Posted: Sat, 1 May 2010 06:27 AM - 8,585 Readers

By: Rick Cantu

Hendrickson High can boast of a decent baseball pedigree. A few excellent teams. A handful of victories in the state playoffs.

Yet, Hendrickson didn't establish itself as a serious program until it knocked the proverbial Cavalier off its back.

The Hawks, who are ranked second in Central Texas, defeated rival Lake Travis 2-1 on March 30 as senior left-hander Trevor Seidenberger fired a no-hitter. They followed up with a 4-1 nine-inning victory over the Cavaliers on April 16, completing the two-game sweep .

"We wanted to make Lake Travis feel some of the pain that they've been giving everybody else," said Seidenberger, among the Central Texas leaders this season in victories (9-0), strikeouts (100) and ERA (0.75).

Hendrickson (25-3 ), which carried a 19-game winning streak into Friday night's warmup game with Hutto, opens the bidistrict playoffs next week.

The Hawks, who finished 10-0 in District 25-4A, will face Travis, which they defeated in a first-round series last season.

Sweeping Lake Travis was a milestone achievement during a memorable season, Hendrickson coach John Pineda said .

"It's the first time we'd ever beaten them, and it was the first no-hitter of the season for Seidenberger," Pineda said. "Lake Travis has been our measuring stick for us, when you consider all the talented players and success they've had."

While Hendrickson is stacked with talented offensive players at nearly every position, it's no secret the Hawks are flying high because of their outstanding pitching. The one-two combination of Seidenberger and right-hander Will Birge (6-0, 2.42 ERA, 64 strikeouts in 46 innings) will be hard to crack in the playoffs.

Hendrickson also counts on junior Brandon Kirkham, who threw a five-inning shutout against Killeen last week. He gave up one hit and fanned 10 in the 10-0 victory that capped the district season.

Hendrickson's team ERA in district games was 1.08, and Lake Travis scratched out a total of four hits in 16 innings against Hawks pitching.

A year ago, Hendrickson posted a 25-7 record , losing in the area round of the playoffs to Kerrville Tivy.

The Hawks had enough returning pieces to build another good team, but it would have been tough to predict a 25-3 record and an unblemished district mark.

Hendrickson already has reached a couple of goals this spring — beating Lake Travis, winning district — but the season will end in disappointment if the Hawks don't make a deeper run into the state playoffs.

"At the beginning of the year, you could feel that this team had a lot of chemistry," said Seidenberger, who will head to Blinn College next season.

While Hendrickson pitchers have held opponents in check , the Hawks have rung up a team batting average of .356.

Senior second baseman Tyler Havins (.457, 27 runs scored, 24 RBIs, 16 stolen bases) and sophomore shortstop Nathan Turner (.377, 30 runs scored, 23 RBIs) have led the way.

Offensive production also has been supplied by senior outfielder Tyler Baker (.415), senior center fielder Sam Swartz (four homers, 20 RBIs), sophomore left fielder Cody Lunsford (.433, 29 runs scored, 10 steals) and Seidenberger (.408, 14 steals).

To complete the team , Seidenberger said the Hawks' defense has been "dead-on." His fastball, which has been clocked as high as 92 mph, has been a plus, too.

This marks the third time Hendrickson had won 20 games in a season. As the victories continue to mount, there's no telling how far these Hawks will go in the playoffs.

"It's great to see how the team and their parents get together after games to celebrate our wins," said Pineda, who has coached the Hawks since the Pflugerville school opened in 2003. "I feel that there is a real cohesiveness with this team."