When the Hendrickson Hawks have looked for a big hit this year it has often been found on the bat of senior outfield Sam Swartz.

Swartz delivered again for the Hawks in their playoff series against Cibolo Steele. The blast, his fifth of the year, came in the second inning against Steele with his team down 1-0. It sparked a two-run Hawk inning which eventually led to a 10-2 win. Swartz later contributed a two-run double to the Hendrickson cause.

“They came out and scored and I knew we needed some momentum,” he said of his home run. “He threw me my pitch and I hit it right.”

Swartz is one of six seniors on the Hendrickson roster all of them veterans of last year’s two-round playoff trip.

“We play real well together,” he said. “There are a bunch of brothers on this team. We show up early to practice and that has really helped us get to where we are. To have a playoff run like this has been pretty fun.”

He says the bonds they share go much deeper than the baseball diamond and these same bonds are a big part of the Hawks’ success.

“We have a bunch of seniors who’ve been playing together since t-ball,” he said. “We’ve close friends. We have matured a lot and worked real hard to get where we are. The team has been a lot closer knit this year. We’ve worked a lot harder than in previous years.”

When it came time for Swartz to decide where he would play his college ball he put the classroom ahead of the diamond. Evenutally he chose Southwestern University in Georgetown where he was awarded an academic scholarship.

“I chose education over baseball,” he said. “Southwestern’s head coach liked me and wanted me to apply. The school is a very good school. I will play baseball and pursue my degree in engineering.”

For as long as Swartz can remember he has had a passion for baseball.

“My parents said when I was little I used to take the bat and stand in front of the TV and mimic the players batting styles,” he said. “I wore baseball pants everywhere I went. I have played ever since.”

Out of this passion has grown a love for the game as well as for the life-long bonds it forms.

“My teammates by far,” he said when asked what his favorite part of playing baseball was. “I play for my teammates. I love this group of guys. I will fight for this group of guys. I like working as part of team. I love that aspect of the game.”

Swartz has had a solid senior season and in the process he has helped the Hawks win 33 games and reach the 4A region semi-finals. While Swartz has enjoyed the ride, he also feels the Hawks have the ability to be even better.

“It’s been pretty good,” he said. “I think we could have done a little better but I have high expectations for this group. It’s been a lot of fun. The most fun I’ve ever had. When it’s over it’s going to be pretty sad to not play with these guys anymore.”

This weekend Swartz and Hendrickson will face their stiffest test to date, the No. 3 team in the state Corpus Christi Calallen. Swartz believes that if the Hawks can keep doing what they’ve been doing then success will surely follow.

“We just have to keep playing our game,” he said. “We can’t let anyone get us out of our game. If we play our game we can beat anybody.”