TRADITION NEVER GRADUATES: Tomball Has An Elite Core Of Juniors Eyeing Another Title
THE TOMBALL COUGARS WON ITS SECOND STATE TITLE A YEAR AGO, GOING UNDEFEATED IN DISTRICT PLAY AND 41-3 OVERALL. UNFORTUNATELY, THE COUGARS SAID GOODBYE TO FIVE DIVISION I SIGNEES TO GRADUATION, INCLUDING THE TEXAS GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR CADE ARRAMBIDE (LSU).
Some programs would push the reset button. For the Cougars, however, they live by the motto... “Tradition Never Graduates”.
Coach Doug Rush, who is right off of Hollywood’s central casting as a Texas high school baseball coach, doesn’t hand out very many compliments. He does, however, make an exception when talking about Class of 2026 stars - CJ Sampson (Florida), Karson Reeder (Texas), Catcher Hopkins (Texas A&M) and Harper Gates (Texas A&M).
“They have been on varsity as freshmen and played a huge role in our State title run a year ago,” he said. “They are all committed to SEC programs, and we haven’t seen anything like that before. They are really special.”
Reeder, the State MVP, and Sampson (son of MLB pitcher Chris Sampson) had a combined record of 27-1 on the mound. The battery-mate is Hopkins, who calls a great game behind the plate and is a big stick in the lineup. Moving from third base to shortstop is the slick-fielding Gates.
“Having a pair of Division I No. 1 pitchers is a blessing,” Rush said. “We are going to quickly fill some holes on defense, but nearly everyone has varsity experience. I think we are going to hit the ball well, too.”
Currently on a 31-game winning streak, Rush knows that his squad has a target on its back as big as Texas.
“We know everyone is gearing up to beat us,” he said. “We are going to see everyone’s No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers during the tournament season, but honestly, that helps us in the long run. We just know we are getting everyone’s best game when we step between the lines.”
So, what makes Tomball one of the best programs in the country? It goes back to the motto.
“To build a program, there must be peer tutoring,” he said.
“We can coach as coaches, but when the older guys are teaching the younger guys... it makes a bigger impact. We believe in that, and it builds on itself.”
Iron sharpens iron at Tomball, and for now, they are wielding the deadliest weapon going into battle in 2025.
Could they go back-to-back?
