MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer’s road to winning a share of the District 31-5A championship and playoff run to the Region IV-5A final didn’t come without adversity.
During the Diamondbacks’ tight district title race, assistant coach Shawn Moes stepped up to take over interim head coach duties after former head coach Casey Smith was placed on administrative leave due to a personnel matter.
Moes, The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Baseball Coach of the Year, took the Pioneer reins and helped lead the Diamondbacks to Round 5 of the Class 5A playoffs against eventual state champion Georgetown. Their regional final playoff run fell one step shy of qualifying for the Class 5A state tournament — a feat the Diamondbacks accomplished in 2019.
“Obviously, we didn’t finish where we wanted to, but I’ll tell you what, it was a great season. Fortunately we have great kids here, and a great administration and staff that helped us along the way,” he said. “It was a magical ride. Truly enjoyable. The kids did a wonderful job this year and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Diamondbacks (34-10) finished the year ranked as the No. 5 team in Class 5A, according to Texas High School Baseball’s final top 25 list published after the season.
After being named interim head coach in March, Pioneer’s message didn’t change, only the messenger. Moes knew he could rely on his senior-heavy squad to remain focused on its ultimate goal of piecing together another postseason run.
“Really, it was just about letting them play and going out there and having fun, doing what they know how to do and trusting themselves,” he said. “I trusted them, I hope they trusted me in the same way, but I trusted them to do the right thing and go out there and play to the best of their ability, and that’s what we did the rest of the season.”
Pioneer senior shortstop Juan Rivera, a UTRGV baseball signee, said Moes helped the Diamondbacks stay on track.
“He kept us straight-headed and relaxed. We stayed focused and played every pitch,” Rivera said. “He was a great mentor and there to keep us calm and not feel the pressure in those situations, and for that I’m really thankful. I don’t know if we could have trusted anyone else to do what he did — to come in as an assistant and become interim head coach and lead us to this playoff run. It was unbelievable.”
The Diamondbacks’ postseason included series wins over Brownsville Porter (2-0), Corpus Christi Moody (2-1), Corpus Christi Veterans (2-1) and Buda Johnson (2-1). Pioneer prevailed in three Game 3s during its run, proving it could play its best ball facing elimination.
“With these guys it was good effort every day. They kept a positive attitude all season,” Moes said. “We took our lumps, but it just seems like they were resilient and they came back every time we took our lumps. It’s like we’ve said, if you punch us in the mouth, we’re going to punch you back and we were able to do that all the way to the end.”
