1

True Grit
A SEASON OF
TRIUMPH
2012 State Finalists Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition
The story of how a close-knit group of hard-nosed, never-say-die athletes
under the watchful eye of their commander defed the odds of becoming state fnalists.
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 2 Sunday, July 1, 2012
True Grit The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets
Cleburne
Times-Review
True Grit:
The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets
Publisher Kay Helms
Managing Editor Dale Gosser
Design/Layout John Henry
Monica Faram
Writers Pete Kendall,
John Henry
Photographer David Beans
Callie Staton
Advertising Kay Helms, Mgr.
Sherri Jouet
Eric Faught
Tammy Kay

Advertising Graphics Ashley Garey
Connie Crannell
Cleburne Times-Review
To subscribe
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Metro
817-558-2855
News Editor
editor@trcle.com
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sports@trcle.com
Classifieds
classad@trcle.com
Circulation
circulation@
trcle.com
Online
www.cleburnetimes
review.com
Mayor Scott Cain .............................. Page 3
Where There is a Will .................... Pages 4-6
A Year in Review ........................... Pages 7-8
Award winners, coaches .................... Page 9
The team ................................. Pages 10-11
When Gen. Taylor Speaks ......... Pages 12-14
Anxious playoff moments .................. Page 15
Road to Round Rock ................ Pages 16-17
The Time of their Lives .............. Pages 18-19
Nick Woodall: All-State ..................... Page 20
Inside
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WESTHILL
CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Congrats Jackets on
a Great Season!
WAY TO GO #20 MAX REYNOLDS
817-558-2504
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, July 1, 2012 Page 3
They captured our dreams and
made our hearts swell with pride
Baseball, hot dogs and apple
pie. An American tradition.
For Cleburne, its now baseball,
Round Rock and never-say-die. A
new page
in Yellow
Jackets
history
was writ-
ten by a
tremen-
dous group
of young
men in
2012.
Almost
30 years
ago, Cleburne rallied around a
team under the battle cry of beat
Brownwood! Time stood still as
Cleburne watched history in the
making.
And for the past 30 years, the
Brownwood football game has
been the benchmark of community
pride.
Until now.
While community morale was
low, it was a sleeping giant ready
to awaken at the crack of the bat.
At just the right time for our com-
munity, a team of baseball players
captured our dreams and made our
hearts swell with pride.
While prognosticator after
prognosticator said this Yellow
Jackets baseball team could not
win, a group of young men chose
to believe otherwise.
During the historic playoff run,
Cleburnes boys beat teams they
were told they could not beat. They
knocked off a state champion, beat
highly ranked teams and fought
their way into the state tournament.
Most would be happy to just
show up. But not our baseball
team. They had character that was
not yet fully demonstrated.
During the semifnal game and
after falling way behind in the frst
few innings, the Yellow Jackets
saw the other fnals team head to
their hotel rooms for rest.
Anybody who left that night
would miss one of the greatest
displays of courage, guts and self-
less team effort ever displayed at
the state tournament, if not in Texas
high school sports.
Getting to the state fnals is not
what our community will remem-
ber about this team.
It is the way they got there that
is special.
There were no super stars, just
a bunch of boys who believed in
each other and believed in their
community. Each night a different
hero rose to the occasion. Each
night they played sound
baseball. And each night,
they never, ever gave up.
It also helped that each
game, home or away, was
home-feld advantage for the
Yellow Jackets, thanks to our
fans. I am told that many op-
posing coaches did not want to
play in Cleburne because of the
noise our fans made.
During the playoffs, they
learned that home was where the
Yellow Jackets played, regardless
of location. Our fans never gave
up.
And our students never gave
up. At a time when many have
written off Cleburne High School,
our students proved them wrong,
busying themselves preparing for
state academic and athletic events.
In fact, 162 of them were competing
against the best that the great state
of Texas had to offer. An accident or
anomaly? I dont think so.
As we look to Cleburnes
future and the coming growth
of Texas 121, we must ensure
that we remain dedicated to
support our students. And to
those who say Cleburnes future
is bleak, I say sting em Jackets!
Our future is bright!
Scott Cain
Mayor of Cleburne
N
O
W
, T
H
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R
E
F
O
R
E
, I, Scott C
ain, M
ayor of the C
ity of
C
leburne, Texas, do hereby proclaim
June 6 through 8
as:
S
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p
o
rt th
e
Y
e
llo
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3
1511 W. Henderson - Cleburne
817-645-2455 - www.cleburnechamber.com
:HDUHSURXGRIRXU
&OHEXUQH<HOORZ-DFNHWV
%DVHEDOO7HDP
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 4 Sunday, July 1, 2012
True Grit The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets
It takes a little
courage, and a little
self-control. And
some grim
determination.
If you want to reach
the goal it takes
a deal of striving,
and a frm and
stern-set chin.
No matter what the
battle, if you really
want to win. Theres
no easy path to
glory, theres no road
to fame. Life, how-
ever we may view it,
is no simple parlor
game; But its prizes
call for fghting, for
endurance and for
GRIT; for a rugged
disposition and dont
know when to quit.
