Baldwin, who will play baseball for Yale University in the fall, hit .462 with seven home runs and drove in 42 runs for the Chaps this past season. The catcher was also named to the Texas High School Sports Writers Association Class 5A all-state team and the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A all-state team.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Collin Shaw, a 2011 graduate of Westlake and a University of Texas recruit, earned second-team honors as an outfielder after hitting .487 with a regular-season school-record 45 RBIs, and he added seven home runs and scored 37 runs.

Bret Schumacher garnered third-team honors at first base following a senior year that featured a .409 batting average, 34 RBIs and four home runs. Classmate Robert Baldwin, a Yale recruit, also earned third-team honors after hitting .462 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs.

Wong draws praise from TGCA
Westlake sophomore shortstop Stephanie Wong drew Class 5A all-state recognition from the Texas Girls Coaches Association after leading the Chaps in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.521), runs (39), hits (50) and stolen bases (15).

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

ROUND ROCK – With two swings of the bat, Westlake’s Collin Shaw showed that while he has more than enough pop for prep ball, he falls a foot or two short of professional power.

Fortunately for the 2011 Westlake graduate, he has a few years to add just a smidgen of muscle to a swing that looked in midseason form at Sunday’s Class Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association 4A/5A All-Star baseball game at Dell Diamond.

Shaw, who will enroll in summer school at the University of Texas next month before joining the Longhorns’ baseball program, pulled a pair of towering bombs in his two at-bats. Both reached the warning track in right field; one was run down for a deep fly out, while the other bounced at the base of the wall for a stand-up triple in the seventh inning.

“I thought both were going to be out of there, to be honest,” Shaw said after the South All-Stars closed out a 7-6 win over his North team. “I think they would have been out at pretty much every high school field.”

Indeed, Shaw hit seven homers while earning all-state honors for the Chaps this season, including three at Westlake’s Woerner Field and its dimensions of 320 feet down the right-field line and 360 feet to dead center.

Shaw’s triple at Dell Diamond traveled about 370 feet into right-center field, and his flyout to right went approximately 360 feet.

By the way, the Longhorns’ Disch-Falk Field has dimensions of 325 feet down the right-field line and 400 feet to center, which mean that both of Shaw’s blasts likely would have been homers at his future home.

Still, the outfielder understands what it will take to turn a routine fly ball into a leisurely trip around the bags.

“When I start summer school, I’m going to be hitting the weights,” he said. “This was a blast to end my high school career, but I can’t wait for next season.”

Shaw’s triple helped the North rally from a 6-0 deficit by the end of the fifth inning. The comeback began when Midland’s Shane Sawyer launched a pitch from Baytown Lee’s Reed Seeley into the second level of seating in left field to trim the margin to 6-2. Hunter Lockwood of Hurst Bell followed with an RBI single as the North entered the seventh frame down by three runs.

Parker French, Dripping Springs’ ace and another future Longhorn, took the mound for the South side and quickly retired the first two hitters before Shaw hammered his triple. Shaw then crossed home plate on a single by Denison’s Robert Rosser, who followed Shaw home on a hit by Klein’s Evan Rutter.

The North evened the score at 6-6 in the top of the eighth inning against French on an RBI single by Lubbock Coronado’s Blake Bass.

However, the two South pitchers that gave up their team’s lead – French and Seeley – garnered revenge in the bottom of the ninth. After Seeley reached base with a single, French ended the game with a walk-off RBI double into the right-field gap that gave the South a 7-6 win.

French had two hits in his two at-bats and received the game’s Most Valuable Player honor.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Baseball is a game of failure. Good batters swing and usually miss; great hitters swing and miss just a smidgen less.
Success in the sport comes measured by responses to such disappointment.

And by that gauge, Jordan Etier again proved himself a winner while helping the University of Texas baseball team return to the College World Series for the 34th time.

With the season on the line in last weekend’s super regional series against Arizona State, Etier – a 2008 graduate of Westlake High School – helped Texas fend off elimination Saturday with one of his best games as a Horn. The second baseman, a defensive stalwart that hits No. 9 in the Longhorn lineup, went 3-for4 with three RBIs on a three-run dinger that sealed a 5-1 win in game two.

Texas closed out the best-of-three series a day later as Etier posted a line more familiar to Longhorn fans: 0-for-4 at the plate but with three putouts and two assists during a stellar defensive performance that epitomizes his collegiate career.

