Houston Defender: May 26, 2022

Under attack Another mass shooting targeting minorities leaves America reeling.

NEWS

DARIUS ELAM The Harris County D.A.’s office opens the case of a former TSU track star imprisoned for 38 years.

Volume 91, issue 28 May 26, 2022

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KENNEDY HILL

The Heights left-fielder is making big hits on the field.

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2 | May 26, 2022 |

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DN To the POINT

Georgia gubernatorial Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams talks to the media after qualifying for the 2022 election on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Atlanta. Abrams has no announced opposition for governor for the Democratic nomination. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Message from the Reporter Stacey Abram’s race to become Georgia’s first Black governor

to win the presidency. It’s time we start acting like it.

If you aren’t paying attention to what’s happening in the Black political arena, I think you Suspect in on-stage attack of Dave should and that includes Stacey Abrams and Chappelle says show was ‘trigger’ her campaign for governor in Georgia. This Just when you thought things died down is her second shot at running since her first after the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident campaign in 2018, only this time it’s different. at the 94th Oscars ceremony in March, the slap Laura Onyeneho She is coming with full energy. She became heard across the world has turned into a doma leading voting rights advocate and laid the ino effect. Earlier this month, a 23-year-old foundation for President Biden to be the first Democratic man by the name of Isaiah Lee charged Dave Chappelle on presidential candidate to win Georgia in almost 30 years. stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. He said the If elected, she would be the first Black woman to lead the reason behind the attack was because he found the show’s state. Democrats aren’t doing the best with approval rat- content “triggering.” He told the New York Post that he was ings right now, but it’s up to Abrams to tap into the same bisexual and has experienced homelessness and wanted energy that launched her into national prominence four Chappelle to be more sensitive. This isn’t Chappelle’s first years ago. Is Georgia ready? time taking jabs at the LGBTQ+ community. And as much as his critics have fought to mute him, Chappelle continues Primary election and the Black vote to stay authentic with his comedic content. At this point, Primary elections are just as important as general it’s like telling a child not to touch a hot stove and they elections but are often overlooked. Seats are up for touch it anyway when they know they will get burned. Why grabs include governor, lieutenant governor and attend a comedy show knowing the comedian’s signature attorney general. Because voter turnout is low, that style of jokes and get offended? If it bothers me that much, means fewer people are making these decisions.

I won’t support or attend. Lee pleads not guilty to four You’ll be able to shape your party’s national platform. misdemeanor charges. If convicted he could face up to 1 We can’t excuse the fact that voter suppression ½ years in jail and a $4,000 fine. and the systemic discrimination toward minority communities make it difficult to vote. That should ON THE WEB give everyone a good reason to be active participants • Local artists you need to know, May 2022 edition. in all aspects of the voting process. Some Black folk • Meet musician/producer Mark Allen Felton. continue to sleep on the power that we have. We • U.S. Census estimates more than a half million Texans are indispensable to any other Democrat who wants weren’t accounted for.

May 26, 2022 |

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN News

Tammie Lang Campbell

BREAKING NEWS:

Harris Co. DA to investigate Darius Elam innocence claims

By Aswad Walker

Darius Elam, the Black man incarcerated for 38 years based largely on a suspect piece of evidence (a yellow notebook paper) and the testimony of a jailhouse informant who has both publicly and privately recanted, and said he was paid to lie on Elam, may finally taste freedom.

At least, that’s the hope Tammie Lang Campbell, founder of the Honey Brown Hope Foundation, is holding onto after learning that the Harris County District Attorney’s Office recently decided to “un-recuse” itself, and lead an investigation into Elam’s claims of innocence.

When initially asked in 2019 to look into Elam’s claims, DA Kim Ogg’s office chose to recuse itself in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest since a member of Ogg’s staff, Vivian King, was initially Elam’s assigned public defender.

But with the decision by the DA’s office to take on the case, Campbell, who has led the charge to bring Elam’s case to local, state and national attention, believes the evidence of Elam’s innocence will speak for itself.

Campbell gave an exclusive interview to the Defender.

