Jace LaViolette knows it can be a special season for Tompkins this year.

The Falcons were ranked No. 3 in the Class 6A Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association pre-season poll and have high expectations for themselves heading into the year. Every player on the team is locked in on the season.

“All of us know we can do something special this year,” LaViolette said. “We have the talent and the team to really do something this year. So we just have to play to our ability and everything will be fine. That’s the goal for this year.”

The Falcons proved to themselves that they can take on any opponent, as Tompkins opened the season with a 9-3 win over San Antonio Reagan on Thursday in the Katy ISD tournament. Reagan was ranked the No. 4 ranked team in the state heading into the season.

“It’s a good feeling, getting the win over them and getting the first win of the season out of the way,” said Jack Little, a senior first baseman. “We had a lot of good momentum coming into the season and this just helps us keep carrying that.”

Trevor Esparza earned the win in the matchup, allowing three runs on four hits over five innings while striking out one and walking three.

Landon West and Drew Markle both came away with 2 RBIs in the matchup while Little, LaViolette and Adam Benavidez drove in a run a piece.

Tompkins and Reagan traded scoreless half innings until the third, when Reagan plated two players on a wild pitch.

The Falcons responded right back in the bottom of the inning, as Little hit an RBI single, West hit an RBI double and Tompkins got another run on an error to take a 3-2 lead.

“I want to play teams like them,” said Tompkins head coach Kyle Humphreys. “San Antonio Reagan is always a good team, and I think our guys were kind of fired up for it. With the teams you play in this tournament, you can easily be 1-4 or 0-5. I just want us to come out, have some of the newer players get experience against these good teams and have the guys get their feet wet. This tournament teaches you to play good baseball, everyone we play here does that and you have to play good to beat teams like that.”

Reagan tied things up in the top of the fifth, but Tompkins again had an answer, as West and Benavidez drove in runs in the bottom of the inning to stretch Tompkins lead to 6-3.

Esparza went to the bench for the final inning as Ty Dagley pitched a scoreless top of the sixth. The Falcons sealed things in the bottom of the sixth as LaViolette drove in a run and Cooper Markle pinch hit, driving in two on a game ending single.

“I told the guys today, with the energy in the dugout and the focus on the field and in your at bats, you shouldn’t be able to tell what the score is, whether we’re up by 10 or down by 10,” Humphreys said. “They did a good job of staying even keel, being down 2-0 and then coming back tying it up and going ahead.”

The Falcons will play in the Katy ISD tournament Friday and Saturday before traveling to Montgomery next week for another tournament next Thursday-Saturday.

“We had really good at bats today, that’s a big thing we can build on,” LaViolette said. “Staying up the middle, going the opposite way. We knew the wind was blowing in so we didn’t try to pull the ball or go yard. I feel like as long as we do that and realize how good we can be, nothing can stop us.”

Katy ISD Tournament

Reagan 002 010 X — 3 4 4

Tompkins 003 033 X — 9 11 2

W: Trevor Esparza (1-0). L: Brennan Greer (0-1). Highlights: (R) Andrew Ermis 1-2, RBI, 2B; Teagan Peeples 1-2, 3B; Britton Moore 1-3, R; Jacob King, 1-3; R (T) Trevor Esparza 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 SO; Landon West 2-3, 2 RBIs, 2 R, 2 2B; Cooper Markle 1-1, 2 RBIs; Jack Little 2-3, RBI, 3 R; Jace LaViolette 1-4, RBI; Ty Dagley 2-3, 2 R; Adam Benavidez 2-3, RBI, 2B