Etier gave himself plenty of room for such redemption. He endured a horrific opening game of the series, fanning in his two at-bats and dropping a ball at second base for an error that led to Arizona State’s winning run. But he didn’t crawl into a shell of self-pity; instead, he had dinner with his dad, Mark, tuned out the noise from outside the locker room and tried to “reboot and refocus.”

“I tried to think about success in the past, use something from the past when everything felt really nice,” Etier told the Austin American-Statesman. “You focus on that mentality, use that to help motivate you.”

Fortunately for Etier, he has a deep reservoir of such memories to draw from.

One of the most versatile athletes in Westlake history, Etier played three varsity team sports, a rarity at the Class 5A level. All the football, basketball and baseball games formed a familiar backdrop to Etier’s high school days, the practices and road trips blurring together in a haze of workouts and wins.

But maybe Etier spent the hours following the series-opening loss to Arizona State remembering the first game of a 2008 baseball regional quarterfinal series against powerful Corpus Christi Ray. Etier went 3-for-4 that day with a home run and three RBIs in a 6-2 victory that set the tone for the series win.

Perhaps he recalled a 42-40 first-round football playoff win over San Antonio Churchill in 2006. With injuries plaguing the Chaps’ backfield, Etier moved from wide receiver to running back and rolled up 133 yards on 17 carries in his only career start at running back.

Maybe he thought back to the 2006 state championship football game, when he led the Chaps in receiving during a taut loss to Southlake Carroll. Or the 2007 and 2008 baseball seasons, when he hit a cumulative .311 and anchored Westlake’s infield.

“Everybody is thrilled with the way he handled adversity,” University of Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido said after Saturday’s win.

Etier has always handled hard times, as evident by his days at Westlake. And don’t expect anything different in Omaha this weekend.

Batter up

Who: Texas v. Florida

What: College World Series

When: Saturday, 6 p.m.

TV: ESPN

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Last year, more than 100 girls attended the clinic fundraiser and enjoyed the opportunity to work and interactive with coaches and varsity players.

Clinic times on both days for grades third-sixth is 8:30-10:30 a.m. and for grades seventh and eighth from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

To register or for more information, email debbieghidoni@yahoo.com or call Debbie Ghidoni at 917-3344. Register before July 23 to guarantee a T-shirt for your child.

Buck caps collegiate career

Molly Buck, a 2007 Westlake graduate, capped her collegiate track career at Rhodes College with a 13th-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles at the recent NCAA Division III meet. Buck earned Most Valuable Player honors from the Rhodes coaches this season after setting new school records in both the 100 and 400 hurdles.

Shaw draws all-star berth from THSBCA

Collin Shaw, a 2011 Westlake graduate, will compete in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A-5A all-star game June 19 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The game starts at noon.

Shaw, District 15-5A’s Most Valuable Player this past season, has committed to the University of Texas.

Suh honored for bookwork

Westlake senior girls golfer Danielle Suh earned Class 5A all-state academic honors from the Texas Girls Coaches Association. To earn such recognition, a golfer must maintain a grade-point-average of at least 94 during the school year.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

Collin Shaw, a senior outfielder and pitcher committed to the University of Texas, headlined the Chaps’ hearty all-district contingent by earning Most Valuable Player honors. Shaw hit .487 with a regular-season school-record 45 RBIs, and he added seven home runs and scored 37 runs. He also went 5-1 on the mound with a 1.66 earned run average.

Senior Tucker Reid, a unanimous first-team selection who led Westlake’s pitching staff with a 7-2 record, was one of four hurlers selected to the all-district first team. He ended the year with a 1.19 ERA and fanned 40 with 19 walks.

Senior Robert Baldwin garnered a unanimous first-team selection behind the plate after hitting .462 with seven HRs and 42 RBIs. Classmate Brett Schumacher also picked up unanimous first-team honors with a .409 batting average, 34 RBIs and four dingers.

Junior shortstop Hayden Ross (.428, 27 RBIs, 43 runs scored) shared first-team honors, as did classmate Lewis Guilbeau (.423, 28 RBIs, 36 runs) in the outfield.

Carson Viglione, a junior who started at several spots in the infield, received Utility Player of the Year honors after hitting .322 with 14 RBIs and 17 runs scored.