Author unknown
By Pete Kendall
SPECIAL TO THE CTR
T
he 2012 Cleburne
Yellow Jackets wont
go down in the annals
as the most talented
baseball team to grace a base-
ball feld.
Make no mistake, these guys
could play ball. You dont win
30 games and not have ability.
What made this team special
was their mastery of the intan-
gibles: Attitude, chemistry, work
ethic, leadership, confdence,
humility.
And ... grit.
The ability to stay resolved in
the face of adversity or unpleas-
ant duty is ultimately what made
this bunch a collective winner.
Brach Farmer was the face of
grittiness in the Class 4A state
These Yellow Jackets were a
determined lot who trusted one
another to do their part in fnding
a way any way to get to the
state tournament.
Where
There
WILL
Is a
David Beans/Special to the CTR
Tucker Nolen displays most proudly the Yellow Jackets enthusiasm for the game.
4
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, July 1, 2012 Page 5
semifnal victory over Lake Travis.
The Cat Daddy, as hes known
to two- and four-legged friends,
did something he probably wasnt
supposed to be able to do, hold a
Cavaliers team that had scored six
runs in the frst two innings to one
run over the next seven.
In so doing, he helped the
Yellow Jackets do something they
defnitely werent supposed to
be able to do, upset Austin Lake
Travis, 9-7.
Cleburne was down 6-0 almost
before 3,000-plus fans were settled
in their seats. That could have been
the end of a stirring run of playoff
successes.
It wasnt the end because
Farmer shut the door, and the resil-
ient Yellow Jackets started pecking
away.
First, they tied the score with
a six-run fourth inning. They fell
behind by a run, tied it again, then
scored twice in the eighth to win.
After the second game [playoff
loss] at Stephenville, Brach told us,
Weve got this thing tomorrow.
Dont worry, guys, second base-
man Conner Martyniuk said.
Farmer was pitching. And
Farmer shut down the Yellowjack-
ets at Waco.
Farmer is the strong, silent
type, modest around those with
clipboards and tape recorders. He
acknowledged what was said after
the second Stephenville game.
I remember that, Farmer said
with a grin. I guess the other guys
looked up to me because I could
close or pitch anytime they needed
me.
Farmer wasnt necessarily sur-
prised that he pitched, and pitched
well, in three big playoff games.
I just knew it was my job, he
said.
The Lake Travis game was a
little different. German Hernandez
started on the mound, and the Yel-
low Jackets could usually count on
him to throw a complete game. He
almost didnt get out of the frst.
I didnt start out the game in
the bullpen, Farmer said. [Ross
Taylor] told me to go warm up at
the end of the frst. If Im told to
hurry, Ill get 10 to 12 warm-up
pitches before I go in. Thats about
what I got. I felt good when I came
in. Adrenalin helps you a lot.
I was thinking to myself, Stay
low. They were hitting German up
[in the strike zone].
Farmer had the backing of
his teammates. Theyd seen him
handcuff Stephenville and Wichita
Falls Rider.
We trusted Brach, Martyniuk
said. We knew hed keep it close
no matter what. You cant get any-
where without trust. Trust is 100
percent of it.
Cooper Walls added, Brachs a
bulldog. When he puts his mind to
it, hes going to win. When hes on,
he refuses to lose. The whole team
was like that in the playoffs.
Farmer added, [The players]
had a huge bond. That started about
the frst of district when we began
having get-togethers. Then we real-
ized we could win.
The second-round game against
Arlington Heights was key, Walls
said.
Heights was very good, prob-
ably the second-best team we
played [before the state tourna-
ment] besides Midway.
Trust courage ... grit.
It takes grit to beat Heights,
the most storied program in Fort
Worth. It takes grit to come back
from a nasty loss in Game 2 of a
series with Stephenville to win
Game 3.
It takes grit and near perfec-
tion to sweep Rider, the defending
Class 4A state champion, at a site
where the Raiders had never lost
a game, Graham. It takes cour-
age to win a series with Midway,
anywhere and anytime.
And it certainly takes courage
to beat Austin Lake Travis after
falling behind 6-0.
Lake Travis was the most
arrogant team we played, Walls
said. Cocky, arrogant. We were
much more humble. I think we
were more humble than Heath,
too, but the talent [difference] was
overwhelming.
If your teammates dont have
what many perceive as state tour-
nament ability, you have to trust
the guy next to you to do his job
and hope that if you do yours
just as well, you have a pretty good
chance to win.
Thats how the Yellow Jackets
operated.
We didnt have any Division I
recruits. We just played as a team,
catcher Max Reynolds said. There
were a lot of leaders. When some-
one was down, someone would
step up. It didnt have to be me,
Cooper or German. Everyone was
a leader.
Martyniuk added, We didnt
have any stars. We just refused to
lose. We knew we could play with
anybody. Not everyone was going
to have a stellar night, but wed get
clutch performances, whether it
was from a senior or freshman.
