LYFORD — The Lyford baseball team has had a season to remember this year.
Under the guidance of head coach Chris Cervantes, the Bulldogs capped off an almost unblemished district season with an 8-1 record and the District 32-3A championship, which was the program’s first since 1995.
And two integral parts of the team were junior pitcher Layne Klosterman and left fielder Chris Gonzalez. The duo, combined with some senior leadership on the team, helped guide the team into the postseason.
“They’re juniors but they are also part of the leadership in our group,” said Cervantes. “They are multisport athletes and they’ve led on the basketball court, the football field and now on the diamond. Layne is a just a great individual and he’s the type of guy that if you need something he’s going to work his tail off for it.
“Chris is also one of those guys that is willing to put in the work and he is also a multisport athlete that wants to put Lyford on the map. I think these boys understand where the program stands and now they want to take it to the next level.”
Both will get the chance this week as the Bulldogs face a tough bi-district matchup against Santa Gertrudis that will be played at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday in a one-game playoff.
Chris:
Q: What’s was it like being part of a team chasing its first district title since 1995?
A: It is an exciting time and this is just what you dream of as a baseball player growing up. This is the ultimate season goal for us and to be in that position is just overwhelming.
Q: What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from asking your coach?
A: I would say the most interesting thing about me that most people wouldn’t know is my character. I want to push the guys to do their best and I do it in my own special way for every teammate.
Q: What has been the team motto this season and why?
A: The team motto has been “Believe” and I think it has been that because as long as we believe in each other and execute, we are a solid unit.
Q: If you had a time machine and were able to go to the past or future, where would you go and why?
A: I would say I would go to the future to see all the advances in technology that we have invented. I can just imagine the things the future will hold considering the development of the world in the past decade.
Layne:
Q: What has been the biggest motivation for the team this season?
A: Ever since the start of the season, we’ve tried to take each game one at a time. We told ourselves to play and work hard to hopefully win ourselves a district title.
Q: How have you adjusted to the pitch count?
A: I’ve really had to focus on each pitch and make them count. I want to make sure all 110 of my pitches each game are quality pitches.
Q: If you had a chance to have lunch with anybody in history, who would it be and why?
A: I would have lunch with Abe Lincoln. It would be him because of how good of a leader he was to his troops.
Q: Baseball players in general are known to have superstitions. Do you have any?
A: My only superstition is I always have to have my batting gloves in my back right pocket and have my hat pulled as far down as it can go on my head.
