: YEARBOOK: "History repeats itself...two for the Bucs" -- The 1992 State Champion season

The 1992 Bucs picked up on some unfinished business, the business of advancing to and winning the UIL State Baseball Tournament. The 1992 Bucs, coached by Bill Poland, consisted of returning lettermen from the 1991 Region III Finalist team, and the rest of the team was from the undefeated 1991 junior varsity squad.

On a historical note, The 1992 Brazoswood Buccaneers were one of Texas high school baseball's greatest pitching and defensive teams ever and were one of the greatest Buc teams ever.

Like the 1991 team, and like the 1984 Buc State Champion team, this team too had championship elements that played on champion area youth league teams. Many of the '84 Bucs were 1978 Lake Jackson National (LJN) Little League Texas State Champions. So it was, that many of the '92 Bucs were from the 1986 Texas State Champion Lake Jackson American (LJA) Little League team and the 1988 and 1989 Brazoswood Babe Ruth World Series teams.

These players included: Eric Atkins, Chad Blessing, Justin Bowles, Cody Dingee, Corey Gibson, Brian Johnson, Jason Rendon, Mark Senterfitt, Brian Stone, and Cory Townsend.

The Bucs pretty much went through the regular season competition like a category five Gulf Coast hurricane. The ride continued into the postseason. In 1992 the UIL still used the two-man team format for baseball playoff brackets, leaving room for a district winner and runner-up only. The format was difficult, as only the best teams made the playoffs.

Nevertheless, Brazoswood was the District 24-5A Champion (losing only to Alvin) and Alvin finished as the runner-up.

Next, in bi-district, Galveston Ball was the first victim of the Bucs and was disposed of 7-0 and 4-1. Ball High would be the only team the Bucs would play more than one game in these 1992 playoffs. Next, came North Shore in the Area Championship whom the Bucs defeated in one game, 4-1.

Yet, a real test for these Bucs came in the Regional Championship against Houston's Robert E. Lee Generals and their highly-touted pitcher Anthony Cattolica. Cattolica had a near- zero ERA and had been dominating postseason opponents. The Generals also had the distinction of being the prestigious District 18-5A Champion with Bellaire as the 18-5A runner-up.

This one-game playoff was played in the Astrodome before a large turnout of Buc and Lee fans. The game was a classic battle of pitching and defense and the Bucs pulled it out 3-2. Alvin held up its end of the bargain, defeating the other 18-5A team-Bellaire, 7-5, to set up an All-District 24-5A Region III Final.

Alvin had already played close games with the Bucs in the regular season and had beaten the Bucs 6-4, while also losing to the Bucs 5-4. The Yellowjackets had great players such as Scott Keithley, and were fresh off of knocking Bellaire out of the playoffs. As they did the previous opponent, the Bucs would play Alvin in the Dome.

Meanwhile, in what was expected to be a close and tough game for the Bucs, turned out to be a surprising 11-0 victory over the jackets. The pace of the Region Final seemed to be set early on when Alvin's Scott Keithley went for an inside-the-park homerun in which he attempted to dive into home plate over Brazoswood catcher Corey Gibson. Gibson met Keithley in mid-air bringing him down for the exciting out.

Indeed, in the Texas Semifinal against the El Paso Coronado Thunderbirds (who were the Champions of Region I) at Disch-Falk Field, the Bucs would be facing a team that had traveled hundreds of miles and played virtually nothing but three game series in its own run toward a state championship. The Region III Champion Bucs on the other hand, had played Galveston a two-gamer and had played and won three straight one-game matchups.

Coronado was forced to play Odessa Permian in New Mexico in the Area round after record delays were caused by West Texas rainouts. Coronado also had to travel hundreds of miles in playoff matchups against North Texas opponents Denton and Grapevine. Certainly the T-Birds were playoff weary, but also playoff tested. The T-Birds were looking to bring the first city baseball championship to El Paso since the El Paso Bowie team had done so back in 1949.

The fabled '49 Bowie Bears were the only high school baseball team to ever win the state championship for El Paso, edging Austin High 3-2 in the UIL's first ever baseball championship game.

In turn, Coronado also had vaunted power pitcher Rocky Coppinger, who would eventually go on to star with the Oakland Athletics.

Thus, sadly for El Paso fans...Coronado would have to wait again for a state championship as the victorious Bucs closed out the T-Birds season with an explosive 10-0, 6-inning shutout. The game saw winning pitcher Mark Senterfitt pitch a historical no-hitter in the state tournament for the first time in the 22 years since Glenn Bryant and Stan Shockley of Houston Aldine defeated Houston Bellaire, 4-0 (7 innings) in 1970.

Finally, the Bucs were back in the State Final since 1984! Their opponent would be either Lufkin or South San Antonio who made up the other half of the '92 UIL tourney bracket. Either way the opponent would be special for the Bucs. South San was a Texas state champion legend winning numerous titles in the late 1950s and 1960s under Cliff Gustaffson. Lufkin on the other hand was Head Coach Bill Poland's hometown. South San edged the Panthers 6-4.

Chad Blessing said, "We had a great scouting report on South San's bunting, and it was never effective for them thanks to what we were doing defensively." For the team's protection against bunts, second baseman Scott Merritt covered the right side and the pitcher covered the left side from the mound.

Buc pitchers: Mark Senterfitt, Justin Bowles, and Jason Ferguson combined forces to no-hit the Bobcats and win, 5-1 (7 innings) respectively, to the delight of the large Brazoswood following.

The 1992 UIL State Tournament Most Valuable Player was Mark Senterfitt for his pitching feats.

Out of the last 20 innings of the season, the team allowed only one run. "They did a super job," said Coach Poland, adding that he "couldn't have asked for more from this bunch." The Bucs finished 30-3, and were ranked fourth nationally. (Shana Van Buren, Brandon Morgan, Chris Cortez)