The Lake Travis Cavaliers were
ft to be tied against what they
regarded as an inferior opponent.
They were defnitely pretty
We trusted Brach. We knew
hed keep it close no matter what.
You cant get anywhere without
trust. Trust is 100 percent of it.
Conner Martyniuk, on the relief role played
by Brach Farmer, right, in the state semifnals
I just knew it was my job.
Brach Farmer
See GRIT, Page 6
5
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 6 Sunday, July 1, 2012
mad about [losing], Martyniuk
said. A lot of people were sur-
prised we got to the state tourna-
ment. That just motivated us more.
Coach Taylor told us every
game was like every other game.
We bought into that. Thats how it
works. They [the Cavaliers] said,
Wed beat them nine out of 10
times. As long as its the one we
win, thats all that matters.
Reynolds had the duty of han-
dling three pitchers Hernandez,
Farmer and Cash Calahan.
Everyone has a different
personality, he said. You have to
talk differently to different people to
calm them down. German is pretty
laid-back. I usually didnt have to go
out and talk to him, but I did, any-
way. With Brach, youd go out there
and tell a joke, get him to refocus.
Walls attributed a lot of the Yel-
low Jackets success to love. The
players had bonded years before.
We knew we werent the best
team in the state physically, he
said, but there was no better actual
team. We believed in each other.
We loved each other.
Individual recognition wasnt
what the Yellow Jackets were after.
Coach never told us our stats,
Walls said. We didnt care. When
you win district, youre all-district.
Walls said hed never been part
of a team that played as hard.
Everyone wanted to go to state,
and we played like it. The begin-
ning of the season was rough. Man-
sfeld Summit is when we decided
we were going to state, and from
that time we went like 21-3.
One of the losses was to Granbury.
After the coaches left the dress-
ing room, the players talked about
the game, Walls said. When you
lose to Granbury, Coach Taylor
isnt your best friend.
Perhaps whatever Taylor said
was for motivation ... and worked.
I cant fgure him out, Walls
said, but whatever he does sure
works. He kind of challenged our
manhood at one practice. But he
didnt have to do it again. After four
years, I love that man more than
anything.
True Grit The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets
We knew
we werent
the best team
in the state
physically, but
there was no
better actual
team. We
believed in
each other.
We loved
each other.
Cooper Walls
Callie Staton/Special to the CTR
From Page 5
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Congratulations on a great season! Yellow Jacket Baseball 2012!
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, July 1, 2012 Page 7
Cleburne 9, Azle 5
Max Reynolds two-run single opens
up a decisive fve-run eighth for the
Yellow Jackets.
Cleburne 8, Harker Heights 2
Reynolds has a double and two
RBIs, and Cooper Walls reaches
based three times and had a stolen
base.
Waco University 4, Cleburne 1
The Trojans strike for two runs in the
frst and hold Yellow Jackets batters
to two hits.
West 3, Cleburne 1
A Jackets error leads to the game-
winner in the third, and West adds
insurance in the fourth.
Cleburne 9, Waco University 4
Reynolds, Quade Coward and Con-
ner Martyniuk all have run-scoring
hits in a seven-run frst for the Yellow
Jackets, who even the score with
University.
Cleburne 13, Boswell 1
The Yellow Jackets run-rule the
Pioneers for their fourth victory.
Abilene Cooper 4, Cleburne 0
Cleburne bats fall silent in support of
Brach Farmer, who is also victimized
by two errors in the third that lead to
two runs for Class 5A Cooper.
Cleburne 5, Western Hills 3
Reynolds, Walls and Conner Ma-
tyniuk had RBIs, and Walls earns
the victory on the mound.
Cleburne 7, Brewer 4
Tucker Nolen drives in two runs and
freshman Stevan Martinezs single
scores two more as the Jackets
hold off a late rally by the Bears.
Cleburne 6, Saginaw 0
Freshman Tyler Fowler helps his
own cause from the mound with a
two-run double in the fourth.
Cleburne 3, Granbury 2
Martinez drives in the game-winner
with a walkoff base hit in the bottom
of the seventh.
Cleburne 7,
Keller Timber Creek 0
Farmer and the Jackets make easy
work of the Keller school.
Springtown 5, Cleburne 4
A three-run surge in the fourth cuts
into a 4-0 defcit, but the Yellow
Jackets cant catch the Porcupines.
Boswell 3, Cleburne 2
The Pioneers nip the Yellow Jackets
with a run in the seventh.
Burleson 1, Cleburne 0
The archrival Elks win a pitchers
duel with German Hernandez,
whose only mistake was giving up
an RBI double in the fourth.
Cleburne 1, Mansfeld Summit 0
The Yellow Jackets return the favor,
gaining a District 7-4A victory when
Hernandez comes home on Nolens
sacrifce fy.
Cleburne 2, Stephenville 1
A third consecutive one-run game
goes in favor of the Jackets, who
use Cowards RBI in the ninth to
win.
Crowley 5, Cleburne 4
Nick Woodall and Martyniuk score
on Fowlers double in the ninth, but
the Jackets strand the tying run.