DEFENDER: What’s the breaking news

regarding the Darius Elam case?

TAMMIE LANG CAMPBELL: I’m pleased to report that we received a call from DA Kim Ogg’s office indicating that they were un-recusing her office, which means that if actual innocence is found, the case can be dismissed, which is a total blessing because we know where the evidence will lead them.

The DA’s office un-recusing itself means that office will do the investigation and, wherever the investigation leads them, they will of course, rule accordingly.

DEFENDER: Why do you think they

recused themselves, and what do you think helped to change their mind?

TAMMIE LANG CAMPBELL: Number one, I spoke with Vivian King who was one of Darius Elam’s former public defenders on that case. She indicated to me, because this is the reason why the DA had recused herself

initially, that she wasn’t really involved in Darius’ case. She had minimum involvement, just requesting the DNA testing, which was denied.

DEFENDER: Did the DA’s office say why

they are now un-recusing themselves from this case?

TAMMIE LANG CAMPBELL: Well, I can’t speak to what changed their minds. I can only say that I contacted them and asked specifically why; I wanted an explanation why they recused themselves in the first place when Vivian King, the public defender who is also a staff member of DA Ogg’s office, when she’s specifically saying she didn’t have any involvement in the case. So, there was no reason really to recuse themselves from the case initially.

DEFENDER: With this un-recusal, what is

next for the Darius Elam case?

TAMMIE LANG CAMPBELL: Right now,

we are in the hands of the DA’s office, and seeing where this post-conviction investigation leads the DA. The name of the person who is in charge, Josh Reiss, he’s the chief of the Post-Conviction Writ Division of the DA’s office. He’s the same assistant DA who handled the former HPD officer Gerald Goines case. And this is very significant. It gives us hope that a thorough investigation will be done and justice will prevail, because the office did an outstanding job in seeking the truth in that case. So, we are hopeful for Darius’ case, as well. We’ve just got to be ready for whatever comes up with the investigation. *NOTE: As of the publication of this arti-

cle, the Defender Network has not received a statement from District Attorney Kim Ogg or attorney Josh Reiss regarding the Darius Elam case.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AND THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF “ADVOCACY” TEAMED WITH “AGITATION” IN BRINGING ABOUT JUSTICE @ DEFENDERNETWORK.COM

4 | May 26, 2022 |

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DN News Jolanda Jones

Dexter McCoy

Beverly Armstrong

Staci Childs

Election Wrap

By ReShonda Tate

Children walk hand in hand in a street near the scene of a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, May 15, 2022. AP

CALM AFTER THE RACIST STORM

Buffalo shootings cease following massacre NNPA

Eight days before the self-avowed white supremacist Payton Gendron’s mass shooting in Buffalo, detectives laid out a hoard of weaponry that they seized in less than a week.

The weapons included ghost guns, automatic pistols, assault rifles and revolvers confiscated in various parts of the Queen City. The Buffalo News reported that detectives had so many guns that “they ran out of room on the table and went to get a second table.”

Law enforcement officers filled that table while also displaying a plastic bag filled with a quarter kilo of fentanyl and another bag containing 4 ounces of crack cocaine.

The racially motivated murders at Tops Supermarket on May 14 punctuated a year in which officials said at least one shooting had occurred each weekend. Perhaps, the Tops tragedy even proved too much for those most responsible for sowing the seeds of violence in Buffalo, New York’s second largest city.

“Quiet is as kept; we haven’t had one shooting since the tragedy,” Sharon Linstedt, communications and community relations coordinator, said.

While Linstedt quietly – and almost reluctantly – agreed that the inactivity represented a sort of a silver lining, she said she hoped people would come together and stand for peace.

Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said his officers are focusing on guns.

“We’re going after the trigger pullers and the gun traffickers,” Gramaglia declared.

Statistics show that shootings in the city climbed exponentially in 2020 and the first half of 2021.

While it has slowed since approximately 90 people were shot in Buffalo in 2022, 30 of those victims, including 10 at Tops Supermarket, died.

