As the 2021 season came to a close, Greg Estrada learned how important leadership is for a team to achieve favorable results.
He got firsthand experience with the Odessa High baseball team and he is looking forward to helping the Bronchos turn things around and get back into the postseason in 2022.
“Leadership is a big part in success,” Estrada said. “You need leadership in order to be successful and do the things you want to do and the goals you want to achieve.”
The Bronchos are hoping to get more consistency this season, as they saw things take a negative turn toward the end of last year.
Odessa High finished with 15-14 overall record, going 6-12 in District 2-6A play and missing out on the state playoffs.
Although their 2022 season hasn’t officially begun, Estrada has already seen a difference in how his team is approaching its preparation.
The senior said he and his teammates put in a lot of voluntary work over the offseason to stay in shape before their scrimmages even took place.
The Bronchos got out to a strong start to the season in 2021 before losing steam as district play wound down.
Odessa High baseball coach Josh Hulin knows his team will have to keep its momentum high as its campaign comes to a close if it wants to make some noise.
“We just got to play better down the stretch, we played poorly when it mattered the most,” Hulin said. “We won four games in a row right in the middle of the season, we were in a great position, we had a ton of momentum and then we just completely fell flat at the end.
“You learn that you’re just not very good when you can’t play good under pressure.”
The Bronchos will face a tough task in District 2-6A, but they have a solid combination of returners and newcomers to lean on for energy.
They used the early portion of their campaign to scrimmage against various teams from around the area before opening their nondistrict slate.
Odessa High is set to start its season against Brenham at 3:45 p.m. Thursday at the Liberty Hill Invitational in Liberty Hill.
Along with the tournament in Liberty Hill, the team will also play nondistrict contests in tournaments held in Midland and Crowley.
Estrada will be playing his first season with the varsity team and he’s ready for the challenges that playing against high level competition will bring.
“I feel like we outwork every team,” Estrada said. “We might not be as talented, but we’ll outwork them and get those grinding, good wins.”
Hulin is entering his ninth year at the helm of the Odessa High baseball program and he has learned a fair share of lessons on what to expect from teams around the district.
He believes the best teams will make themselves stand out by who plays the best under pressure.
“The other teams are really good, we’re not picked to make the playoffs for a reason because we don’t have the high end talent,” Hulin said. “Permian does, [Wolfforth] Frenship does, [Midland] Legacy does, [San Angelo] Central has got a bunch of guys that are going to play college baseball and we don’t.
“We’re not picked to do anything and, in my opinion that’s where we belong talent-wise so we’ll see how the guys respond.”
The expectation around the team involves seeing steady improvement as the campaign goes along, with everyone exhibiting the strong work ethic that has been cultivated in the offseason.
2022, ODESSA HIGH BASEBALL
Date Opponent Time Site
2/24 *-Brenham 3:45 p.m. Liberty Hill
2/24 *-Buda Johnson 5:50 p.m. Liberty Hill
2/25 *-Georgetown Eastview 9:30 a.m. Liberty Hill
2/25 *-San Antonio Churchill 1:40 p.m. Liberty Hill
2/26 *-Liberty Hill 9:30 a.m. Liberty Hill
2/26 *-Killeen Ellison 11:35 a.m. Liberty Hill
3/3 x-Midland High 10 a.m. Momentum Bank Ballpark
3/3 x-Abilene High 7 p.m. Christensen Stadium
3/4 x-Lubbock Coronado 10 a.m. Christensen Stadium
3/4 x-Plainview 4 p.m. Momentum Bank Ballpark
3/5 x-Canyon Randall 4 p.m. Christensen Stadium
3/8 San Angelo Central 4 p.m. Pressly Field
3/10 y-Azle 3 p.m. Crowley
3/10 y-Crowley 5:30 p.m. Crowley
3/11 y-North Crowley 10 a.m. North Crowley
3/11 y-Richland 12:30 p.m. North Crowley
3/12 y-Fort Worth Boswell 10 a.m. Crowley
3/17 Permian 4:30 p.m. McCanlies Field
3/18 Permian 4:30 p.m. Pressly Field
3/19 Permian Noon McCanlies
3/22 Midland Legacy 6 p.m. Midland Legacy
3/25 Midland Legacy 4:30 p.m. Pressly Field
3/26 Midland Legacy 2 p.m. Midland Legacy
3/29 Midland High 4:30 p.m. Pressly Field
4/1 Midland High 6 p.m. Midland High
4/8 Abilene High 5 p.m. Blackburn
4/9 Abilene High 2 p.m. Pressly
4/12 Lubbock Trinity 5 p.m. Lubbock
4/19 Wolfforth Frenship 4:30 p.m. Pressly
4/22 Wolfforth Frenship 6 p.m. Wolfforth
4/23 Wolfforth Frenship 2 p.m. Pressly
4/26 San Angelo Central 6 p.m. San Angelo
4/29 San Angelo Central 4:30 p.m. San Angelo
5/4-7 Bi-District TBA TBA
5/11-14 Area TBA TBA
5/18-21 Regional Quarterfinals TBA TBA
5/25-28Regional Semifinals TBA TBA
6/1-4 Regional Finals TBA TBA
6/8-11 State Tournament TBA Round Rock
*-Liberty Hill Invitational (tournament)
x-Tournament of Champions (tournament)
y-Crowley ISD Tournament (tournament)
z-xxxxx (conference, tournament, etc.)
