The sign hanging behind the home dugout at Abilene High School’s Blackburn Field is a bit weather-beaten and worn. However, it still shows off some of the history of a proud program that has won two state baseball championships, reached the state championship game four times in total, and won 16 district titles.
The task for new head coach Brad Harman is to update that board sooner rather than later. Most of the accomplishments that appear on that board happened well before any of the members of this year’s AHS baseball squad were born.
And after discussions with some friends in the coaching world, Harman doesn’t think that will take long because of what he heard from those coaches.
“I’ve been in West Texas most of my career, and the advantage of that is knowing a lot of people and also knowing every coach in Abilene High’s old Class 6A district (District 2-6A),” said Harman, who is 317-167-6 overall in 24 seasons as a head coach. “When I first heard about this opening, I started making phone calls to those coaches in the district. I made the first one, and he told me, ‘I’m not there every day, so I don’t know why they’re not winning. But I know when we play them, they play hard, and there’s talent there.’ I called the next guy in the district, and he said the same thing. The comments kept coming back that they compete hard and have talent.”
The last time a program highlight was added was in 2008 when the Eagles won the district title and reached the regional quarterfinals, winning in both the bi-district and area rounds of the playoffs. Since then, there have been six playoff appearances (2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018) but no district titles and only one playoff series win (bi-district round vs. Arlington High).
The Eagles have missed the playoffs in the last three full seasons of play (there were no state playoffs in 2020 because of COVID), and last year’s team finished 6-22 overall and 2-16 in District 2-6A competition. However, Harman, who came to Abilene High after leading Big Spring to the District 3-4A championship last season and earning district Coach of the Year honors along the way, is looking forward to getting the Eagles’ program turned in the right direction.
“The pitching coach at Midland High is a friend of mine and former assistant coach for me, so I called him last, knowing he’d shoot straight with me,” Harman said. “He told me that calling pitches against them was tough. He said they were competitive and played hard in the field. Everybody told me it could be a really good job, and after hearing all that, I became even more intrigued.”
After the interview process, where he spoke extensively with district and campus administrators at Abilene High and in the AISD, Harman knew he was ready to move to Abilene.
“After talking to my coaching friends and then interviewing here, this whole thing kind of became about the brand for me,” he said. “Growing up and coaching in West Texas, the ‘A’ with the Eagle head means something; you knew who it was. You didn’t have to spend much time in Abilene; you knew what that was about, and you knew there was a sense of pride there. I didn’t want to have to come in and build culture, try to instill pride, and then have to teach the game. Once I realized the culture and pride were here, I knew I could come in and start on the baseball part with kids who have shown they’re ready to work hard and are hungry to win.”
The Eagles will return key players in seniors Diego Flores (shortstop/second base), Zak Davila (outfielder/pitcher), Will Cheek (outfielder/pitcher), and Jake Breckenridge (third base), as well as juniors Brady Bennett (shortstop/pitcher), Beckham Paul (outfielder/pitcher), and Trey Simpson (first baseman/designated hitter).
Abilene High also steps into a new district in 2023 as the Eagles drop down a classification to District 4-5A. They will play in a league with crosstown rival Cooper, Abilene Wylie, Lubbock Coronado, Lubbock Monterey, Lubbock High, and Lubbock Cooper. Those seven schools (including Abilene High) have combined for 10 state championships and three other finals appearances in baseball, including back-to-back Class 4A state titles for Wylie in 2016 and 2017.
The Pirates of Lubbock Cooper are the two-time defending champion, with Wylie finishing as the district runner-up in the last two seasons. Both Lubbock Cooper and Wylie lost in the Region I-5A semifinals last season.
“This district (4-5A) is highly competitive and might be better than the Class 6A district Abilene High has been in the last few years,” Harman said. “Coach Stover will do a great job at Cooper, and those crosstown games will be big. Then you look at Wylie; they have a great program with highly talented kids. Then we’ll make six trips to Lubbock to play those four teams, which will be tough games. This district is a buzzsaw, and you’ll have to bring your best in all 18 district games, or it’ll get ugly in a hurry.”
Harman’s main goal for his first season at Abilene High is simple: to be better at the end of the season than when they started.
“When we play our first games (Feb. 23-25 at Wichita Falls Tournament), I want us to be better than we were in our three scrimmages,” he said. “When we get to district, I want us to be confident and play well behind whoever is on the mound. We want to be in the playoffs at the end of district play. That hasn’t been done here in a while, but that’s our ultimate goal.
“But right along with that, when the last game of the season is played, I want the guys in the program to evaluate this year and say that we were better now than they were at the end of the 2022 season,” Harman said. “And I want our parents and fans to be able to say the same thing. I want us to put guys on the field that everyone will be proud of, a team that gives maximum effort every time it steps on the field.”
