Steve Chapman, Drayton Mitchell and Blake Quinn talk about the opportunity to go back-to-back. Mitchell and Collier Carroll will lead the way on the mound.

It was absolutely spectacular weather wise for the first day of high school baseball practice Friday.

The defending 4A Division One State Champion Calallen Wildcats return a loaded team that will start the season the same way they ended the last one, ranked number one.

Coaches Steve Chapman and Joe Luis Lopez once again sport of the most dominating one-two aces in the state in Collier Carroll and Drayton Mitchell in whatever order you want to put them.

The ‘Cats say they welcome a target on their backs that’s even bigger than it usually is.

“As a coach, that’s what you want,” Coach Chapman said. “You definitely want the opposing teams not fear you, but to respect you and to know that they’re going to have to play their best to beat you.”

“Everyone’s just going to want to beat us from day one,” Mitchell said. “I feel like it’s more fun that way.”

This year’s group will try and do something the other three championship teams (2000, 2005, 2008) couldn’t: win back-to-back crowns.

“We want to be the first team in Calallen history to go back-to-back,” senior first baseman Blake Quinn said.  “We have a lot of depth at every position, so it’s going to be a grind from day one.”

Both Carroll and Mitchell will be looking to continue to dominate on the mound when they go off to join the Texas State Bobcats together in the fall, but first it’ll be a run at ring number five for the program.

Calallen begins its season at the McAllen Tournament before hosting their own from February 25th through the 28th.