Some final comments about the Rusk Eagles’ winning season

After the June 10, 2021, state finals game, pitcher JD Thompson said “This wasn’t how I thought it would go but I knew it was going to be a battle. If my guys put the bat on the ball and gave me some run support I knew we’d be alright and that’s what happened.”

As for next year, it’s always hard to say what will happen. Great teams can have an off weekend in the area round and their season is over in the blink of an eye.

What’s clear though is Rusk, Sinton and Pleasant Grove all return the core of their teams. Two of the three will be highly motivated to tend to unfinished business. The other focused on repeating and delivering their program a fourth championship. But no matter what happens next season or beyond, thanks to this year’s Silver Eagles, every team that comes after them will undoubtedly look at this team as the one that started it all, and they will all be focused not on getting to state, but on getting BACK to state.

Nathan Caruso is a freelance baseball writer out of Austin, TX. From 2015-2020, he served as the public address announcer and official scorer for Manor High School’s baseball team. In 2021 he was the baseball public address announcer for Taylor and Comfort High Schools. He has covered baseball teams in every region and classification in the regular and post seasons for various publications since 2015. In 2016 he designed a pitch count form that is currently being used by high schools across the country. He can be reached by email at nacaruso@alumni.usc.edu. He would love to hear your perspective on the Rusk Eagles’ historic trip to Austin