With the 2024 Baseball season rapidly approaching, the Covenant Christian School Cougars are poised to take a swing at the TAPPS 2A State Championship Title.
Returning a pair of All-State Seniors and a deep class of Junior starters, including All-State Honorable Mention Catcher, Keeton Campbell, the Cougars are looking to right the wrongs of last year and take their talented lineup all the way. Boasting a strong pitching staff, the Cougars picked up a Sophomore transfer student, Preston Van House, and he will be joining fellow Sophomores Ethan Harvey, Tyler Stinson and Seniors Asher Abrahams and Jesse Lawson on the mound.
The Cougars have been placed on a “Teams to Watch” list, being included in a high-profile list of TAPPS Top-15 baseball programs, across all divisions, for the 2024 season. Included in that list are 3 other TAPPS Division 5 teams, making the battle for the title fun from the beginning. Coach Randy Reynolds is looking at his youthful roster with much anticipation. Joining the key players, previously mentioned, are loaded Freshman and Sophomore classes, fighting for playing time in a top-notch roster. This will be the first time in program history the Cougars will be fielding a JV team, showing the growth of the program and desire to be playing on the Varsity level.
Asher Abrahams returns for his Senior season, bringing with him his .453 batting average and 13 doubles from last year. Abrahams is looking to lead the Cougars with pitching efforts and more offensive fire power this upcoming season. Jesse Lawson, the returning District MVP, and a “Player to Watch” at the state level, will help Abrahams in carrying the weight on the mound and behind the plate.
The Cougars won their first game against a talented Division 4 Brazos Christian team, 14-6. The pitching staff showed their class, with only 1 earned run allowed between Asher Abrahams, Ethan Harvey, and Preston Van House. Asher Abrahams notched 7 strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings pitched. The Cougars bats were active all night. Grayson Harrod lead the way with 2 hits, Preston Van House had 3 RBIs. Keaton Campbell and Tyler Stinson had 2 RBIs each. Overall, the team had great discipline at the plate, and timely hitting was present early and often.
Next game for the Cougars will be hosted at Covenant Christian School, on Friday, February 2nd against First Baptist Pasedena. The Cougars will look to continue their fast start to the season.