ROUND ROCK — In baseball, it’s been said that offense sells tickets, defense wins games and pitching wins championships.
That mantra proved to be a way of life for the Centerville Bulldogs this season. With offense at a minimum for both sides Saturday, Centerville was able to make a pair of runs stand in a 2-0 victory against Gordon Saturday afternoon at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Saturday’s victory was the 24th win of the season for the Bulldogs. It also clinched the Class A state championship for Centerville — the first of its kind for the school.
“Our pitching staff is the best pitching staff in 1A baseball. I have four guys who pitch their tails off,” said Lawton Trekell, Centerville Head Coach. “Kolt Larsen has been our one-game guy and came through for us every time and Hardy Brown came in right behind him. Wyatt Clede is our No. 3 and had a 0.00 ERA, but he didn’t throw any in the playoffs. Drew Larson also has a sub-zero ERA. Our defense plays their tails off, too.”
Kolt Larsen earned the start on the pitcher’s mound Saturday. The lone senior on the roster gave up four hits and struck out 11 batters on his way to Most Valuable Player honors.
The win marked the 15th shutout of the season for the Bulldogs, who were 24-1 on the season. With the exception of an 11-1 loss to 2A Shelbyville in a playoff warmup game, Centerville never surrendered more than five runs in a game.
In nine District 22-A contests, the Bulldogs outscored league mates Kennard, Neches and Wells by a combined score of 117-1. On the season, Centerville outscored its opponents 287-28 with 21 of those runs coming against Shelbyville (11-1 loss), Groveton (6-5 victory) and the Lufkin junior varsity (14-4 win).
“I’m so stinkin’ proud of our kids — all 11 of them — and our community for always showing up and supporting us,” an emotional Trekell said.
With 10 of 11 players projected to return for 2027, an encore performance could be in the cards for the Bulldogs. The work toward a repeat begins June 15 when summer workouts begin.
“Repeating has to be a thought. These guys were hungry from the start and I can imagine being here and winning is going to rekindle the flame,” Trekell said. “We have a week off before we start summer workouts. We hope to have another good run in basketball and get rolling again in baseball.”
Trekell, who took over the program in 2022, helped Centerville bounce back from a one-win season in 2023 and a three-win campaign in 2024 to reach the area round in a 19-win 2025 before claiming the state title this season. He was quick to give credit to his predecessors, Centerville Superintendent Mark Brown — who brought baseball back to the school in 2019 after a two-decade hiatus — and current girls athletic coordinator Kevin Parker.
“Our Superintendent Mark Brown and Coach Kevin Parker got it rolling prior to me coming here and they established the foundation for a solid program,” Trekell said. “We picked it up and kept it rolling. Everybody bought in. We kept telling the kids if you buy in, you’ll have a shot to compete for a state title. The group we have now believes that.”