Cleburne 2, Joshua 1
Cash Calahan confounds the Owls
and Woodall drives in the game-
winner.
Cleburne 8, Burleson Centennial 3
The Jackets take advantage of
three frst-inning walks to score four
times, including twice on Nolens
double to right-center feld.
Cleburne 12, Everman 3
Hernandez and Fowler each have
two RBIs, and Woodall goes 3-for-5
with two doubles and an RBI.
They came, they saw, they conquered
2012 in review
David Beans/Special to the CTR
7
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Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 8 Sunday, July 1, 2012
True Grit The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets
Cleburne 7, Arlington Seguin 3
Walls scores twice and has an RBI in
support of Calahans complete-game
victory on the road.
Granbury 5, Cleburne 4
The Pirates edge the visitors with three
in the second and one each in the
fourth and ffth. Woodall goes 2-for-4.
Cleburne 5, Summit 1
Hernandez knocks in two during a
three-run seventh that seals the
season sweep of the Jaguars.
Cleburne 4, Crowley 0
Hernandez knocks in two in the frst
and rides the momentum of one other
run in that inning to shut out
the Eagles.
Mansfeld Legacy 4, Cleburne 0
Legacy sends nine hitters to the plate
and capitalize on four errors to score
four in the ffth and send Calahan to
his only loss in district.
Cleburne 7, Joshua 1
The Jackets erupt for seven runs in
the sixth.
Cleburne 8, Everman 3
Woodall has a double, a triple and
three RBIs to make a winner out of
Hernandez.
Cleburne 9, Arlington Seguin 4
Woodall goes 4-for-4, and Walls
scores three runs.
Cleburne 8, Waco 1
The Jackets open the playoffs with a
resounding bi-district victory, won by
Hernandez, who goes six innings.
Cleburne 7, Arlington Heights 2
Nolens two-run double in the ffth
clinches the Jackets thumping of the
Fort Worth powerhouse.
Cleburne 3, Stephenville 2
Martyniuk drives in Woodall with the
tying run and scores the winner on
Fowlers double to left in the Game 1
of the regional quarterfnals series.
Stephenville 5, Cleburne 4
Stephenville strikes with a four-run frst
to even the best-of-three series at 1-1.
Cleburne 7, Stephenville 0
The Yellow Jackets run wild, stealing
six bases in a six-run sixth inning to
advance.
Cleburne 1, Wichita Falls Rider 0
Hernandez aces a Game 1 test in the
Region I semifnals.
Cleburne 5, Wichita Falls Rider 0
A second consecutive shutout, this
one by Farmer, has the Jackets in
the regional fnals. Woodalls three-run
double keys four-run sixth.
Cleburne 5, Waco Midway 1
An error and a wild pitch lead to two
frst-inning runs, and Hernandez does
the rest.
Waco Midway 7, Cleburne 2
Midway evens the series with fve runs
in the third and ffth innings.
Cleburne 2, Waco Midway 1
Hello, state tournament! Reynolds
drives in Nolen in what turned out
to be the winning run in the fourth,
and Calahan and Hernandez hold off
Midway.
Cleburne 9, Lake Travis 7
Martyniuk makes winners of the Jack-
ets with a base hit in the eighth that
drives in Walls and Woodall.
Rockwall Heath 10, Cleburne 1
The Jackets season ends with a loss
in the Class 4A state fnal.
A little fun
along the way
What playoff pressure?
On the bus ride home
from a rainout with Arling-
ton Heights, the players de-
cided to choreograph their
rendition of the Harvard
baseball teams music vid-
eo of Carly Rae Jepsens
Call Me Maybe.
The team presented its
fnal cut at the baseball
banquet last month.
We were bored, so
we thought wed give it a
try, Max Reynolds said.
Like the Harvard video,
the inside of the moving bus
shows one player serenad-
ing a sleeping teammate.
At the refrain, another
player pops up from be-
hind a seat and in sync
the two begin an orches-
trated pumping of fsts and
crossing of their arms.
When the next verse be-
gins, the two players hide
behind the seats and another
pops up, again singing to the
sleeping teammate. Then,
additional players begin the
refrain choreography.
This continues un-
til the entire team is in-
volved. John Henry
David Beans/Special to the CTR
A come-from-behind victory in the state semifinals translated to good times
for Cleburne.
8
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JACKETS!
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, July 1, 2012 Page 9
Ross Taylor
The coaches
Dustin Fish
Tony Theriault
Brent Burton
Ryan Stepp
Wayland White
Accolades
All-State Tournament selections
Brach Farmer, Sr. pitcher Conner Martyniuk, Sr. second base Nick Woodall, Jr. outfeld
District 7-4A All-District Selections
Pitchers
German Hernandez
Cash Calahan
Second base
Conner Martyniuk
Outfeld
Cooper Walls
Ross Taylor, Coach of the Year Nick Woodall, Offensive Player of the Year
The Seniors Whats next
Dylan Grigsby Will study at UT San
Antonio.
