Players come and go, and talent may fluctuate every season, but one thing remains constant for the Tulare Western High School baseball program — winning.
That’s the case again this spring.
The Mustangs (18-9-1, 12-3) captured an outright West Yosemite League championship this year, concluding the regular season atop the conference standings. Lemoore (19-8, 11-4) finished second.
Tulare Western has now won 14 league championships under longtime head coach Ken Searcy.
The Mustangs captured East Yosemite League titles in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, and claimed their first WYL crown in 2023.
As of May 14, Searcy has directed Tulare Western to 387 victories in 21 seasons. His first season as the Mustangs’ head coach came in 2006.
“The one thing we try to preach here is consistency,” Searcy said. “Consistency in everything that we do. We know what we want to do. We know the standard. If I’m here, I don’t have to turn around and keep watching them to see what they’re doing. We just have a system, and it works.”
Tulare Western fields a new team every year, but the standard and tradition remain the same.
That’s respecting the game, playing it the right way, working hard every practice, and pursuing excellence while giving 100%.
That recipe for success has blended well for Tulare Western under Searcy.
Under Searcy’s watch, excluding the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season, the Mustangs have averaged 19 wins per season.
“We start in September in the weight room and go all fall in the weight room,” Searcy said. “Then we work on speed and agility and get out here and do some skill and drill work. It’s just every day. The kids understand that we have a standard, and the expectations are here, and we don’t ever talk about anything else but winning championships and being a champion in life. Not just in baseball, but in life.”
That mentality helped Tulare Western win its first league championship in three years this season.
The Mustangs opened WYL play on March 18 with a 4-1 win over defending league champion Mission Oak.
That led to a 7-0 league start where Searcy’s club swept two-game series against Mission Oak, Dinuba, and Hanford.
The Mustangs’ starting pitching duo of junior M.J. Chavez (55 strikeouts) and senior Matthew Corral (50 strikeouts) anchored the team’s championship season this year.
Chavez went 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 12 regular-season appearances.
Corral, who tossed a team-high 58 innings this year, was 7-2 with a 2.66 ERA.
That combo on the mound helped Tulare Western give up an average of 3.3 runs per game.
“They mesh really well together,” Searcy said. “They have really good team chemistry.”
Offensively, the Mustangs had six players hit .300 or better this season:
“There’s no ‘I guys’ here,” Searcy said. “No ‘me guys.’ No one is selfish. You don’t have that prima donna player. They all get along. They all joke with each other.”
Corral agreed.
“The team, we hang out a lot,” Corral said. “We have good team chemistry. Nobody does not like each other on the team. Everybody likes each other. I think that played a really big role.”
And it starts with Searcy and his staff.
“He’s always pushing us to do the best that we can,” Corral said. “Even though he’s hard on us, it’s always for the better.”
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare Western baseball wins 14th league title under coach Ken Searcy
Reporting by Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
