Coastal Bend Baseball is less than a week away, Cougar fans! May 2019 seems not too long ago, but that is when CBC played their final game of the season. After beating Tyler Junior College, 1-5 in game seven to win the Coastal Bend College's first ever Region XIV Conference Title, the Cougars hosted the District C East Division Championship.
During the four-team tournament, CBC beat Mountain View, 6-8 for the opening round. The Cougars then faced Brookhaven College in the second round, winning the game 5-7. One more win and Coastal Bend would advance to the Super Regional, but there was still some baseball to be played. CBC faced Brookhaven during the championship game, after the Bears beat Cedar Valley College. Brookhaven came out swinging, doing all the damage early, but the Cougars did not back down, as they rallied late, but fell short, 10-7. With CBC losing their first game of the District C East Divisional Tournament, both clubs would square off again to see who would be crowned the tournament champion.
In a game that would favor the home team, the Cougars held a 1-7 lead over the Bears going into the Seventh inning. Brookhaven scored seven runs, four in the top of the ninth to take the lead and ultimately win the game and tournament, 8-7.
The Cougars 2019 season concluded with a 27-31 overall record. Coastal Bend accomplished an historic feat during 2019, beating TJC in a seven-game series to claim their first Division III Region XIV Conference Championship and host a Divisional Championship Tournament. Coastal Bend has some key pieces return with a lot of playing experience and looks to build off of last year's success.
This upcoming season will mark CBC's Head Baseball Coach, Brian Bauerle's 38th campaign as either a player or coach. Bauerle has compiled a 94-79 record over the course of his three years as the head skipper.
Now entering his fourth season, sixth overall with Coastal Bend, let's jump into the 2020 season with Coach Bauerle as we asked him a few questions on the upcoming year!
How do you feel about the upcoming spring season? I feel like we have a good group of guys this year. We need to stay healthy in order to give us the best opportunity to win games. -BB
As a Head Coach of your respective team, how do you feel about your team? We have good chemistry as a unit, hopefully it continues to grow stronger as the season unfolds. -BB
What is your number one goal for this season? It would be to accomplish more than last year. That's to win a Super Regional. -BB
How many returners do you have? We have seven returners from last year's squad. -BB
Of those returners, how many are starters? We will have four starters, but six student-athletes have starting experience. -BB
What do you expect of your incoming freshman? Need our freshmen to buy in to the program. -BB
How do you feel about your transfer players? I feel good about them, but time will tell. -BB
Are there any standouts from last season we should be on the lookout for? Luis Martinez, as he will move into a starting role on the mound for us this year. -BB
What expectations do you have for your newcomers? Looking for our newcomers to make an immediate impact for us on the field. -BB
How tough will this season's non-conference schedule look like? We will have the toughest NJCAA Division III schedule in the country. We'll be playing the likes of San Jacinto College, Galveston College, Panola College, Blinn, Western Oklahoma State College, Murray State College, LSU-Eunice, Ranger College, Odessa College, Navarro College, Laredo College, Weatherford College, and Tyler Junior College. -BBWhat are your personal coaching goals and team goals for the program this season? A personal goal of mine this season would be to win more than 30 games a year and to repeat as Division III Region XIV Conference Champions. -BB
Who is CBC's biggest rival? Our biggest rival is the Tyler Junior College Apaches. In essentially the only series that truly matters, we go toe to toe in a best out of seven series to determine who wins the Division III Region XIV Conference. -BB
Coastal Bend's first game of the season will be against Alvin Community College at the Galveston College Tournament on Friday, January 31st at 8:00 PM. The Cougars first home game will be on Thursday, February 6th as they host Murray State College at 6:00 pm at Joe Hunter Field for the Coastal Bend Classic. The Coastal Bend Classic will also include Odessa College and Western Oklahoma State College during February 6th-8th.