Officials said the number is more than the 10-year average of about 62 people. Brown, who has served as mayor since 2006, called Buffalo a resilient community.

“We’re a mid-sized American city of over 278,000 people. And this part of the city, 80% African American but diverse with people of many different backgrounds living in this community, we are certainly saddened that someone drove from hundreds of miles away, someone not from this community that did not know this community that came here to take as many Black lives as possible, who did this in a willful, premeditated fashion, planning this.”

He continued: “But we are a strong community, and we will keep moving forward. This is a community that is experiencing development. People have been hoping and waiting for investment and growth, and opportunity. “We are beginning to see that in this community, in all parts of the city, and we won’t let that progress stop. We won’t let hateful ideology stop the progress that we are seeing and experiencing in the city of Buffalo.”

Who is moving on to the November general elections?

That’s the decision voters faced when they headed to the polls on Tuesday, May 24. Several Texas and Houston-area races in the March 1 primary elections went to a runoff. Out of 50 races in the March 1 primary, no candidate exceeded 50% of the vote, bringing about runoff races between the candidates who came in first and second.

Republican incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush 68% to 32% with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who labeled Paxton “the most effective attorney general.” Paxton will face Democrat Rochelle Mercedes Garza in the fall.

Other high-profile races included:

Jolanda Jones officially won her seat for State Rep. 147 against Danielle Keys Bess, 54% to 46%. Jones will replace former State Rep. Garnet Coleman.

Dexter McCoy won his position as Fort Bend County Commissioner, Pt 4, defeating Neeta Sane 61% to 39% Beverly Armstrong won her race for Harris County District Judge, 208th against Kimberly McTorry 52% to 48%.

Staci Childs defeated Coretta Mallet-Fontenot for the Board of Education, Dist. 4 seat 58% to 42%.

VOLUME 91 - NUMBER 28 - MAY 26, 2022 Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles

Managing Editor ReShonda Tate

Chief Development Officer Emelda Douglas

Associate Editor Aswad Walker

Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles

Education Reporter Laura Onyeneho

Creative Director Michael Grant

Sports Terrance Harris Jodie B. Jiles

Administrative Asst.

Stacey Palmer

Photographers Jimmie Aggison

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Newspaper Inc. and audited by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM). Only digital subscriptions are available at: www.defendernetwork.com/subscribe No paper subscriptions available. All materials covered by 2020 copyright.

No materials herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher. 713-663-6996 | P.O. Box 8005, Houston, Tx 77288

May 26, 2022 |

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DN InFocus UNDER ATTACK

MASS SHOOTING Another masacre targeting minorities has America reeling UVALDE, TEXAS

Lifting every parent who lost their child today, and every child who lost their friend.

UPDATE Kendall, who was injured during the shooting, has come out of surgery and will make a recovery. Her last name was not known at the time of print.

By ReShonda Tate

Houstonians join mourners across the country trying to process the mass shooting in Uvalde that left 19 children and two adults dead.

At a downtown vigil the night of the shooting, people gathered to honor the victims and demand change, including activists, children and politicians like Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. “This is an outcry, I can’t take it anymore.

I’ve been in the United States Congress for more than two decades. We need to pass a universal background check now,” said Jackson Lee, who broke into tears while talking.

“We need to pass the red flag law, federal, you must do something.”

A diverse crowd gathered with one common message emphasizing the urgency when it comes to gun safety legislation, saying that school shootings are everyone’s problem. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner reflected on the tragic news and an unsettling trend.

“There are too many guns on the street,” Turner said. “More children are dying because of gun violence, more so than COVID-19. I want you to think about that.”

“This is not Democrat, this is not Republican...this is our babies,” Kathy Blueford-Daniels, a Houston ISD trustee said. “And y’all ought to be mad as hell!”

In addition to calling for renewed dialogue about gun access, the group called on the NRA to cancel its annual meeting, which is set to take place Friday at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Big names in politics, including Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Greg Abbott are set to speak at the event.

Meanwhile, notable Houstonians like Trae Tha Truth are stepping up to help.

The Houston rapper posted on Instagram last night asking people to help connect him to some of the victims’ families, wanting to assist them with funeral expenses.

