VIDOR, Texas — It's been a special season for the Vidor baseball team. With one game left in the regular season, the pirates have wrapped up at least a share of the district championship for the first time since 2014 and only the second time in program history.
One player that's been stepping up is senior Landon Bailey. Coach Jeremy Gray says Bailey is much more than what you see on game nights.
"With Landon it's not what he does in games, but what he does every single day. He shows up every day with a great attitude. And in between these lines, he's the hardest worker I have. You'll watch him, we'll take BP and he's out there just flying around. He absolutley puts himself in situations to where the big moment happens in the game, he's ready for it. And lucky for us big moments have been trying to him in games lately."
Bailey says it's all about hitting the ball hard.
"When I get up there I'm just thinking hit ball hard. That's all I'm thinking. Cause you hit the ball hard good things are going to happen. So that's just what's been going on. I really just hope I leave the mentality to not give up and work hard every practice. I'm busting my tail every practice as hard as I can. So I just hope I pass that onto the kids that are behind me."
While the pirates have already made some history, Bailey has bigger goals for the program.
"Our job as seniors is to leave the game better than we found it and I feel like this year we more than filled that. We've done our best and I feel like we have a good shot this year. We're going to go far in the playoffs I think."
Coach Gray says having Bailey part of his team has been a blessing.
"Well I've had Landon for four years and when I say I'm a blessed coach to him, I'm a blessed coach to be a round a kid like that. He makes my job easy. He comes up here every day for four years and he's smiling. So he always gives me joy here. And coaching kids like that is why I got into this. But it's not just Landon. Landon comes with great parents, great grandparents. They help me out and help this program out tremendously. So he and his family are the real deal for Vidor Pirate baseball."