Calallen: No. 10 in Preseason Xcellent 25 Baseball Rankings

Toughest game: Moody (Corpus Christi) and Calallen have a great rivalry, though the Wildcats swept Moody 5-0 and outscored Moody 25-6 last season. Alice, too, is traditionally strong, though the Wildcats also swept them last year, 2-0, but in two distinctly different games, winning 9-0 and 1-0. The Wildcats will play again in the McAllen Tournament, a 24-team tournament Feb. 23-25. Calallen will follow that up with the 30-team Smithson Valley (Spring Branch) Tournament March 1-3, and host its Calallen 12-team tournament March 8-10, then begin its district schedule.

Local outlook: Region 4 is loaded, according to Chapman. Getting out of the area will be tough, with Moody, Alice, Ray (Corpus Christi) coming down from 5A, and traditionally strong Boerne-Champion (Boerne), Lake Travis (Austin) and Flour Bluff (Corpus Christi). Statewide, the Wildcats may have to concern themselves with two past nemeses: Brenham, which beat the Wildcats for the 4A state title in 2010, and again Rider, (Wichita Falls), which stood in the way of the Wildcats winning the state title in 2011.

Overall outlook: Chapman has a lot to like. His praise is measured when it comes to this team, but it is a team with a great balance of quality pitching and hitting. "Hitting will be a strength, if we can adapt to the new BBC core bats," Chapman said. "If there is a concern, I'm not sure we have as much team speed as we've had in the past, and we don't know who's going to fill some positions. Nothing is for certain. Kids will need to produce to keep playing. I don't like to tell anyone that they have a certain spot." Expect the Wildcats, barring a rash of serious injuries, to go deep into the state playoffs again this season.

Coach quote: "The seniors on this team want to get back to the state tournament and prove themselves. Our whole community's expectations are high; my expectations are high, but that's every year. Anything less would be a big disappointment for them and for all of us. But baseball is a funny game, where there are no guarantees, and just because we have a bunch of kids back and are tradition-rich, we still have to play the games."
- Steve Chapman