A TOWN IN SHOCK Ulvade is known for football and being the birthplace of actor Matthew McCaugnehey.

The news of the shooting, affected almost everyone in the small town of 15,000 just outside of San Antonio. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 80% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino.

And about 1 in 5 lives below the poverty line.

ENOUGH WITH THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS Police say the 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, who lived in Uvalde, purchased the gun used to slaughter the children and adults on his 18th birthday. He was also armed with 375 rounds of ammunition.

Immediately, calls went out for gun control. And just as quickly, local Republicans moved to squelch the possibility of gun control measures.

Speaking shortly after the shooting, President Joe Biden vowed to push for stricter gun laws.

“We as a nation have to ask: When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name do we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?”

Biden said.

But Texas Republicans made it clear that any kind of gun restriction in response to the tragedy was off the table.

“Inevitably when there’s a murder of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it, you see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said. “That doesn’t work. It’s not effective. It doesn’t prevent crime.”

In an appearance on the far-right television network Newsmax, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quickly dismissed the notion of enacting restrictions on firearms — reasoning that shooters wouldn’t follow the law anyway.

“I’d much rather have law-abiding citizens

Police walk near Robb Elementary.

Everybody ought to be mad as hell, ‘cause we can’t keep doing this.”

A woman cries as she leaves the Uvalde Civic Center.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee leads a downtown vigil.

– Kathy BluefordDaniels, HISD trustee

Officials weigh in on the latest mass shooting.

armed and trained so that they can respond when something like this happens because it’s not going to be the last time,” Paxton said.

BEEN HERE BEFORE In the wake of mass shootings at Santa Fe High School in 2018 and a Walmart in El Paso in 2019, Texas Republicans vowed to take steps to prevent similar killing sprees in the future and passed laws that cover

People pray and comfort one another during a vigil.

issues like identifying potentially dangerous students, training school employees to deal with emergencies and giving teachers more access to guns.

But in gun-friendly Texas, any laws restricting access to firearms have been a nonstarter.

Instead, state legislators have expanded access to firearms — including with a law allowing residents to carry guns without a permit.

A family grieves outside of the SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center.

NRA IN HOUSTON Gov. Greg Abbott, Cruz and former President Donald Trump are still scheduled to talk in Houston on Friday at the National Rifle Association’s 2022 annual meeting.

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Abbott’s Democratic opponent in this year’s gubernatorial race, called on Abbott to skip the convention and tell the NRA to take the convention elsewhere.

“Governor Abbott, if you have any decency, you will immediately withdraw from this weekend’s NRA convention and urge them to hold it anywhere but Texas,” O’Rourke tweeted.

“Tougher gun laws aren’t a real solution,” Abbott said, without answering whether he plans to still speak at the NRA convention. *Texas Tribune contributed to this report.

8 | May 26, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Entertainment

summer activities for Black folks Summertime is right around the corner.

Laura Onyeneho It is a time to explore, relax, destress and enjoy the gift of life. COVID19 has shown the world how fleeting life can be. Black people have faced a number of health and racial inequities that impact the community and we can use this time to celebrate our existence, resilience, and our joy.

Houston has so much to offer during this time. If you are looking to attend events created by and for Black people then the Defender has you covered.

1

Tiwa Savage North American Tour 22, June 3

Nigerian Afrobeats singer Tiwa Savage is coming to Houston as part of her 17-date North American ‘Water & Garri’ tour named after her 2021 EP of the same name. She is one of the most influential Afrobeats artisst today with hits songs like “Somebody’s Son” featuring American R&B star Brandy. Savage will touch down in White Oak Music Hall.

2

6th annual National Black Film Festival, June 8-11

The National Black Film Festival returns for its sixth year of highlighting films created by local Houstonians. Organizers have worked to establish it as one of the premier film festivals in the country. Attendees will take part in networking events, educational workshops and panels.

3

Houston Black Entertainer Expo 2022, June 9-11

The Houston Black Entertainers Expo is celebrating artists and creatives of color in Houston. The three-day expo will bring Black professionals in various areas of the entertainment industry to inform, empower and

engage artists who are looking to expand in their business ventures.

