Southeast Texas high school baseball coaches start practices, set lineups

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http://zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17781386&BRD=2287&PAG=461&dept_id=583964&rfi=6

Southeast Texas high school baseball coaches start practices, set lineups

One certainty about former Little Cypress-Mauriceville baseball player Chris Buechner is that he's no Michael Jordan.

At least that's how longtime LC-M baseball coach Steve Griffith chooses to look at his former star pitcher.

A lesson reinforced for Griffith nine years ago is something that anyone familiar with Jordan's brush with failure in high school already knows: "Be careful about who you cut," Griffith said.

Griffith is among a handful of Southeast Texas high school baseball coaches who will spend this week conducting tryouts and then making cuts. Monday was the first day the UIL allowed teams to practice. Teams can start playing games Feb. 19.

Final rosters for Griffith's varsity, junior varsity and sophomore teams will be posted Friday after school, and anyone who has ever tried out for anything at any school - West Brook, Newton, Bridge City or anywhere else - has read a similar list.

Jordan probably read a list at his high school in North Carolina to learn that he failed to make the varsity squad as a sophomore. His rejection and the legendary status he later achieved is a story told to hundreds of high school athletes who have failed to make a team.

"Even Michael Jordan got cut," said Griffith, whose closer-to-home story involves Buechner, a 23-year-old who spent the last three seasons in the Colorado Rockies' minor league organization.

Buechner was a high school freshman nine years ago who - and unbeknownst to him - was on the verge of being cut from the LC-M baseball squad when tryouts ended.

Griffith said each of his three assistant coaches had Buechner on their list of players to cut. Griffith listened to their reasoning but liked Buechner's arm enough so that his "one vote overruled three votes," he said.

Buechner then spent his first two high school seasons on the sophomore team and developed into a good enough pitcher to be promoted to the varsity as a junior. Then as a senior, he was named the District 20-4A player of the year.

Buechner then pitched at Lamar University and was selected by Colorado in the 11th round of the 2004 draft.

"He threw the ball well," Griffith recalled about Buechner's performance during the week of tryouts, and that was enough to make up for any areas where he might have been lacking.

As for this season's team, Griffith said he already had a clear idea who would be on his varsity squad. LC-M went undefeated in District 20-4A last season but returns only one starter. Catcher Jake Rowell returns and has signed to play at McNeese State.

So no matter who makes his teams this season, Griffith said one thing is certain: "We'll be playing a bunch of young kids this year. We know that. They'll get a chance."

[Guest Wildcat 08]

Can't wait until the games get started.