Such a historic athletic occurrence comes with decidedly mixed blessings, especially for the coaches chosen to lead each program in its maiden voyage. The two schools will collide in a district game this Friday scheduled for 11 a.m. in White Deer.

“A lot of our kids grew up knowing that they didn’t have baseball at this high school so they hadn’t played a lot growing up,” Highland Park coach Ben Havel said. “We don’t have a lot of experience. That’s probably been the biggest challenge. We’re having to teach everything about the game.”

Not surprisingly, it’s been a mixed bag for the Hornets in terms of results. Through last weekend, Highland Park was 4-6.

Growing pains have been even more obvious at White Deer, a much smaller school where just about everybody who plays baseball plays all the other sports too. The Bucks have yet to record the first win in school history, and are 0-5 heading into their district game at noon Tuesday in Gruver

“The biggest thing is figuring out what the kids know that we have to work on, whether it’s ground balls or fly balls,” White Deer coach John Anderson said. “We’ve got to know what the kids know when it comes to hitting and pitching, whether it comes from the ground up or there’s some background to it and we can tweak things and run with that. Right now I’m still throwing people where I think they’re going to play and see where it will work out with them. Sometimes will put a kid out in a game somewhere else because we’ve got to see how they react.”

That’s generally not the situation most high school baseball coaches face going into a season. They usually have some players returning from the previous season or who have at least played recently and can be projected for a position.

Such expectations have to be adjusted for both players and coaches when there’s not a definite point of reference.

“It’s completely different from when I did it,” said Highland Park senior centerfielder Luis Marquez, who last played baseball in seventh grade. “People are throwing way harder with different pitches. I knew we were going to be a decent team because a lot of our guys are really athletic. It was getting used to the baseball stuff.”

That means the coaches are having to do a little extra coaching, or perhaps, teaching. It’s new territory for Havel, who was an assistant on last year’s Canyon team which went to the Class 4A state semifinals and who has also had stints at Palo Duro and Clarendon College.

“A lot of our guys haven’t played growing up so they don’t know a lot of the rules,” Havel said. “We’re getting better at things we didn’t think we had to teach.”

Havel says that probably 10 of his players have played some form of organized baseball before, the same number Anderson estimates he has at White Deer.

Anderson was the head coach at Follett, an established program, last season. Coming to White Deer, he was fairly blind in terms of who and what he had.

“Now that I’ve seen what we need to work on it’s breaking everything down for them,” Anderson said. “I think I know where most people are going to play and who my top three pitchers are. It’s pretty easy to adjust where I want kids and where I think they need to be for the team.”

If there’s a White Deer player who understands this, it’s sophomore Lucas Radina. He played for the Pampa Optimist league last year in returning to baseball for the first time since fifth grade. Prior to that, Radina had been playing since T-Ball.

Radina is optimistic, but realistic about this season.

“It’s more learning fundamentals that first year,” Radina said. “You’ve got to be OK with the losses because it’s going to come. We’ll get there eventually.”

The wins haven’t come quite yet for the Bucks, who are 0-5.

Anderson is taking a Rome Wasn’t Built In a Day approach with the program. That’s a positive thing considering that the Bucks have lost their five games by a combined 105-13 margin.

“When we started this I said the score doesn’t matter,” Anderson said. “If we’re not making errors and making routine plays that’s big. I said it was a win for us if we scored a run. That means we did something right.”

The Bucks did score a run in their first game, a 24-1 loss to San Jacinto Christian. Highland Park has taken some lumps too, but also gotten in the win column.

Havel is trying to temper his team’s inexperience with an emphasis on early success.

“I try to keep expectations high and I want us to do things the right way,” Havel said. “We’re going to try to win every game that we play in. All things considered I think our record is a positive for us.”

Getting that chance

Most of the Highland Park and White Deer players have been playing other sports in high school. Baseball wasn’t on the bingo card until the school boards for both district’s approved adding the sport.

As part of Title IX, one more girls sport was added at each school, as White Deer completed its first season as a volleyball team last fall, and Highland Park added softball.

Highland Park built both baseball and softball diamonds as part of a school bond. During the final weeks before the start of baseball season, lights at the diamond on campus were visible from Highway 60 as workers were finishing the facility which hosted a pair of tournaments on the last weekend in February and the first weekend in March.

“Our school district did an incredible job building this facility so we’ve got to say thank you to them,” Havel said. “The early season tournaments are just an opportunity to get out and play baseball and for our kids to learn more and more and figure out how the game is played. It’s really valuable for us to host it early in the year.”

It’s also the best chance to knock off some rust for guys like senior ZacK McClurg. While he’s played football and basketball at Highland Park, he hasn’t played baseball since the fifth grade.

“I’ve been wanting to do it since I could play sports here,” McClurg said. “I played quarterback in football so I had the throwing motion still around. It was like picking up a football.

“I never thought we would get baseball out here. Getting it is just very exciting.”

McClurg will pitch, play shortstop, third base and the outfield. 

Such multitasking is nothing new for White Deer junior Foster Black, who will pitch and play second base for the Bucks. Black also plays football, basketball, golf and runs track.

He last played baseball when he was 13, and he’s embraced playing a fifth sport.

“I was super excited when our school board passed baseball,” Black said. “I knew it was going to be a struggle that first year but I’m glad White Deer finally got a baseball program. All these kids here were pushing for it. We had a petition going on at the first of last year and we got it done.”

While Black will have one more year to show what he can do on the diamond, this is the last chance for guys like Highland Park senior Shawn Rollins. He played basketball for the Hornets, and last played baseball in seventh grade.

Playing baseball before graduating is an unexpected bonus for Rollins, who will play right field, third base and pitcher.

“It was actually very exciting to find out I’d be able to play my senior year,” Rollins said. “It was just crazy how we got it in so fast.

“I was a little bit rusty I’d say because it’s been so long. I had to warm up my arm. Being able to hit with contact in a game has been really hard but it’s gotten better.”

That’s what both programs are hoping for over the next two months. It will be more about improvement than proving doubters wrong.

Havel is hoping his Hornets can frustrate some opponents with some small ball.

“We’ve got some speed so that’s definitely a big positive,” Havel said. “We’re improving in all facets of the game. We’re just trying to do things to keep ourselves in games.”

Anderson said his team will take a similar approach, but that he wants the Bucks as much as anything to enjoy themselves.

“I don’t think have to sell them on it,” Anderson said. “Most of them enjoyed it and they played the game when they were younger. They want to be out there and have fun.”

Now, they at least have the chance.