Westlake’s Austin Breedlove (.250, 11 RBIs), Garrett Ochoa (.351, 17 runs, 13 RBIs), Andres Mitre (.343, 17 runs, nine RBIs), Lance Duran (.350, 18 RBIs, three HRs), Matt Balsizer (.480, 15 runs, seven RBIs), Andrew Sullivan (3-1 record, 1.91 ERA) and Sean Murphy (.293, 24 runs, 10 RBIs) received honorable mention.

Longtime Chap coach Jim Darilek earned the district’s Coach of the Year award for the ninth time in his 22–year tenure as Westlake’s head coach. Westlake won a 30 games in the regular season and captured its sixth consecutive district title. The team ended the season with a 31-7 record that included a stunning first-round playoff series loss to Pflugerville.
In his career, Darilek has tallied a 489-244 record.

Coaches All-district 15-5A team

Most Valuable Player: Collin Shaw, Westlake, 12*

Newcomer of the Year: Eddie Flores, Bowie, 10

Coach of the Year: Jim Darilek, Westlake

First team
Pitchers: Matt McHale, 12, Anderson*; Robby Dickey, 11, Bowie*; Tucker Reid, 12, Westlake*; Andrew Boes, 12, Austin High.

Catcher: Robert Baldwin, 12, Westlake*.

First Base: Bret Schumacher, 12, Westlake*.

Second Base: Joe Tourville, 12, Austin High*.

Third Base: Justin Montemayor, 11, Anderson*.

Shortstop: Roger Herrera, 12, Akins; Hayden Ross, 11, Westlake.

Outfield: Colin Kowal, 12, Anderson*; Connor Sheehan, 12, Anderson; Temple Baker, 12, Austin High; Lewis Guilbeau, 11, Westlake.

Designated Hitter: Sam Shaw, 12, Austin High

Utility Player: Carson Viglione, 11, Westlake.

Second team
Pitchers: Justin Holder, 11, Anderson; Kurt Clark, 11, Bowie; Blake English, 12, Del Valle.

Catcher: Kameron Keel, 12, Bowie.

First Base: Cameron Lauck, 12, Anderson; Jacob Ledesma, 12, Bowie.

Second Base: Easton Johnson, 10, Anderson.

Third Base: David Teran, 12, Del Valle.

Shortstop: Matt Smith, 11, Anderson; Kevin Mayo, 12, Bowie.

Outfield: Riley Watson, 12, Anderson; Travis Eckert, 11, Austin High; Stuart Patke, 12, Bowie; Randy Vallejo, 12, Del Valle.

Honorable mention:
Akins: Robert Franco, 12; Kenny Davis, 12; Blake Hoffman, 12; Tony Vega, 12; Justin Pecchia, 12;

Westlake: Austin Breedlove, 12; Garrett Ochoa, 12; Andres Mitre, 12; Lance Duran, 11; Matt Balsizer, 12; Andrew Sullivan, 12; Sean Murphy, 12.

Anderson: Erin Price, 11; Brett Leatherwood, 11.

Austin: Luke Luna, 12; Greg Salinas, 10; Ruben Salinas,12.

Del Valle: Junior Salazar, 11; Rex Smelser, 11.

* unanimous selection

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

What just happened, he asked, not expecting a response? What went wrong?

Unfortunately, that baseball parent had plenty of quizzical company this school year. From the first serve of volleyball season to the final swing in baseball, Westlake’s athletic department experienced its worst season in a generation. Only two teams won a playoff game (volleyball and girls soccer), and the Chaps claimed just one medal (Sierra Sims in girls golf) at a state tournament that recognized individual results. The school currently sits in 10th place with 42 points in the latest Lone Star Cup standings, which is the tool used by the UIL to measure overall athletic achievement.

Westlake has never finished lower than seventh in the standings and has never recorded less than 62 points.

What went wrong in 2010-11? And how did the program tumble so quickly?

Some cite a realignment shift to Region II, while others say the socioeconomic tide has swept success toward more distant suburban districts such as Cedar Park and Lake Travis. A few local misanthropes even point at the administration of Darren Allman, who took over as head football coach and the Eanes athletic director in the spring of 2009.

Of course, Westlake accumulated its best score ever in the Lone Star Cup competition with 94 points during the 2009-10 school year, when the Chaps’ football team was one of three team sports to qualify for either the state finals or the state tournament. And Westlake finished fourth in the Lone Star Cup standings in both 2004 (73 points) and 2005 (72), the previous two years in which the school competed in Region II.

But that was then, and this is how.

The reason for Westlake’s dropoff this season strolled across the stage during the school’s graduation ceremonies in 2010. The Chaps had a remarkable class of athletes last year that left a deep etching in the school record books.