4

ASPIRE Entrepreneurship Camp, June 13-24

Looking for a summer camp to take your kids? ASPIRE Entrepreneurship Camp offers youth ages 13-17 hands-on training in entrepreneurship, leadership development, business planning and finance. The youth hear from speakers representing multi-million-dollar organizations and take field trips and VIP tours of local businesses.

5

Emancipation Park’s 150th Anniversary, June 18-19

The two-day Juneteenth celebration will take place June 18-19 from 4-10 p.m. on both days. Parkgoers will be greeted with a gospel lineup, a kids zone, activations by local sports teams and a “family reunion-style activity” with performances from different groups. Musical talent will include artists

such as Earnest Pugh, Zacardi Cortez, Pastor Mike Jr., Monica Lisa Stevenson, The Isley Brothers, Kool and the Gang, Frankie Beverly and Maze. The event will be free, but tickets will be needed for admission. Visit epconservancy.org for more info.

6

3rd Annual BLCK Market Juneteenth Celebration, June 19

BLCK Market will sponsor its annual Juneteenth celebration at East River HTX and will host 100 small Black businesses and entrepreneurs. Experience the culture with live music, vendors and food trucks.

7

Fade to Black Play Festival, June 23-25

The event is the first and only short play festival to celebrate Black playwrights. It is committed to changing the way Houston sees African-American theatre. Enjoy

this year’s line-up of short plays written by the nation’s Black artists.

8

Raheem DeVaughn Live in Concert, June 25

9

Houston Black Heritage Festival, July 22-24

Sugars Cajun Cuisine and Bar is celebrating its fourth anniversary with a special live performance with R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn. Enjoy some Nola inspired Cajun food, seafood gumbo or jambalaya in a relaxing atmosphere.

The three-day festival is expected to draw nearly 15,000 attendees to Emancipation Park. The festival promotes diversity and cultural sensitivity with world-famous entertainers, guest speakers, exhibits, artists and more.

10

Houston African Restaurant Week, August 13

This is a celebration of African/Black diaspora food and culture. Attendees can enjoy food tasting, popup market shops, live cultural performances with Afrobeats and global sounds, along with a chef competition.

May 26, 2022 |

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN News HPD RELEASES BODYCAM VIDEO SHOWING FATAL SHOOTING OF JALEN RANDLE Defender News Service

Nearly one month after 29-year-old Jalen Randle was shot and killed by officers, the Houston Police Department has released bodycam videos from the incident.

The officer who discharged his weapon and shot Randle has been identified as S. Privette. He was sworn in as an officer in December Jalen Randle 2014 and is assigned to the Narcotics Division.

According to investigators, on April 27, members of the HPD Narcotics Division Tactical Team were searching for Randle, who was a fugitive wanted on three felony warrants. Officers said they witnessed Randle get into the passenger side of a silver vehicle, which left the location. When officers tried to stop the vehicle, the driver refused, leading officers on a chase.

Investigators said officers then performed a PIT maneuver, which blocked the vehicle’s

This screenshot shows the officer moments after shooting Randle while he was attempting to run away. HPD

path and made the suspects come to a stop.

When Randle exited the vehicle from the passenger side, investigators said Officer Privette discharged his weapon one time, striking the suspect.

Investigators said Randle was in possession of a bag that contained a gun.

In the bodycam video released by HPD, officers can be seen pulling up to the suspect’s

Your Choice.

vehicle, and one officer can be heard yelling, “Aye, let me see your hands.” While the officer yelled the command, a gunshot could be heard and the suspect was seen falling to the ground. The same officer who yelled the command could also be heard yelling an expletive after the firearm was discharged.

The video shows the officers then running towards the injured suspect, placing him in

handcuffs, before dragging him a few feet across the sidewalk. Shortly after, one officer could be heard asking for a medical team.

