Baseball Alumni Classic: 'I miss the camaraderie the most'

Greg Ewing, Jeff Knox, Chris Knox, Coach Higgins and Kyle Guion

Did you catch the 2nd Annual Alumni Classic baseball game at Lake Highlands High Saturday? Part reunion, part pick-up game, it was both hilarious and impressive to see what these former players still had in the tank.

More than 50 alums of the Wildcat baseball program matched up on The Cat, LHHS’ baseball diamond, with coaching help from Taylor Stell, who went on to play at the University of Texas, and Jay Higgins, 2010 inductee into the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.

“Baseball is just the side part,” said Kyle Jenkins, a 1995 grad. “This is really a chance to see my old buddies and Coach Higgins.”

“A lot of these people I haven’t seen since [the event] last year, and before that it had been years,” agreed Ryan Browder, a 2010 graduate. Browder said many participants were older guys he looked up to as a young player. “It’s cool to see young kids have the same level of interest in the people playing now.”

R.J. Burns, who played catcher before he graduated in 2010, said he’d love to play on a men’s league, but he has trouble finding time with his busy work schedule. “I miss the camaraderie most – hanging out with all the guys.”

Burns expressed gratitude to organizers for putting the event together.

“Look at this crowd,” said Burns, “there’s a ton of people here. Everyone’s having fun. The more you can get the community involved, the better.”

Wil Matthews, teacher and baseball coach at Shelton School, said his students can take away much from the game.

“I tell my students baseball has been a big part of my life, and I hope it will be a big part of theirs. You can learn a lot from baseball, things like hard work and team work. It’s one of those games where you can have fun while working hard.”

The Wildcats begin their season March 2nd and host the Jay Higgins Classic March 8th. Go Cats!