• Volleyball player Sara Shaw, who left campus as the program’s all-time leader in kills, led the Chaps to the state finals in 2009. This past year, the best senior on the team – libero Tessa Hunt – won’t even play collegiate ball. Not coincidentally, Westlake failed to reach the state tournament for the first time in three years.

• The 2009 Class 5A state finalist football team had two Football Bowl Subdivision football recruits in quarterback Tanner Price and linebacker Bryce Hager. This season’s football team, which went 6-5, did not have a single FBS recruit aside from kicker Buckley Willis (Air Force).

• A year ago, Westlake’s boys basketball team followed all-time scoring and assist leader Cody Doolin – the school’s best-ever player under 6 feet, 8 inches – to a district championship and a spot in the state rankings. This year’s team failed to qualify for the playoffs behind a youthful lineup that had just one senior starter.

• Courtney Duever left Westlake as one of the most accomplished best girls basketball players in school history and led the Chaps to the second round of the playoffs. Westlake stumbled to a losing record for the first time in a generation this season while missing all five starters from a year ago.

• Boys soccer player Dillon Short set a school record for goals in a season while leading Westlake to the 2010 state tournament. The 2011 Chaps, stymied by injuries, fell in the first round.

• Plenty of other individuals left Westlake in 2010 after setting new standards in their sport, including state swimming champion Samantha Tucker, state wrestling finalists Sawyer Morris and Peyton Burns, and state tennis champion Russell Bader.

As a group, the 2010 Westlake graduates helped all but one Westlake team win at least one playoff game. The class combined for five state titles, including team titles in the boys and girls golf, two swimming medals and Bader’s triumph in the boys singles tennis tournament.

In 2009-10, most of Westlake’s athletic programs met their potential. Most programs did the same this year, but based on the ability of the athletes, such potential plummeted closer to playoff hopefuls than potential champions.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

• Earned all-district football honors as a WR after team-high 43 catches for 765 yards.

• Had historic year for baseball team with .487 batting average and regular-season record 45 RBIs.

Some stars lead by exhortations, cajoling their teammates with private pep talks or vociferous locker-room speeches.

But other stars lead by example, and that’s how two-sport standout Collin Shaw preferred to motivate his comrades.
Whether on the gridiron or diamond, the Westlake senior produced plays each game with a consistency that converted into excellence. Such production contributed to district championships in both of Shaw’s sports, and it earns him the Westlake Picayune’s 2010-11 Boys Athlete of the Year award.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound Shaw earned first-team All-District 15-5A honors following the football season after hauling in a team-high 43 catches for 765 yards and five touchdowns from his flanker position. However, the stats don’t entirely reflect the role Shaw played for a revamped Westlake offense.

The Chaps entered the year with a new quarterback [Lewis Guilbeau] that had a well-deserved reputation as a runner with a good arm. Yet, Westlake’s passing game hummed; Shaw provided a security blanket for Guilbeau but still stretched the field by averaging 17.8 yards per catch.

Shaw also stretched the baseball field with his bat while delivering one of the best offensive performances in school history for a team that spent most of the season in the state polls. He led the team with a .487 batting average and set a new regular-season school record with 45 RBIs. He also added 37 runs and tied for team-high honors with seven home runs while having a splendid season with his glove in center field.

Want more? Shaw also led the Chaps’ pitching staff with 67 1/3 innings and 55 strikeouts while garnering a 5-1 record and 1.66 earned run average.

Next season, Shaw will play outfield for the storied University of Texas baseball program. He may not stroll with much sound across the 40 Acres, but get ready to hear his bat. Ask a Chap fan; it can make a lot of noise.

Honorable mention

Westlake junior Lewis Guilbeau made a splash in his debut season as the football team’s starting quarterback, and he added another layer of excellence to his varsity baseball career. In the fall, the 5-9, 190-pounder set a new school record with 2,475 yards of offense during the regular season and ended the Chaps’ 6-5 campaign with 1,917 yards passing, 714 yards rushing and 26 total touchdowns. The outfielder produced a second strong season for the baseball team with a .423 batting average and 28 RBIs.

Like a Swiss Army knife, Westlake junior Blake Box seemed to unlock another tool for each season. As a reserve quarterback during football, he picked on opposing defenses for 199 yards of offense. During the winter, the 6-4 forward emerged as a versatile reserve. Box capped his year by winning silver in the high jump at the District 15-5A track meet.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

• Shot a 5-under-par 139 to lead Westlake girls golf team to 2011 Class 5A state championship.

