SINTON, Texas — For the second straight year, and third time in the last five years, the Sinton Pirates are headed to the state baseball tournament.
The small town of Sinton supports their high school teams, and you can see it with flags flying outside businesses, and the Pirate merchandise for sale.
“We are forever a baseball community,” said Melanie Thomas, the owner of Aunt Aggie De’s in Sinton. “It’s always exciting to watch them, that last game especially, we were on the edge of our seats. There was never a doubt, but it certainly was exciting to watch. There’s always buzz around them, they’re just a great group of guys.”
Thomas said the town has been abuzz about the baseball team, especially since they punched their ticket back to Austin.
“We are beyond excited, and so proud,” Thomas said. “They’re great young men and they’ve worked their tails off to get where they are.”
Robin Brown is the owner of House of Trophies. Her son, Braeden, is an infielder and pitcher for the Pirates.
Her older son was on the Pirate team that went to the state tournament in 2017.
“We’ve been kind of spoiled to where we kind of expect the guys to go get it,” Brown said. “It’s phenomenal, most kids don’t get to experience that, and both got to. So, I’m just thrilled to death for the team, for my boys, for coach Alaniz and his staff, and for our city; it’s awesome.”
Brown said she feels bad for opposing pitchers, because the Pirate lineup is so well-rounded, it’s difficult to pitch against.
“They’re just an exciting group to watch, and I think there’s been an excitement around them all season,” she said.
The players can feel the support of their fans around town and, of course, in the stands at their games.
“We feed off their energy, you saw last week, the fan base is crazy,” said Pirate first baseman and pitcher Jaquae Stewart. “It makes the game more fun, and you don’t have to worry about so many more things. Just go out there, be a kid, and play baseball.”
After falling in the state semi-final game last year, Brown is hoping the boys can win the championship this year.
“I just want to go and get it done this year,” she said. “I don’t want another medal, I don’t think the boys want another medal, we want some hardware. So, go Pirates.”
The Pirates (34-1) will play Celina (32-4-1) in the state semi-final game on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., at UT Austin’s UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
If the Pirates win, they will face the winner of Argyle (34-3-1) and China Springs (32-8) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
