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Willis baseball on the cusp of playoff appearance
NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Washburn having solid first year at Willis
At College Park, he worked for a few seasons under the direction of his uncle Jason Washburn, whose first head coaching job was where? You guessed it, Willis High School.
“My journey as a coach has been about learning different styles of interaction with my players, their parents and other coaches,” said Washburn. “Being able to have different mentors and different ways of building a program has definitely benefited me.”
Head Coach Brett Washburn
Washburn joins a Willis team that reached the Area Round of the UIL postseason a year ago.
With numerous players returning this Spring, Washburn had plenty of talent to work with in year one.
“We’re definitely looking to compete and build off of last season’s success,” Washburn said. “We play in one of the best districts around (13-6A) and Houston-area baseball is incredibly strong as it is. That being said, we intend to be competitive in every game this year.”
He also acknowledged some of the players who have been standouts on the diamond.
“We’ve got lefty Maddox Keo, who’s been a starting arm on this team since his freshman year,” said Washburn. “He is now committed to Rice and will definitely be a guy we look to at the top of our pitching staff. Other playmakers for us include Seth Sloan and some returning seniors – guys like Hutton Hoegemyer, Braydon Hawthorne and Logan Wilson – who all provided that leadership we needed to succeed.”
Despite the fact that this will be his first year as a head coach, Washburn is familiar with the territory and understands the community aspect that makes up Willis Baseball.
“Having that support means everything to me and the team,” he said. “We have an existing culture of good baseball here with tremendous support, which makes it a lot easier for a new coach to get started. Since the support and encouragement is already there, now we can just play baseball.”