Baseball is alive and well in Lucas, Texas
LUCAS, Texas –– As we enter October, many people in the state of Texas are focused on the game of football. During this time of year, the vocal fans of massive “state” schools such as the University of Texas Longhorns and the Texas A&M Aggies are singularly dedicated to rooting for their respective favorite teams with great enthusiasm.
Alumni and supporters of Texas A&M are commonly heard using their school rally cry, “Whoop!” to express enthusiasm for all things pertaining to their beloved Aggie football team, and the fans of the Texas Longhorn football squad can also be heard commonly using their traditional school chant and hand signal, “Hook ‘em Horns” to indicate their zeal and support.
Similarly, high school football in the state of Texas has many supporters and to many, “Friday Night Lights” is the highlight of their week.
Thus, in a football crazed state like Texas, the game of football might appear like the only game in town. However, if one carefully explores the fan base of other sports in the state of Texas, one might be surprised to learn that the game of baseball is alive and well in the Lone Star State despite the major hype that is given to football.
For example, in and near the city of Lucas, Texas located in Collin County which is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area, there are several indoor and outdoor training facilities for baseball and softball including HomeRun Alley in Lucas and the Southfork Sports Complex in Parker, Texas.
The HomeRun Alley and Southfork Sports Alley are not the only places in and near Lucas, Texas that train students in the finer aspects of the game of baseball.
Lucas’ Lovejoy Leopards baseball team enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in the state of Texas for a Class 5A team in 2021.
Lovejoy High School went deep into the playoffs this postseason, lasting four rounds and finished with a 30-10 record in former head coach Jason Wilson’s final season.
Wilson will be the next head baseball coach at nearby Allen High School and has enjoyed a very successful career so far with 287 career victories.
The Lovejoy Leopards’ new head baseball coach will be Ryan Gros who coached for six years at McKinney High School. Gros spent his first five years at McKinney as an assistant coach before taking the head coaching job this past season.
According to a press release by Lovejoy ISD athletic coach Chris Ross, a highly successful football coach at Lovejoy in his own right, “Ryan brings a unique blend of enthusiasm, energy and a disciplined approach to the game and to his program.”
Lovejoy High School is the only public high school in Lucas, and is located in south central Collin County, Texas.
The Lovejoy Leopards play baseball in 5A Region two, District 10. Their overall baseball record was 15-10 before the high school playoffs this season and their league record was 6-3.
The Lovejoy varsity baseball team lost to Hallsville 9-8 in round 4 of the playoffs earlier this year.
Lovejoy’s deep run in the high school playoffs this season demonstrates that baseball plays a significant role in Lucas, Texas which is otherwise dominated by football.
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