Conner Martyniuk Headed to Mid-
western State in Wichita Falls where
he will pursue a spot on the football
team.
Justin Luna Will begin his academic
career at Blinn Junior College.
Cody Sibley Will enroll at West Texas
A&M in Canyon up in the Panhandle.
Colton Kennon Will be a Cougar, a
student at the University of Houston.
Tanner Marchel Will go west and
pursue his academic studies at Texas
Tech.
Preston Bullard Will join three other
teammates on the South Plains at
Texas Tech.
Brach Farmer Will play baseball at
either Wharton or Seminole State
College.
Haden Wright Will enroll at Hill College.
Max Reynolds The third Yellow Jacket
who will become a Red Raider at
Texas Tech.
German Hernandez Will continue his
baseball career at Frank Phillips Col-
lege.
Cooper Walls Going to Lubbock to
study at Texas Tech.
David Beans/Special to the CTR
Cody Sibley
9
Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 10 Sunday, July 1, 2012
8
tyler
fowler
dylan
grigsby
colton
kennon
max
reynolds
casey
kirkland
stevan
martinez
nick
woodall
#3 fr ss/p #4 sr 2b
#12 sr 2b
#20 sr c
#11 jr 1b
#1 fr rf/ss #2 fr rf/ss
niel
adcock
haden
wright
cody
sibley
brach
farmer
#10 fr of/3b
#18 sr rf
#9 sr p
#17 sr p
logan
runyon
#19 fr c
Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, July 1, 2012 Page 11
9
cash
calahan
tucker
nolen
wil
spurgeon
conner
martyniuk
#5 jr p
#13 jr dh/rf
#21 fr cf
#6 sr 2b
daniel
richardson
quade
coward
justin
luna
preston
bullard
cooper
walls
#7 so 3b
#15 jr 1b
#8 sr cf
#16 sr 3b
#24 sr cf/p
tanner
marchel
german
hernandez
#14 sr 1b
#22 sr p/3b
foster
kelm
#23 so p
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 12 Sunday, July 1, 2012
True Grit The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets
Gen. Taylor speaks ...
By Pete Kendall
SPECIAL TO THE CTR
A
s a longtime educator in the
Canyon and Cleburne school
districts, Ross Taylor is neither
marionette nor puppet.
But he does believe in underlings doing
as theyre told without excessive feed-
back.
So he was somewhat chagrined his frst
season as baseball coach at Cleburne High
School in 1998 when a player second-
guessed an order that required no discus-
sion.
Taylor gave the youngster the bunt sign.
The player turned back and strolled to the
third-base box.
Didnt you know Im the second com-
ing of Babe Ruth? Or at least Joe Pepit-
one? was the message for Taylor. You
wouldnt give those guys the bunt sign.
That would leave any coach, in the
shorthand parlance of our day, in a state of
SMH.
Shaking my head.
For several reasons, Taylor said, that
was one of his toughest seasons at Cle-
burne.
When
people listen
It took some doing, but coach Ross Taylor is
the drill sergeant who has molded a
program and players into his own image.
David Beans/Special to the CTR
12
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, July 1, 2012 Page 13
Matters have since progressed considerably.
Now almost a constant as a playoff entry, Cle-
burne has taken two trips to the state tournament
under Taylor.
In 2004, it was with superior talent that includ-
ed Dillon Gee, a future major-leaguer, and Russell
Young. In 2012, it was with talent that most would
consider inferior to that of most of the Yellow Jack-
ets postseason opponents in particular Waco
Midway and Austin Lake Travis.
The frst year was tough,
he said. I came in thinking I
was going to have a group of
kids that had already gradu-
ated. [Athletic director] Dennis
Parker told me, Oh, yeah, those
are the guys youll be coach-
ing. When the frst spring rolled
around we didnt have an off-
season back then Im going,
Where is this kid? Where is
that kid?
The frst year was tough on
my family. It was the frst time
that people who were mad at me
felt they needed to take it out on
my family. That was unfortunate
because my wife and kids didnt
have anything to do with the
decisions I made on the feld.
But we lived through it. We
fnished that season playing a
lot of young guys because we
had a hard time getting some of
the older guys to buy into what
we wanted to do. The next year,
those young players were better
as sophomores and juniors than
theyd been as freshmen and
sophomores.
All for one
The second season, Taylor
ran afoul of several of the opposing baseball coach-
es, who drew the schedule to create doubleheaders.
Cleburne ended up with a twinbill at home against
Granbury and two on the road against Burleson
and Brownwood.
That was orchestrated by Granbury, Brown-
wood and Burleson, the idea being that youll play
two doubleheaders on the road this year, but next
year have those doubleheaders at home, Taylor
said. That never happened the next year because
[the schedule was redrawn for North Crowley].
The second year, Cleburne fnished 10-6 in
district and one game out of the playoffs because
the Yellow Jackets were swept in a doubleheader at
Brownwood the last day of the season.