• Became the third Chap girl to win an individual gold medal at a state golf tournament.

A year ago, Westlake sophomore Sierra Sims watched her older sister, Mariana, and the Chap girls golfers capture their first state championship.

She must have taken some stellar notes, based on her winning performance at this year’s state tournament, which earned her the Westlake Picayune’s 2010-11 Girls Athlete of the Year recognition.

Sierra Sims unleashed an array of pinpoint irons and magnetic putts while winning individual honors at the Class 5A state golf tournament with a two-round score of 5-under 139. More impressively, she followed each par putt with a shy smile and an inherent sense of modesty.

Such humility trickled down through the entire Westlake lineup, which won its second consecutive state championship in style.

However, Sims’ smile on the links belies some cold steel needed to beat the state’s best. She entered the second and final round of the tournament trailing the leader by two strokes, but she closed that gap with a relentless parade of pars interrupted by the occasional birdie. The performance propelled Sims into what Westlake coach Chuck Nowland called “golf mode.”

“And you don’t mess with her [in golf mode],” he said.

And in this past school year, no one messed with Sims and her teammates.

Honorable mention

Rogers Hornsby said he spent his winters staring out the window waiting for spring. And that St. Louis slugger didn’t even spend his Saturdays at track meets, like Westlake junior dual-athlete Rosie Maddox. During the week, Maddox established herself as the primary slugger for Westlake’s playoff-qualifying softball team by hammering team-highs in batting average (.433), RBIs (33) and home runs (six). On Fridays and Saturdays, Maddox became a force in the discus and shot put. She won district titles and placed in the top 10 at regionals in both events.

Explosive. Quick. Energetic. Whether on the volleyball court or on the track, such adjectives describe Westlake senior Hannah Hood, who played a pivotal role for two Chap teams this school year. The 5-foot-9-inch outside hitter finished third on the regional finalist volleyball team with 261 kills and 342 digs while earning all-district honors. She then flashed her speed in the spring while winning a gold medal in the 400-meter race at the District 15-5A track and field meet.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines

• Led Westlake girls track and field team to District 15-5A championship with school-record 271 points.

• Guided nine underclassmen to the regional meet.

Youth can be a buzzword in sports, with a meaning that transcends its five letters.

Potential. Possible. Next year.

But in this past school year, Westlake girls track coach Chris Carter pulled that promise into the present and led the Chaps to a record-setting performance at the District 15-5A meet. By doing so, Carter earns the Westlake Picayune’s 2010-11 Coach of the Year award.

District championships usually belong to seasoned squads that know their roles and boast a bevy of varsity experience. Yet the Chaps set a school record for points at a Class 5A district meet with a squad dependent on youth. Of the 17 Westlake medalists at the district meet, nine were underclassmen, including gold medalists Grace Weghorst, Kamri Ball and Carly Grandcolas.

Carter, who just finished his second season as both the Westlake’s girls track and cross-country coach, did more than blend senior leaders such as sprinter Hannah Hood and hurdler Haley Thompson with the talented varsity newcomers during meets. He also cultivated a sense of team in a sport that focuses on the individual.

“The girls have bought into the idea [that] everyone contributes, and great individual performances mean a great team performance,” he said after the district track meet. “That’s a recipe for team success.”

Honorable mention

For the first time in more than a decade, Al Bennett didn’t have a senior, major-conference collegiate commit to lean on in tense times. Yet the 23-year Westlake volleyball coach still coaxed a district championship, a 44-3 record and a lengthy playoff run that didn’t end until the regional finals from his team. The system matters more than the stars in Westlake’s volleyball program, and the Chaps’ 2010 season offered confirmation.

Realignment did no favors for Westlake’s athletic program, but no sport faced more of a challenge in its new Region II than tennis. Five of the state’s top-12 ranked squads competed in the fall regional tournament, and such talent didn’t disappear come spring. However, Westlake tennis coach Kim Riley still managed to guide her team to a 15-4 record and a spot in the regional semifinals. In the fall, Riley extended a personal record when Robin Chou and Casey Sutton qualified for the state tournament by winning the mixed doubles title at the Region II tournament. In her seven years as the program’s head coach, Riley has had a participant in each spring state tournament.

We welcome your comments on our stories but will publish only those that do not violate our commenting guidelines