CVHS Baseball throws a curveball with the new players and new season

By Roxell Bonilla and Ava Lim|April 24, 2023

CVHS+Baseball+after+winning+their+game+12-2+against+Sterling+High+School

Ava Lim

CVHS Baseball after winning their game 12-2 against Sterling High School

The 2022-23 season is looking up for the CVHS baseball team. In comparison to former seasons, players and coaching staff alike have said that the team is doing better now — and not just because of the switch from the 6A division to the 5A division.

CVHS’s athletics are competing in the UIL 5A division for the first time this school year. In past years, both CVHS academics and sports were in the 6A division. According to UIL’s rules, which categorize schools based on population, CVHS students should be competing in the 4A division. However, due to the school’s magnet status, students compete in the larger — and more competitive — leagues.

CVHS Baseball Head Coach Joel Bomersbach surveys the field from the dugout. (Ava Lim)

Playing in the 5A division hasn’t hindered the baseball team’s success though.

“[The switch] hasn’t really affected us… Bellaire and Lamar (6A teams) are more ‘powerhouse’ teams, but Waltrip and Galena Park (5A teams) — they’re pretty good too,” CVHS Varsity Baseball Coach Joel Bomersbach said.

Additionally, Bomersbach believes the team has held its own in the 5A league.

“I kind of play everywhere,” Salazar said. (Roxell Bonilla)

“When we play good baseball, we compete with [teams like Waltrip and Galena Park] well. When we make our own mistakes, we cause problems for ourselves… So it’s hard to say that they’re so much better than we are; [rather,] we make mistakes that hurt us, as opposed to them beating us,” Bomersbach said.

Currently, the team has an improved win-loss record of 7-6; last season, they finished 3-11. Teammates and coaching staff alike have noticed improvements in addition to their wins though.

“We’re a better team [this season]. We have better fundamentals — we have it worked out… compared to last year,” CVHS Baseball Team Captain Arnoldo Salazar said.

CVHS Baseball’s senior players pose for a photo after their 12-2 win against Sterling High School. (Left to right: Arnoldo Salazar, Rahul Draksharam, Rohan Prasad, Aidan Walker) (Ava Lim)

Senior Aidan Walker started on the mound for the first time on April 14 against Sterling High School. CVHS won 12-2, with Walker pitching the entire game. In the dugout, he reflected on the team’s progress.

“I think we should have won some more games than we have. But we’re playing near .500, [and] that’s an improvement from the past,” Walker said.

With a better record and overall playing this year, Coach Bomersbach hopes the team will be able to advance further this UIL season.

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“We can still make playoffs… So we’re trying to win as many district games as we can… That’s the expectation for sure.

— Coach Bomersbach