010:

1. Sawyer Ward's offense-The junior leadoff hitter hit .388, and was on base 52% of the time.  Some may not have been suprised by his high batting average, but not many expected him to hit for power.  He crossed the plate 29 times from the leadoff spot.  He worked hard over the winter on the mechanics of his swing.  We are going to work hard with him this summer to help him return to the very good defensive player he has been in the past. 

2. Our Freshman: Our JV club went 8-4, and three of those wins came against conference teams.  Judd Hammons and Jacob Henson have the potential to be two of the most exciting players that have wore Longhorn uniforms in a long time.  They have a unique combination of speed and power.  We also hope to see Henson develop into a quality arm on the mound.  First baseman, Daniel Helm, has the potential to be a nice run producing bat in the middle of the lineup, and Ryan Mahala is a raw athlete who does not realize how good he can be.   

3. Harley Reece: The big sophomore used the JV season to show he has the ability to compete for a starting Varsity spot in 2011.  He was a run producing cleanup hitter for the JV team, played a solid third base, and provided consistent innings on the mound.  He also learned a lot of head knowledge about the game of baseball. 

4. Zack Hayworth's total game:  Zack may not have had the offensive season he would have liked, although he did hit .276 with a homer (at Unicoi) and 12 RBI, , but he played a great second base.  He made difficult plays look routine.  He also turned out to be our most consistent pitcher, as he always kept us in the game pitching in middle relief.  He led the staf with a 2.58 ERA. 

5. Tyler Fenner's offensive season: Fenner was our most feared hitter in 2010.  Like Sawyer Ward, Fenner put in many hours in the batting cage working on swing fundamentals.  That hard work showed, as Tyler hit a team leading 4 home runs, and knocked in a team leading 20 runs.  He was on base 44% of the time, and played his usual very good defense at first base. 

6. Mark Jennings potential: Mark had a nice statistical offensive season.  He hit .329, with a home run (vs. Holston) and 13 runs batted in.  He also showed an ability to fight two strike pitches off, put the ball in play, and get on base.  He was also a solid left fielder, and played a solid third base toward the end of the season.  Although inconsistent (like all of our pitchers), Jennings pitched some good baseball in 2010.  In saying all that, we think Mark only showed us a glimpse of what he can do.  We have talked to him about fully committing himself to the game for his senior year.  We think he has the ability to be a legitimate all around very good baseball player.  He also showed a strong knowledge of the game, and desire to learn more about the game, as he often asked questions.  Jennings could bust out big in 2011. 

7. Cody Greer's offense:  Cody Greer made some "hard outs" early in the season, but starting hitting it where they weren't consistently during the middle to latter half of the 2010 season.  Greer hit .358, and even moved from the second leadoff spot at the bottom of the order, up to the cleaup spot for the last couple of regular season games and the district tournament.  He was the best we had at hitting the ball to the opposite field (right field for a right handed batter).

8. Danny Herman:  The junior catcher/designated hitter showed an ability to "turn around" a fastball.  Herman hit .281 with 3 home runs.  Like Fenner and Ward, Herman worked hard on his offensive game over the winter, and it showed.  We think we can continue to work with him on some fundamental things in his swing to help him continue his improvement, on his way to a big senior season.  We also look forward to working with him on his catching fundamentals to better tighten up that area of his total game. 

9. Eric Cullop: The senior centerfielder had a solid all around season for the Longhorns.  As usual, he displayed great defense in centerfield.  He scored 21 runs hitting in the two spot in the lineup.  We thought he may hit higher than his final .305, but he did hit 3 home runs and knock in 17 runs.  Cullop was also third on the ball club with 10 walks drawn, and led the team with the only three triples hit during the 2010 season for Johnson County. Eric will be missed in 2011, and if anyone had began to take forgranted his outstanding outfield defense, they may appreciate it more next season, as like Zack Hayworth at second base, Cullop made difficult plays look routine.  The 2011 centerfielder has  big shoes to fill.