It was not a fair scenario for all the kids
involved and not just our kids, Taylor said. It
depended on who you played. Granbury was dis-
trict champion and Brownwood second. Granbury
had the [Eric] Tomlinson kid, and Brownwood had
Clyde Meeks and Deacon Burns.
The Yellow Jackets would have better baseball
talent down the road, but the 99 team was much
like the 2012 team in one respect players bought
into the team concept.
Among the regulars were Keaton Fails, Michael
Skoog, Wes Parnell, Matt [Pig] Dill and Hector
Patino.
We had more buy-in the second year, and the
third year we were in the playoffs, Taylor said.
We started a four- or fve-year run where we kept
getting better. After the 04 season, we were good
enough to be a playoff team, but we didnt accept
the challenge that comes with making it that far
[state tournament].
All of a sudden, there was a big target on our
back, especially in pre-district. Everybody wanted
a piece of us. We were really kind of average in
05, but we came back and won the district. We
went to the quarterfnals that year and had a team
capable of going further than that.
Its been pretty steady. I think its accepted by
the community and coaches that were supposed to
be a playoff team. For the most part, its what our
players expect.
Taylor placed a major emphasis on team base-
ball when he arrived. There was resistance, he said.
That was tough for me because I didnt have
that issue where I came from [Canyon Randall].
Wed been a steady playoff team there. I wasnt
used to guys calling timeout and telling me, You
dont give the four-hole hitter the hit-and-run.
Hey, youre a high school baseball player. If you
were a major leaguer with 45 home runs, I prob-
ably wouldnt give you a bunt sign or hit-and-run
sign.
That makes him even more
appreciative of the early play-
ers who bought in entirely.
Keaton Fails, Wesley
Parnell and Matt Dill bought
in. Hector Patino was one of
the frst who tried to buy in.
Michael Skoog, after he got
over an injury, had two good
years for us. Fails was a really
good athlete and a class act.
We still use some of those
guys as examples. Some years,
well get catchers with a lot
of ability, and some years we
wont. Matt Dill didnt have
a lot of ability, but he was a
ballplayer. He intimidated a
lot of guys and put off running
by the way he threw the ball
back to the mound and to
second base between innings.
Everything he threw had a
purpose. The purpose was:
Dont run on me.
This year, we had Max
[Reynolds], another Matt
Dill kind of guy. Physically,
he wasnt as strong as some
other guys have been, but he
played with a purpose and
did a great job. He did some
things that some people might
not notice.
The motivator
As a coach, Taylor has been described as feisty
and gruff. Off the feld, he can be quite fun-loving.
As a psychology major and teacher, he has a pretty
good idea what image hes projecting ... and why.
People ask me, Are you mad. I say, If I were
really mad, youd know it. We talk about frst im-
pressions in psychology class and how its hard to
get over that. Ive walked around the Little League
park and heard, If you think its tough here, wait
until Coach Taylor gets hold of you.
It is what it is. Im not going to be many little
kids friend until they grow up. I tell people that
from the beginning. Ill be as friendly as theyll
allow me to be. Sometimes, familiarity breeds
We have some
kids who are
good enough
physically, but
they get the idea
theyre the big fsh
in a little pond.
You say
something to
them, and they
say, Well,
Im the best
youve got.
Thats true.
Theyre the best
weve got. But
are they the best
that they can be?
Thats what were
trying to teach our
guys. Have you
reached your
potential? If ev-
eryone in this
program reaches
his potential, then
well win a
lot of games.
Ross Taylor
See TAYLOR, Page 14
Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor, in his 15th season at
Cleburne High School, is a graduate
of Caprock High school in Amarillo
and earned a bachelors degree
in education from Eastern Oregon
State College and a masters in edu-
cation from West Texas A&M.
He and his wife, Kim, have two
children, Kayla, a former softball
player at Cleburne who now teaches
English at the school; and Ty, who
played for his father at Cleburne. Ty
plays for Oklahoma.
1984
Began high school
career at Amarillo
Caprock High School.
1990
Selected head base-
ball coach at Canyon
Randall High school before becom-
ing assistant principal at the school
in 1996.
David Beans/Special to the CTR
13
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 14 Sunday, July 1, 2012
True Grit The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets
contempt. If youre too friendly, especially with
young kids, they forget that Im the coach and
theyre the player. You have to be careful about
that.
I think we have a generation of kids whove
been encouraged to voice their opinions. Thats
all well and good. I was encouraged to do that
at my house. But they still have to understand
the position theyre in. Theyre not the boss
yet. Theyll be the boss someday. Right now,
theyre not.
Legendary basketball coach Charlie Turner
once said that respect was a primary motivator
for kids but that a little fear never hurt.
I think fear is a motivator, Taylor said. I
think love is another. You can be motivated in a
number of ways. I dont wake up in the morn-
ing thinking about who I can make afraid of me
today. Thats not what Im after.
Hes probably not looking to be their friend.
Not unless they need me to be, Taylor
said. There are some kids Im going to pet
here. There are others who get plenty of that at
home. I dont try to fll that void if its already
being flled. Probably the toughest thing in
coaching is fguring your kids out so you know
what they need.
