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The Cards’ basebal l team created some history this season after notching one of their best seasons in two decades. It could arguably have been their best season in the last two decades after reaching the deepest round of the playoffs in that time frame this season. They also finished with their most total wins in a season after finding success in a tough district and holding on for the second- place spot in the district standings. The Cards would not have been able to achieve all of these goals without impressive seasons by some of the veteran players who make up the roster. Senior Ryan Lewis made himself stand out with his play this season. His outstanding season led to Lewis receiving statewide recognition after being named to All-State Elite Team by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Lewis earned the honor in large part due to simply being one of the best players on the field at any given time. Whether at the plate or at his defensive position at second base, the recent graduate was a triple threat option that provided strong hitting, fielding and baserunning.
Offensively, his most potent trait this season was his plate vision and discipline. Pitchers struggled working around his patience as he allowed them to work through their gameplan until he finds the right pitch to turn around into the outfield. With an unshakeable demeanor, Lewis could play through at-bats from behind as he found ways to work pitchers to a full count. There were few players in the district that could match his control and understanding of his strike zone which contributed to Lewis winning the District MVP award. A combination of outstanding plate vision, patience and the ability to take advantage of non-competitive pitches made pitchers wary to throw him anything easy. All of these factors helped him draw several walks throughout the season, never being satisfied giving the defense an easy out. The ability to draw walks became a huge weapon for Lewis throughout the season as he consistently found ways to reach base and use his legs to do damage on the base path. Lewis rarely struck out this season as he consistently got the ball into play or secured the free base at first.
When Lewis was not drawing walks, he was goading the pitchers into giving him a pitch he could work with in the middle. This is when Lewis’s hitting prowess took the forefront as his power and swing speed allowed him to punch hits into the outfield consistently. It was not uncommon to see the leftie hitter push pitches to the opposite field with a strong sense of timing on his swings. His legs also helped make his hitting more effective as he peppered the back wall of stadiums for multi-base hits and long RBIs. One of his best performances gave proof of his ability after he turned in a near perfect game against Rice in late April. He picked up four hits, six RBIs and a walk while also hitting two doubles and a triple.
Lewis’s offensive game was polished enough to be recognized on its own, but the addition of his strong play in the field sealed his spot in the eyes of the THSBCA. As part of a Cardinal defense that rarely made mistakes, he held things down in the second-base spot, one of the most critical areas defensively on the baseball field. His reaction speed was elite as well as his handling of the ball when getting it to his teammates for outs. With the ability to make tough catches on defense, Lewis covered a lot of ground in his area along with his fellow group of strong infielders.
As Lewis moves on to play at the collegiate level, he leaves high school with the state recognition of a player with all the tools to continue his success at the next stage.