The bodycam video was released a week after Randle’s family and civil rights attorney Ben Crump conducted an independent autopsy and demanded the videos be released by HPD. The family said original HPD reports stated that Randle was walking toward officers, but according to witnesses at the scene, he was running away from officers when he was shot.

Houston police Chief Troy Finner agreed with the adherence to the recommendation, saying there cannot be a talk of transparency without action.

At the beginning narration of the video, HPD Assistant Chief T. Hardin said, “It is important to note that we are in the very early stages of the investigation, and we continue to review additional evidence as it is collected and analyzed.”

DN ONLINE

See the graphic video at DefenderNetwork.com

Their Future.

LEARN THE BENEFITS AND RISKS OF COVID-19 IMMUNIZATION FOR CHILDREN.

MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION.

10 | May 26, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports

Texas Southern freshman men’s golfer Kci Lindskog was the team’s top finisher during the NCAA Regional in Bryan with a score of 230 (75-74-81) total.

Houston Gamblers linebacker Donald Payne had 18 tackles, including 11 solo stops, 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss during the 26-25 loss to the New Jersey Generals.

Sports Briefs Paolo Banchero likely Rockets target with No. 3 pick The Rockets had the best chance to win last week’s NBA Lottery but Paolo finished with Banchero the third-overall selection in the NBA Draft. Now the question is should the Rockets trade out of the pick in hopes of upgrading next summer. But most likely the Rockets will keep the pick and take Duke’s 6-foot-10 forward Paolo Banchero at No. 3. Auburn’s Jabari Smith and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren are expected to go No. 1 and No. 2.

TSU golf season ends at Texas A&M Regional Texas Southern men’s golf 2022 campaign has come to an end following the final round Gary of the NCAA Grandison Division I men’s golf regional hosted by Texas A&M University in Bryan. “Our guys competed with some of the top amateur golfers in the world. This experience should help our program to prepare for the higher levels of competitive golf.” TSU golf coach Gary Grandison said.

Lady Panthers eliminated in regional Prairie View’s impressive women’s softball run came to Vernon Bland an end during last weekend’s NCAA Regional play in Norman, Okla. The Lady Panthers fell, 13-0 (in five innings) to Minnesota in an elimination round game.

PV finished the year 20-30 overall and 16-8 in SWAC play.

Caption needed here. Credit.

TSU BASEBALL REIGNS SUPREME IN STEALING BASES

By Terrance Harris

It’s not uncommon for Texas Southern designated hitter Gabe Vasquez to have a little friendly banter with the opposing catcher with one of the Tigers’ base runners at first and threatening to steal second.

Said catcher: “What you want to bet I can get your guy out?”

Vasquez: “I bet you can’t.”

Vasquez almost always wins that friendly bet.

“I will never bet against my guys,” said a smiling Vasquez. “The catchers always have to be ready with our guys, with the speed, it makes their job that much harder.”

Try nearly impossible.

The one thing you know about any Michael Robertson-coached team is stealing bases is going to happen but this season, the Tigers have done it at an unbelievable rate. Heading into this week’s SWAC Championship in Birmingham, the Tigers lead Division I baseball by a wide margin.

TSU has 220 stolen bags on the season and average 4.31 stolen bases a game. For context, West Virginia is the second-best team in the nation in stealing bases with 154 on the season and average 2.91 a game.

So to make a long story short, the Tigers steal bases and they don’t stop.

“It’s an enormous amount of pressure,” said Robertson, who is in his 20th season coaching the Tigers. “Some games I walk away from here and I don’t even understand. I’m like `Gawd dawg, that was a lot of stuff we were doing out there, swinging and bunting, fake bunting and

running, we were squeezing and we popped off a couple of double squeezes this year.’ That’s when we are really at our best.

“When we do it early, that’s really when we are at our best, when we can pop it off early.”

The Tigers have four players who rank in the top 23 in the country in steals with Johnathon Thomas leading the nation at a TSU record-setting pace with 1.22 per game and a total of 62 stolen bases while being caught just eight times in 51 games so far this season.

Tyrese Clayborne ranks eighth in the nation (0.71, 34 total bases), Justin Cooper is 15th in the country (0.63, 32 total bases) and Jeremy Gaines currently ranks 23rd (0.57, 27 stolen bases).