He defnitely attempts to instill responsibil-
ity in his players.
I think we have a generation of coaches
coming along whose mentality is they dont
coach effort and attitude, Taylor said. Well,
you dont have to if its college and you can re-
cruit. You can recruit guys with great attitudes,
so all you have to do is coach technique.
In high school, we coach the kids who
come through, and we do have to coach effort
and attitude sometimes. We have some kids
who are good enough physically, but they get
the idea theyre the big fsh in a little pond.
You say something to them, and they say,
Well, Im the best youve got.
Thats true. Theyre the best weve got.
But are they the best that they can be? Thats
what were trying to teach our guys. Have you
reached your potential? If everyone in this
program reaches his potential, then well win
a lot of games and get the people of Cleburne
excited about baseball.
But if they dont reach their potential,
then were going to be average in a lot of
years.
He likes to win. He likes things that con-
tribute to winning.
For me, its not about winning or losing.
Its about playing the game well, Taylor said.
If we do that often enough, our record will
show it.
When hes asked how long hell be in
Cleburne, he remembers a coaches meeting
his frst year at Parkers country estate.
We were introducing ourselves and
basically stating why we were in Cleburne,
Taylor said. I said, Im here to win a state
championship. I had the fre to coach hard
and try to win. The day that fre goes out, Ill
hang it up and hand it to somebody else.
Ross Taylor knows when to have fun, too,
as German Hernandez can tell you. Proba-
bly the toughest thing in coaching is figur-
ing your kids out so you know what they
need, he said. Courtesy photo
From Page 13
14
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#15
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, July 1, 2012 Page 15
The fourth
of June
The inning heard round
Round Rock, when Cle-
burne made its unforgettable
run to come back from six
runs down. Heres how it
happened:
zx Nick Woodall ground out,
shortstop to frst base.
zx German Hernandez single
to right-center feld.
zx Conner Martyniuk struck
out.
zx Tyler Fowler hit-by-pitch.
Hernandez advanced to
second.
zx Tucker Nolen walk.
Hernandez to third, Fowler
to second.
zx Quade Coward hit-by-
pitch. Hernandez scored,
Fowler to third, Nolen to
second.
Lake Travis 6, Cleburne 1
zx Max Reynolds walk.
Fowler scored, Nolen to
third, Coward to second.
Lake Travis 6, Cleburne 2
zx Stevan Martinez single
to center. Nolen, Coward
score, Tanner Marchel, run-
ning for Reynolds, to sec-
ond.
Lake Travis 6, Cleburne 4
zx Cooper Walls walk,
Marchel to third, Martinez to
second.
zx Woodall single to left.
Marchel and Martinez score.
Lake Travis 6, Cleburne 6
zx Hernandez struck out.
By Pete Kendall
SPECIAL TO THE CTR
Anyone who saw it will
never forget Cleburnes im-
probable 9-7 come-from-
behind victory against
Austin Lake Travis in the
semifnals of the Class 4A
state baseball tournament.
Its what got the Yellow
Jackets to the champion-
ship game and provided
perhaps the best example
of everything the Yellow
Jackets did so right for
most of the season.
They played like gang-
busters and never gave up.
Down 6-0 to the
Cavaliers early, the Yellow
Jackets battled back, scor-
ing six runs in the fourth
inning started by a Ger-
man Hernandez single and
capped by a two-run single
by Nick Woodall. All with
two outs.
Cleburne fell behind in
the late innings by a run,
tied it again and won it
with two runs in the eighth.
A huge crowd of more
than 3,700 was on hand to
applaud the achievement
or if you were from
Lake Travis, to curse it
and fans were still talk-
ing about it 24 hours later
despite Cleburnes 10-1
loss to Rockwall Heath in
the fnal.
No dispute, really, that
Cleburne-Lake Travis was
the biggest game on the
biggest stage on the Yellow
Jackets 41-game schedule.
But there were a couple
that were close.
A week previous in
Hewitt, the Yellow Jackets
needed to win the rubber
game of a three-game se-
ries against Waco Midway
to advance to Round Rock.
Junior pitcher Cash
Calahan scattered three
hits over six innings in
a 2-1 victory against the
Panthers.
Calahan struck out
three and walked two and
pitched to one batter in the
seventh before giving way
to Game 1s pitching sensa-
tion, Hernandez, with no
outs and one aboard.
The Panthers got a lone
run to cut the lead in half
on a sacrifce popup into
short right feld. The game
ended moments later. Zach
Johnigan lined out to frst
baseman Quade Coward.
Dustin Vasek, running on
the play, was almost to
third when Coward threw
to second to complete the
double play.
If the Lake Travis game
was No. 1, Midway was
1A. And if Midway was
1A, Cleburnes 1-0 win
over Wichita Falls Rider in
Game 1 of the third round
series at Graham was 1B.
Hernandez was never
better, allowing only one
hit, in the ffth.
He struck out fve, and
the Yellow Jackets made an
assortment of dandy plays
behind him.
