Lions baseball swings for fences

Ozona—The Ozona Lions baseball team opened its season with strong performances in early tournaments, finishing second in the Ozona Tournament and going undefeated in the Ralls Tournament last weekend.

With a senior-heavy roster and returning experience, players and coaches say expectations are high for the season ahead.

For seniors Jacoby Ramos and JP Garza, the season carries added significance as their final opportunity to play for the Lions.

“It's pretty important because it's the last one, but I want it to be fun and have a good time out here,” Ramos said.  

Garza said the senior class hopes to make the most of its final year together.

"It's very important because it's our last season with the boys and stuff,” Garza said. “We’re trying to go out with a bang.” 

The seniors also have specific goals they hope to accomplish before the season ends.

Ramos said one of his biggest team goals is advancing further in the playoffs.

“Every year I've been here, we've lost in the second round,” Ramos said. “Making it past the second round, I think would be it.” 

He also hopes the team can win one of the tournaments it competes in during the season. 

“My personal goal is to win the tournament with everyone,” Ramos said. “I don't think we've won it yet, so to win it one time would be cool.”  

Garza said one of his goals is to finally capture the title at the Forsan-Coahoma Tournament.

“My biggest goal is probably to win the [Forsan-Coahoma] Tournament because in the past four years we haven't won it, but we've gotten pretty close,” Garza said.  

Head coach Luke Feaster said the team’s seniors have played an important role in shaping the culture of the program during his time at Ozona. 

“There are a lot of seniors that have been with me for my whole time here,” Feaster said. “We've set the standard of how things are done.”

Feaster said he expects the senior players to continue demonstrating leadership and setting an example for younger teammates. 

“We want those guys to treat the team like it's theirs,” Feaster said. “That shows the younger guys how we do things and what to expect and how to go throughout the day.”   

One of the program’s primary goals this season is repeating last year’s district championship. 

“Baseball's a weird sport and sometimes the best teams don't always win,” Feaster said. “Our goal is to make sure that we give ourselves the opportunity to win.”

Feaster said the team emphasizes perseverance throughout the season.

“Our saying is ‘you're never out,’” he said. “We get ourselves in the fight, and we're never out of the fight. 

“As long as they continue to believe that and to grow, we'll put ourselves in a position to have the opportunity to win. The overall goal is to always win the district championship, but as long as we're getting better every single day, we're doing what we need to do.”   

Feaster said he has seen encouraging signs from the team early in the season.

“Every game we're showing improvement in all aspects,” he said. “Our record doesn't show the improvement that we've made, but I feel we're off to a pretty good start.”  

The Lions competed in the Forsan-Coahoma Tournament during the week leading into spring break.