ROUND ROCK — With as much success as Ropes baseball has enjoyed, it’s easy to forget how green the program is.
The Eagles reached their first state championship game last week, surpassing their previous-best playoff run by three rounds. Not bad for a school that completed its first season in 2021.
It wasn’t the Hollywood ending Ropes would’ve liked, but the historic feat created new expectations for the burgeoning program. Coach Nathan Flores hopes the 6-1 loss to Burton in Thursday’s Class 2A Division II title game is a stepping stone to sustained greatness for the Eagles.
It was Flores’ first season at the helm after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant. He led a group that included his son, Elijah, and others he coached on the travel-ball circuit as children.
“Man, it’s been a dream,” Flores said. “A lot of times I would wake up in the morning and just ask myself if this is actually happening. The good Lord has blessed me in so many ways, not just with this team and the success that we’ve had, but with my family and the opportunity to be a coach here.”
Burton pitcher Tyler Witt held Ropes at bay to earn championship MVP. Flores credited the junior righty with mixing up his pitches. He gave up one earned run on four hits in a complete game. Witt notched six strikeouts with one walk.
The Eagles’ lone run — which scored on a Jaivyth Cruz single — tied the game in the top of the fourth. That gave Ropes (32-6) a shot of life, but the Panthers retook the lead with a score in the home half of the inning.
Burton separated with a four-run fifth, but Flores was overall pleased with the Eagles’ pitching to keep them in the game. Elijah Flores, Kade Franklin and Cutter Stumbo were pillars of Ropes’ historic run, so it was fitting they threw in the final game.
“Those are the guys that we’ve kind of leaned on all year long,” Coach Flores said. “They’ve all come in and did a job at separate times. Obviously I wish things could have gone differently for us, but I think that they came in, did what they were supposed to do.”
The pitching trio is part of a seven-member senior class. All but four of Ropes’ starting lineup Thursday graduated, leaving a significant void.
Still, Nathan Flores is optimistic the program will thrive after the experience. He was able to bring several managers and sub-varsity players to Dell Diamond, giving them a glimpse of Texas’ biggest stage. The coach has a lot of faith in those up-and-coming athletes, too.
“I think we’ve got a lot of good ball players coming up through the next two or three years,” Nathan Flores said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll be back at some point, but it’s good for us to get some of this experience so that we know what to expect next time.”
Coach Flores feels the blueprint is there because of this season.
“It’s been unreal how things have worked out for us this year,” Nathan Flores said. “And I know we got second place, but I know there was a lot of people that didn’t really know that we could make it this far. Now they believe, and now they know that all it takes it dedication, hard work and being a good teammate.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: ‘Dream’ season shows rise of young Ropes baseball program
Reporting by Stephen Garcia, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Stephen Garcia, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
