HS Baseball: Rattlers take on Lake Travis

All things considered, the San Marcos Rattlers couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2013 season at 4-1-1.

After opening the season with a win at Killeen, San Marcos went 3-1-1 at last weekend’s CenturyLink Rattler Classic. SMHS opened the tournament with a 10-10 tie against Kerville-Tivy and a 9-1 loss to Hays before rolling off three straight wins against Antonian, Hays and Pflugerville-Hendrickson.

Tonight, the Rattlers will face their toughest test of the young season as Lake Travis visits Rattler Field for 7 p.m. game. Lake Travis was a Class 4A state semifinalist last season and is tabbed by many to make another strong run in the playoffs this season as a Class 5A program.

“They’re a very good program and the type of team we need to see if we are going to continue to get better and make a strong run in district,” Webb said. “It’s going to be a good early test for us.”

Lake Travis is off to a 2-5 start after facing some very tough competition at its own CenTex Tournament last weekend. The Cavaliers beat Magnolia, but suffered losses to Dallas Jesuit, Odessa, San Antonio Central Catholic, Fort Bend Travis and San Antonio-O’Connor. Lake Travis opened the 2013 season with a 13-4 win at Pflugerville-Connally.

Senior pitcher Daniel Castano helped Lake Travis post its lone win at the tournament, and will likely be on the mound tonight against the Rattlers. The 6-foot, 4-inch left-hander, who is bound for Baylor, has a strong curve and change-up, with a fastball that has been clocked at 92 mph.

San Marcos will counter with junior Derrick Vasquez, who last pitched in the Rattlers’ 19-2 win at Killeen. Vasquez (1-0, 0.00 ERA) allowed four hits and struck out three in five innings against Killeen.

Offensively, senior Noel Zapata is the Rattlers’ leading hitter, batting .438 with 11 RBIs and five doubles, while Jesus Rodriguez is hitting .412 with six RBIs with two doubles. Colin Gonzales (.273) also his six RBIs and two doubles. San Marcos is sporting .296 as a team batting average.

Following tonight’s game, San Marcos will open play in the Comal ISD Tournament Thursday.