Cooper Walls and Wood-
all got a months worth of
exercise running down shots
to center and left.
Cleburne scored the
only run in the bottom of
the sixth. Tucker Nolen
was hit by a pitch, and
Coward reached frst on
an error. Max Reynolds
struck out to bring Stevan
Martinez to the dish.
He took a frst-pitch
strike, then stroked a fast-
ball to left, and Nolen came
chugging around third with
the run.
Interesting that two
different pitchers would be
the Cleburne stars in the
games against Midway and
Rider. A third pitcher, se-
nior Brach Farmer, was the
youngster without whom
the Yellow Jackets could
not possibly have beaten
Lake Travis.
Farmer relieved with the
score 6-0 and a man aboard
in the second and allowed
three hits in seven subse-
quent innings.
In a wild eighth, leadoff
hitter Walls reached frst on
an infeld hit. Woodall set
down an oil painting of a
bunt, the Cavaliers fubbed
it, and Cleburne had run-
ners at second and third
with no outs.
Hernandez walked to
load the bases. Conner
Martyniuk lifted a single to
left to score both runners.
It was up to Farmer
and his defense to hold the
lead in the bottom of the
inning. The Yellow Jackets
made short work of a trio
of Cavaliers on a fy ball to
Walls in center, a grounder
to Tyler Fowler at shortstop
and another fy to Walls.
Which was the better
game? Well let you make
the call. They were all
dandies.
Things that make you go ...
Whoa!
The Yellow Jackets thrilling playoff run kept coaches, parents and fans on the
edge of their seats.
15
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 16 Sunday, July 1, 2012
True Grit The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets Road to Round Rock
Bi-district Area Regional
quarterfnals
Regional
semifnals
Regional
fnal
Bi-district
Area Regional
quarterfnals
Regional
semifnals
Regional
fnal
# - District
W - Winner
R - Runner-up
T - Third
F - Fourth
16
0MZM?PMVAW]6MML=[
+WVOZI\]TI\QWV[AMT TW_2IKSM\[?MIZMXZW]LWNaW]
3517 S.W. Wllsblre 8lvo.
'PIFYVRI
817-556-4800
220 N. Rlogeway Drlve
Monoay - Frloay 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturoay 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sunoay 1-5 p.m.
cleburnetma.com
.SWLYE
817-447-1151
Monoay - Frloay 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.
josbuatma.com
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, July 1, 2012 Page 17
Bi-district Area Regional
quarterfnals
Regional
semifnals
Regional
fnal
Bi-district
Area Regional
quarterfnals
Regional
semifnals
Regional
fnal
# - District
W - Winner
R - Runner-up
T - Third
F - Fourth
17
A & A Metal would like to extend our
congratulations to Quade Coward
and the rest of 2012 Cleburne Yellow
Jacket Varsity baseball team!!
817-641-9383 / 115 S. Front St., Cleburne / M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m. - Noon
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 18 Sunday, july 1, 2012
True Grit The 2012 Cleburne Yellow Jackets
The time of their lives
This baseball season wont soon be forgotten by the Cleburne community. The players and their families ... well,
theyll never forget the memories of the spring of 2012.
Going to state ... Party time!
David Beans/Special to the CTR
18
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Sunday, july 1, 2012 Page 19
Photos by David Beans
Preston Bullard Cooper Walls German Hernandez
Cash Calahan Conner Martyniuk
District champs Nick Woodall
Max Reynolds
19
Cleburne Yellow Jacket Baseball Commemorative Edition Page 20 Sunday, July 1, 2012
Nick Woodall
Class 4A All-State
.372
Team-leading batting average,
including .490 in District 7-4A.
Thats smokin.
26
If there was a runner in
scoring position, Woodall
was better than anybody
driving them home. He was
tops among 2012 Yellow
Jackets with 26 RBIs and hit
a blistering .484 with runners
in scoring position
.463
The junior had a power drive, leading all
teammates in slugging percentage. That
number increased to .612 in district.
7
By the
numbers
Fowler and Woodall and
German Hernandez each
had a team-leading seven
doubles. Junior Tucker
Nolen was next with six.
2
Coincidentally perhaps,
three players shared the
team lead in triples (2),
freshman Tyler Fowler, Nick
Woodall and Cooper Walls.
86
RBIs by top run-producing
underclassmen, including
34 by freshmen Fowler and
Stevan Martinez. In addi-
tion to Woodall, the teams
top run producer, juniors
Nolen (16 RBIs) and Quade
Coward (10) return.
1.70
Combined ERA among the
Yellow Jackets pitching
staff, led by starter Brach
Farmers 1.51, followed by
Cash Calahan and German
Hernandez (1.71 each) by
hurlers who had at least 25
innings pitched.
8-3
Top winner among Cle-
burne starters was Farmer,
followed by Hernandez at
8-4 and Calahan, both
District 7-4A All-District
performers, at 7-1.
65
Strikeouts for team-leader
German Hernandez.
David Beans/Special to the CTR
20