Following a slow start, the baseball team has found its rhythm and is beginning to develop a resilient attitude. Coached by Aaron Hickman and led by captains J.C. DeMuri and Curtis Smith, the Longhorns were edged out of a first place finish in the Suburban South conference tournament by Parkway Central with a score of 5-6.

Heading into the tournament, the Longhorns had taken the role of the underdog, facing a 10-3 Parkway North team in their first game. Behind the arm and bat of J.C. DeMuri, Parkway West overpowered the Vikings 4-3.

“J.C. has the potential to be a #1 guy, and I think he is starting to realize what he can bring to this team,” Hickman said.

DeMuri had 11 strikeouts in five innings, as well as a two-run home run in the first to fire up the Longhorns offense.

“Everything is starting to fit together. After a rough start, its really important for everyone to play with confidence, which is what we did out there,” DeMuri says.

After a days rest, the Longhorns faced their next challenge in the semifinals, the Seckman Jaguars. Seckman held an 11-3 record, which is powered by their best-in-conference defense. Without their ace on the mound, the Longhorns needed all of their players to step up.

Curtis Smith and Sam Vickroy led a productive offense, the two combining for six hits and three RBI’s. DeMuri contributed on short rest, providing four RBI’s and three walks with one hit. Juniors Ryan Crews and Jake Hughes shared the mound, keeping the Jaguars offense under control for the entire game. Winning the game 10-9, the Longhorns advanced to the conference tournament championship against rival Parkway Central.

“Getting into the tournament championship was something we knew we could do all along. The amount of talent on this team is unbelievable when compared to our record,” Smith said.

The championship game lasted 2 hours and 28 minutes, with a final score of 6-5 in favor of Parkway Central. But, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Heading into the seventh inning, the Longhorns had found themselves in a tight spot on the scoreboard, losing 2-5. A clutch two-run single by junior Clifford Chi, who reached base four times, shortened the gap, then a well executed suicide bunt by junior Jake Hughes evened the score at 5-5.

“It was absolutely nerve wracking. But, I knew my team needed me to step up, so that’s exactly what I did,” Chi said.

The Colts then won on a walkoff hit in the bottom of the seventh, but the Parkway West boys left the field knowing that the game came down to the final minute.

“We had a lot of fun out there. This team showed what it is truly capable of this weekend.” Senior Gavin Tichy said, who pitched this game.

The next opportunity the Longhorns will get for a tournament championship will be on May 3 at Westminster.