HoustonChronicle.com

• High School Softball Notebook: Splendora comes out swinging
• High School Baseball Notebook: The Woodlands reaches out
• High School Notebook: Cinco Ranch has the indoor track covered
• High School Track Notebook: It's just a matter of timing for Forest Brook
• High School Soccer Notebook: FB Austin is on road to top

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL NOTEBOOK

The Woodlands reaches out

Highlanders enjoy giving back to their community

There's more to The Woodlands baseball team than just hitting and pitching. The Highlanders have a heart for the community, and the players are making service for children with disabilities a top priority.

Three years ago, The Woodlands joined forces with the Oak Ridge/Woodlands Area Little League Challenger league, a division of Little League baseball for mentally and physically challenged children ages 5-18 in The Woodlands.

The Challengers will begin play on March 26, and the Highlanders will be there at 9 a.m. every Saturday, helping the players with their games and making new friends.

"We think it's a good idea for the players to be involved in community service," The Woodlands coach Ron Eastman said. "One of our team parents (Will Lehmann) really took the initiative to get The Woodlands hooked up with the Challenger league, and it took off from there."

The Woodlands' Challenger teams play from mid-September through early November and from mid-March to early June. The Highlanders will host "Challenger Day" at Scotland Yard and invite Challanger players to their April 9 game against Bellaire. During the winter, the Highlanders visited the players at their houses, handed out Christmas presents and signed autographs.

"Those players just adore our kids," Eastman said. "And our guys see how much it means to them."

Mound of talent

And after senior righthander Jeff Koonce, who went 3-0 last year, struggled in his first two outings, the Eagles admit they were a little concerned.

That was until Koonce had 12 strikeouts in a no-hitter against Galveston O'Connell on Thursday. Add that to a combined no-hitter from Derek Hulsey and Bailey Grandt against Hardin-Jefferson last week, and Barbers Hill is beginning to enjoy its 9-1 record.

"They are learning how to set batters up and be smart at the plate," Barbers Hill coach Gil Stalbaum said.

Strong start

"He's come in and done a great job," Columbus coach Eddie Gonzalez said. "If he hadn't been able to fill the catcher's spot, we were going to have to shift some positions."

Odds and ends

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