“We knew we had the capability of doing this,” Thomas said. “But when we look at the numbers we are like, `Wow, we are actually doing this.’

“It is a surprise, but also we knew we had the capability of doing this.”

Stealing bases has become a lost art in baseball, but it’s a style of play Robertson has embraced since his playing days at Forest Brook and watching some of the greats like Rickey Henderson steal at a record-setting clip.

Robertson has brought back the exciting brand of baseball, which he called West Coast offense, partly because it’s what he knows and believes in but also out of necessity. The Tigers aren’t blessed with a lot of long-ball hitters, but they do have athletic players who are great at getting on base and then stealing second, third and even home given the smallest of openings.

“We keep saying we are going back to the athleticism of baseball, but I don’t see it,” Robertson said. “Everybody is still a bunch of angles and what they are doing with analytics and stuff.

But the swing is different. Everybody likes the long ball. That’s not going to be us. We are not built around East Coast. We are West Coast.”

But Robertson is quick to point out that his team’s success has been about more than just stealing bases. The Tigers also lead the nation in on base percentage (0.440), scoring (9.7 runs per game), triples (0.57) and are fourth in the country in batting (.320).

“We are that team that’s exciting,” Robertson said. “If you like stealing bases, you like bunting…we’ve even stole home like four times this year. We are going to crash and burn because I told them at the beginning of the season I know we are going to get thrown out on the bases but let’s not get too concerned with that because that’s our offense, that’s the way we have to play.”

And that is perfectly fine for a power hitter like Vasquez, who has benefited from the Tigers stealing habits with a SWAC-best 67 RBI this season.

“We have guys getting on first base and then stealing second,” said Vasquez, who also ranks second in the country in triples with eight.

“That makes my job that much easier making them score.”

“It’s a lot easier getting a hit and having them score from second than it is from first.

So that makes the job a lot more easier when you have guys who can run around the bases and stealing bags like we do.”

May 26, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports HEIGHTS LEFT FIELDER

KENNEDY

HILL

By Jodie B. Jiles

A HITTER

Heights High School sophomore Kennedy Hill has the makings of a softball star coming off of a stellar season. And Hill was locked in during the postseason, and made a huge impact for the Lady Bulldogs.

Despite Cinco Ranch High School being highly favored in its second round series against Heights, Hill pushed the series to the brink. The series came down to a winner- take-all Game 3 finale wherein Hill hit an early home run in the second inning, and nearly knocked another one out of the park before the ball was snagged by a Cinco Ranch outfielder near the wall. Cinco Ranch ultimately eliminated Heights with a 2-1 win.

The Defender spoke with Hill after the Cinco Ranch series to discuss her style of play, home run-hitting, lessons learned after the season and more.

STYLE OF PLAY “I have definitely improved as a player.

I want to thank all my coaches and especially my family. I have gotten a lot better with my skill sets and my mindsets.”

HOME RUN IN PLAYOFFS “It was great. I had so much adrenaline and I was so happy. It really made me feel great and it was just awesome.”

HOME RUN THAT ALMOST WAS “It felt devastating. I thought that if it would have gone over the game would have been tied 2-2, and that play just keeps running back in my mind over and over again. If it had gone over it would have been a whole different ball game. Things happen for a reason.”

VIBES AFTER CINCO RANCH SERIES “I’m sad because I think we really had a chance against this team especially after I hit a home run. I was feeling it and was really excited because we had a chance. I think our team has come a long way since last year and we have definitely improved.”

ADVICE TO OTHERS “I think that if your mindset is there you can do anything you want on the next level. You can’t let one person say you’re not good and let it bring you down. You have to know your worth and you will succeed.”

ABOUT KENNEDY HILL Twitter: @KennedyHill2024 Summer League Team: Texas Blaze Fastpitch Favorite subject: Math Team she loves watching: LSU softball team Shout-outs: “My mom, my dad, and my coach Lamont Robins.”

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12 | May 26, 2022 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

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