No matter the teams’ records, the baseball team will always have rivals.Teams that they want to beat more than anything. Teams that they refuse to fall to. The Broncos are undefeated in district and move on to playoffs, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t battles for wins or emotions during the games. Here are Legacy’s top three baseball rivals.
#3 Waxahachie
Though not a Mansfield School, the Waxahachie Indians began their 2014 season expecting to do well in district, and they did until they played Legacy. Not long after taking their first loss to the Broncos did they plummet to four losses combated by only six wins.
Waxahachie games are always tense, and they distinguished themselves as at least a current rival after playing Legacy in the third round (regional quarterfinals) of the 2013 playoffs. Although it was a two game sweep by the Broncos, Waxahachie was the only other district 15-4A team to make it that far and defining them as a team to beat.
“Compared to the other teams [in the playoffs] they weren’t much competition,” senior Seth Jaggers said. “We have another great team this year, so I wasn’t really surprised when we beat them both times this season.”
#2 Lake Ridge
The Lake Ridge Eagles have only won two games this season, a number that, based on their players and ability, is unexpected. Despite the 3-7 record, the Eagles seem to play best against Legacy, always putting up a good fight. The heart of the 2014 season hosted an intense game between the two schools – one that was narrowly won by the undefeated Broncos 2-0. Although Lake Ridge doesn’t seem challenging to beat, they were the only team to beat the 2013 Broncos in district last year giving them their first loss during senior night and their last game of the season. Games like this form rivalries, one that both schools know is very real.
“We’re their rival, and I think they could contend for a lower spot in the playoffs,” senior Karson Houston said. “They have good pitching, and they’re able to come out and do their best to compete with us.”
#1 Summit
The Summit baseball program gained some talent last season, which carried over to this season. As they have strung together eight wins with only two losses, they are guaranteed a playoff spot, but with one of the losses to Legacy with a 11-0 record, a district championship is out of the question. Summit and Legacy have a clear rivalry over the schools, but nothing like in baseball. The players look forward to the game all season, just so they can go up against a great team, not just a good one.
“They [Summit] are the only other really good team in our district,” said junior Chad Watkins. “We know a lot of the kids on their team and it’s really fun to play against your friends.”
