By T. Scott Boatright
SULPHUR — It was a microcosm of the Choudrant High School baseball season at the Class B Championship game Friday afternoon at McMurry Park.
And as they’ve done more a few times this season, the Aggies overcame an early deficit to take a lead before eventually surging ahead late to earn a second straight title with a 12-6 win over Converse.
It wasn’t a surprise for Aggies head coach Tony Antley, who goes into retirement as a six-time state champion after guiding Choudrant to titles in 1996, 2002, 2005, 2017, 2021 and 2022.
Choudrant found itself down 2-0 after the first inning but moved on top for good with four runs in the bottom of the second.
The Aggies pushed their advantage to 6-2 in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run homer blasted by catcher Gavin Murphy, who was named the championship game’s Most Valuable Player.
“You don’t ever want to be behind, but I can tell you this — they’re not afraid to be behind,” Antley said. “They never panic or feel like they’re out of the game. When they’re behind they only see another opportunity to show how good they are. These guys just don’t have any quit in them.”
Choudrant pitcher Landon Hennen and Converse hurler Judd Boudreaux both dominated the fourth inning, throwing for a combined 15 pitchers in the fast-paced stanza.
But then Converse tied things up in the top of the fifth before the Aggies pulled away for good with six runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Antley said he really didn’t consider pulling Hennen off the mound.
“He got ahead in the count 0-2 a couple of different times in the fifth,” Antley said of Hennen. “But we knew they’d hit the baseball and hit it hard. (Converse’s) leadoff guy and the Boudreaux kid are really good hitters, and every time we got back to them we knew we might be in trouble.
“But I didn’t want to swap Landon early. The only thing I had thought about is that if it got late in the game I might bring in (Eli) Callendar. But at that point it was Landon’s to win or lose, so I let him go for it.”’
Antley admitted the enormity of retiring on top as a two-time state champion has really hit him yet.
“I don’t think so,” Antley said. “It’s exciting and I’m blessed to have been where I’ve been and have such great players around me and other coaches around me that make me look better than I am. My wife told me this morning, ‘You realize, you’re like this every year right after the season ends.’ I guess she could tell it was hitting me some and told me it was a little different this time.’ It’s almost like a letdown because you’ve been going 100 percent the whole season and then all of a sudden, ‘Boom, there’s nothing.’ But at this point I know it’s what’s best for me and my family.”
Antley said he will continue serving as principal at Choudrant until his drop date of Feb. 3 of next year.
“That will be before baseball season, so they can move on and it seems like the best way to do it. I’ll just see what God leads me to do. I hunt, I fish, I play a little golf and I garden. I’ll spend a lot of time doing those little ‘Honey Dos’ that I’ve never really been able to do for my wife.
“But I never thought I’d be coaching at Choudrant High School for 32 years when I started, I’ve never coached anywhere else, but that’s where God took me. We’ll have to see where he takes me now.”
Antley said he had opportunities to move up to bigger programs, but the right opportunity never came in his mind.
“So many coaches want to move up to a big-time program,” Antley said. “I had some opportunities but never felt like that was the way God was leading me.”
Antley’s wife retired from teaching after 21 years and now works for an insurance company, and has always been the rock standing by her husband’s side.
“We’ve been married for 29 years,” Antley said. “We had met at Tech and were together several years before we got married. She’s been the foundation of all of this. She’s the calming force — the one that gives me sound advice when I come up and am stirred up and don’t know which way to go. She always leads me in the right direction.”
Antley said it’s the bond he created with all the players he’s coached that will be the biggest thing he takes with him into retirement.’
“At the championship game the other day Josh Franklin, my first catcher ever, came down and talked to me,” Antley said. “There’s a lot of those guys that have been foundations through this process. It’s them. It’s all of those guys who as young children sat up in the stands dreaming of playing Choudrant baseball. Those kids are a part of it, too.”
Antley said he believes it’s likely his first cousin and assistant Joel Antley that is next in line to take over the Choudrant baseball program.
“He’s been my assistant through three state championships now and deserves it.” Antley said. “There are days I don’t even get down there because of other duties and he runs practice. He takes care of the field.
There’s so many things in my job as principal that at times have taken me away from baseball itself at times, and he’s stepped right in and has never missed a beat. He’s seen it all and knows how the program needs to run. I think he’s got some ideas he wants to put into play, too, and hopefully he can expand on what we’ve already done and make it even better.”
Photo: Reggie McLeroy
