WALL, TX -- For the state-bound Wall Hawks, grit and determination -- and a lot of dominance -- have gotten them back to the state baseball tournament for the second time in program history.
From long tournaments where they would play anywhere from four to six games in a three day span, to enduring harsh weather in the Concho Valley and abroad, the Hawks have stood tall against every test as their 37-1 record would show.
Encompassing the team’s archetype the best in a team full of “good ole’ country boys” could arguably be senior catcher Tanner Seider.
“We’re tough, a bunch of good ole’ country boys just doing what we know to do,” Seider said. “There’s nothing that can really get by us.”
The work by Seider, in his first full season as catcher, has not been lost on his head coach Jason Schniers, who understands how tough playing behind the plate is.
“It’s a mindset. I think playing catcher is not for everyone on the field,” Schniers said. “It’s one of those things you’ve gotta be able to handle adversity. You’ve gotta be able to handle things, getting hit by pitches, foul balls, things like that. You’ve just gotta be able to give everything you’ve got.”
The Hawks’ battery took a beating during Wall’s regional final series against Brock.
His hand, which has bothered him since last season, started to hurt and he took the full brunt of a hard-hit foul ball in game one of the series on Thursday. The next day, on the turf field of Crutcher Scott Field at Abilene Christian University, air temperatures climbed near 90 degrees with roughly 80 percent humidity following a round of hard rain that morning. Wall dropped a taxing game two by a score of 6-4.
“It was hard, knowing it was gonna be real hot and playing on turf. It’s a lot worse … Really hot on turf,” Seider said.
That game drained the senior to the point Schniers wasn’t sure Seider be able to get back up. But Seider came back for more, and in a big way. He delivered the crucial three-run triple in game three that broke the game open for the Hawks, who won 20-1.
“After game two on Friday, after the loss, I didn’t know if he was gonna be able to get back behind the plate,” Schniers said. “He was exhausted, he was drained. Between games, he was laying on the dugout floor, trying to get his energy back.
“He came back in game three and had the big hit for us that basically opened up our offense. That right there is a perfect example for what Tanner has been for us throughout his whole career. I think that’s an excellent statement to what our program is about.”
Seider’s one-out triple came on the first pitch in the top of the third inning and put the Hawks on top 3-1. That would snowball into a nine-run inning where Wall sent 15 batters to the plate.
The senior catcher has been a brick wall behind the plate. In the Hawks’ 10 playoff games, Seider has only let two pitches get behind him.
In that same time, he has also gunned down four baserunners.
Wall (37-1) will meet with the Kirbyville Wildcats (33-7-1) on Friday at 9:00 a.m. from the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The winner of that semifinal will advance to Saturday’s state championship game at 9:00 a.m.
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