x
Breaking News
More () »

No field? No problem. Meet the high school baseball team that rides 30 miles almost daily for practices and games

For the three consecutive seasons the school has been competing in UIL athletics, the baseball team has had to ride a bus 15 miles to and from Lon Goldstein Field.

DALLAS, Texas — Sacrifice is the foundation of any great sports story. 

There are so many indelible sports moments fans cannot forget and often retell because they know what a team or an athlete endured to achieve.

For the Benbrook Middle-High School varsity baseball team, sacrifice is a glaring cornerstone. 

Benbrook Middle-High School is a fairly new school in the Fort Worth Independent School District, opening its doors as a mixed middle and high school in 2014. 

Since then, its varsity baseball team has done surprisingly well...considering it doesn't have its own field.

Most high school athletes take for granted the fact that they can walk out of class and straight to whatever sports facility they're training or competing in. 

Not the Bobcats. Since BMHS is newer, it doesn't have a baseball or softball stadium yet. 

For the three consecutive seasons the school has been competing in UIL athletics, the baseball team has had to ride a bus 15 miles to and from Lon Goldstein Field for practices and games. 

Which means students and coaches ride 30 miles almost daily, and it's all for the love of the game. 

Head Coach Justin Chavez told WFAA that he and his team have been together on a bus at least 50 days so far this year. 

"I would even go as far to say maybe 60," Chavez said with a laugh. "We've been on that bus every single day since we've had a baseball team at Benbrook." 

The ride, if you've driven through traffic in the metro after school, can often be grueling. 

"Sometimes it's 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic," Chavez said. 

"These kids are spending 10 to 12 hours a day at school and that's not even counting the game days." 

Senior Xander Carrasco can confirm that. "Probably a third of my high school life has been on the bus," he said.

But living on a bus creates perspective, according to senior John Henson. 

"This bus keeps us humble," Henson said. 

And it has also brought the team closer together. Carrasco said they use their time on the road to bond and gel. 

"Normal teams go their separate ways after practice, and we just stay on the bus," Carrasco said. "We're able to become closer as a team." 

Chavez echoed that sentiment. 

"It's kind of our chance to get away from everybody, and just build that bond," Chavez said. "We just sit here and we conversate." 

"Just because you can't pick up the glove and get out on the field doesn't mean you can't get better." 

In sports, a team's chemistry can mean the difference between a win and a loss, a mistake or execution. 

The Bobcats credit their bonding experiences on the bus for making them a better team. 

And it shows. 

The last three seasons, they've made the playoffs. The last two years they've been eliminated in the first round, but this year they're in the Regional Semi-Finals.

On Wednesday, they began a best-of-three series against Longview Spring Hill High School in Heath. 

The trip is about 60 miles from the school, a trip the team normally does in two days worth of practice travel. 

Each player even has a postseason shirt that says, "No Field. No Problem." 

"We make the most of it, you know, we make our motivation," Chavez said. 

Fort Worth ISD has broken ground on a new $6 million baseball/softball complex for BMHS. It should be ready by next season. 

But with baseball being so superstitious, maybe all this team needs...is a bus. 

Before You Leave, Check This Out