Katy has been waiting for a chance to get back out on the field since last year.

The Tigers enjoyed a plethora of success last year. Going further into the playoffs than they had in decades and leaning on an experienced core with the teams youngsters stepping up along the way.

But that wasn’t what was on the mind of the Tigers players over the offseason. They wanted to get back at it and get the sour taste out of their mouth after falling in last years Region III-6A Final to Pearland.

“It’s so great getting back out here with the guys,” said senior second baseman Sutton Hull. “Last season was amazing, but it ended on such a low note and we’ve just been looking forward to getting out here all offseason, we want to find our groove.”

The team has big aspirations this season. They’ve taken steps forward each of the past two years, making it to the regional semifinals in 2022 before battling their way all the way to the regional final this year. The goal for this season is to find their way back there and then make it to Round Rock for the state tournament, and if any team has a roster that can do it, it’s Katy.

The Tigers have as much if not more pitching talent than anyone in the state. Theres the junior duo of TCU commits leading the way in Cade Nelson and Aiden Barrientos, who both had big performances in last years playoffs, while Aaron Brashear, a senior Weatherford College commit, will be a big part of the rotation and Connor Udland, a junior University of Houston commit, just adds to the Tigers depth on the mound. Katy has the defense to back it up as well, with a number of players that are fundamentally sound in the field.

“It’s a dream come true as a coach,” said Katy head coach Wes Hearne. “I don’t know if I’ll ever coach a pitching staff like this again. We have a lot of good arms and they’re fantastic, we just have to be able to hit, because if you score a couple of runs with them it should be okay.”

The hitting is where the Tigers have things to work on. Katy opened the season against Ridge Point on Friday and were held scoreless in a loss. The team knows they have to keep the ball out of the air and focus on making solid contact and moving runners over to be successful. The game against a Ridge Point team that is always solid year in and year out showed the Tigers what they need to be working on and Katy knows where it needs to focus to continue to improve.

“We have to get the offense going, we know exactly what we have with the pitching but the offensive side is where we have to keep growing and getting better,” Hull said. “I’m not worried because I know we have the skill and talent to do it, we’re just inexperienced right now. We’re going to use this tournament to get our rhythm going at the plate and we’re all confident heading into district.”

Hull has provided leadership for the team after a number of seniors graduated last year and has had a lot of help from others that return with varsity leadership including AJ Atkinson, Brashear and Cade Nelson, who was named a team captain even as a junior. The Tigers will have tests early on in the year, starting district with back-to-back games against Tompkins, but they are ready for the challenge and excited at the chance to prove themselves as a team.

“We know where we look good and we know where we have to work and keep getting better, that’s what’s good about playing such a strong team early on,” Hearne said. “It’s a young team and there’s going to be some growing pains. But these guys are going get to work and there’s no panic. We just have to keep grinding and be ready for district.”