It’s that time of year again – baseball season has begun! The Faith Academy Knights have had a busy first week, playing three games against Ferssati Catholic, Northland Christian JV, and Somerville ISD. Despite having only one practice before the start of the season, the Knights showed promising signs of what’s to come.
Their first game of the season was against Ferssati Catholic, a 5A TAPPS team. Although the game was back and forth, the Knights were unable to come out on top, falling short 8-5. Coach Woodley was happy with the performance, given the lack of preparation time. “Our pitchers threw well today. As to be expected, we were rusty hitting, but with only one practice, I was happy with how we began,” he said.
On Thursday, the Knights faced Northland Christian JV and struggled early, finding themselves in a 6-1 hole. Cash Eckermann came in the game in relief of Travis Woodley and slowed down the Cougars’ offense. Despite a three-run inning sparked by Matthew McGowan’s triple, it wasn’t enough, and the Knights lost 8-4. Coach Woodley acknowledged the challenge of being a young team but emphasized the importance of consistency. “We are a team full of freshmen and sophomores. Our challenge this year is to be consistent with every part of the game,” he said.
The Knights bounced back on Friday against Somerville ISD, with Christian Pillow on the mound pitching well and only allowing one unearned run. The team capitalized on some walks and took an early lead, with Matthew McGowan adding another triple and Dylan Calihan contributing two singles. The Knights cruised to a 16-4 victory. Coach Woodley praised the team’s approach to the game, saying, “We were able to bounce back from yesterday’s game and had a better approach to this game. We still have a lot to work on, but we have learned a lot this week also.”
Freshman Matthew McGowan was recognized as Player of the Week, contributing three singles and a triple in his first high school games. He also pitched three impressive innings for the Knights. “Way to play Matthew!” exclaimed Coach Woodley.
The Knights will be hitting the road for the next few weeks, participating in a tournament in Somerville. They’ll face Bryan St. Joseph on Friday at 5 pm, Brookshire Royal on Saturday at noon, and Bartlett ISD on Saturday at 5 pm. It’s sure to be an exciting season for the Faith Academy Knights, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish!
View this post on Instagram
