As the Spring rolls on, the baseball team looks to be on their way to another playoff berth. Led by a large contingent of seniors, the Wolves sit third in the district, trailing only Georgetown and Rouse in 19-5A, and as the regular season winds down, the team is looking beyond a spot in the playoffs.

“Our goal is to win a district championship and do something that hasn’t ever been here,” head coach Kris Gawriluk said. “The guys believe in the process.  They trust that the process will get them where they need to be.  For us, we expected to have a great season and therefore we aren’t surprised by the fast start at all.”

Cedar Park got off to a blazing start, highlighted by successes in two early season tournaments. In the Cen-Tex Varsity tourney, the Wolves came up with impressive wins over Houston Christian, Dallas Jesuit, San Angelo Christian, and perennial TAPPS powerhouse Hyde Park. In the LISD tournament the following weekend, CP went undefeated to gain momentum headed into district play.

“It’s a good feeling to know that if one guy isn’t having a good day, then there’s another guy that’s gonna be there to carry the load and get the team going,” senior Josh Paramo said. “We have a lot of seniors that were playing last year as juniors so it’s nice to bring back that experience to a new year.”

The Timberwolves opened district with a bang, winning their first four games by a combined score of 27-4. After a tough loss against district leaders Georgetown, Cedar Park won another four games, highlighted by an impressive defensive effort in a 1-0 win over Hutto. The Wolves have hit a little rough patch lately, however, after losses to East View and Rouse.

“Every game in our district is tough,” Gawriluk said. “Every team has a guy that can beat you on the mound.  Every team is extremely well coached and can win every night out.”

A large driving force for the team this season has been the overwhelming senior leadership. With a roster largely composed of upperclassmen, experience from past seasons has carried the Wolves a long way this year. In particular, the team will be represented well next year in the college ranks, as six seniors have the opportunity to take their baseball careers to the next level, headlined by pitcher Cole Quintanilla, who will pitch at the University of Texas.

“We have just been playing well as a team this year and the fact that we have lots of seniors on the team helps to lead,” senior pitcher Davis Blake, who is committed to Angelo State, said. “We have experienced a lot of the same things in the past so we know how to handle things better.”

With five games remaining, the Wolves are still very much in play for a district championship, but will have to win out and get some help along the way. Cedar Park has a colossal game against Georgetown on Tuesday, Apr. 18, and senior night will come against Hutto on Tuesday, Apr. 25. First pitch for both games is at 7:00 p.m. at Cedar Park.