The Magnolia Bulldogs exited the Class 5A era on an elevating trajectory.
The third round playoff defeat to Lake Creek stung, especially after taking Game 1 in the best-of-three series. But on the positive side of things, it was a very successful year in general after missing the playoffs in 2023. The Bulldogs were one win shy of tying the single-season program record as it went 26-11 overall and a 10-4 second place finish in district play.
“I think we did pretty good last season,” Magnolia junior outfielder Karson Dupre said. “Made it to the third round of the playoffs. Lost out. It was pretty unfortunate. But we’re ready to put that hard work in this year and get going again.”
Magnolia, as an athletic program, moved up to Class 6A this season. No doubt, having an experienced coach in Chris Morris will be an asset when the Bulldogs dive into the bulk of the schedule. Morris, who coached Montgomery to the state tournament in 2012, led the Bears into the 6A era in 2014 and then coached at Tomball Memorial in 2022, where the Wildcats won a district title.
Two wins shy of 300 in his career, Morris felt like the Bulldogs can compete at this level.
“I don’t see a whole lot of differences in it,” Morris, who’s in his third year at Magnolia, said. “I guess there could be some differences based on what district you’re in. The district we came from last year, it’s as strong of a 5A district you’ll find in the state. I think that’s going to help us going into 6A.”
Magnolia senior shortstop Jordan Enyart has a similar feeling.
“I think it’s a new challenge for us,” he said. “Obviously in our 5A district, it was one of the toughest in Texas. Really good teams in that district, but it doesn’t get much easier (moving up). We have Tomball, who won state last year. West went to state in 5A. Klein Cain is pretty good. It’s not going to be any easier.
“More for us, we have to focus on playing our baseball and not who we are playing.”
The Bulldogs are a work in progress heading into the season after graduation depleted the roster of 12 seniors, including most of the pitching staff.
“I think we did lose a lot,” Enyart said. “I’m the only returning infielder, we have two returning outfielders. Most of our pitchers were seniors last year. But this senior group, we’re all real close. Been playing together for a while and even with the underclassmen, we’re still tight with them.”
Enyart was second-team All-District as a junior after batting .331 and taking over at shortstop after previously playing in the outfield as a sophomore.
“We’ve got Enyart coming back at shortstop,” Morris said. “He’s been solid for us last year. He was second-team All-District.”
Dupre, first-team All-District with a .301 batting average as a sophomore, and Chase Lowery, who took off as a freshman on varsity last year, return to the outfield.
“We’ve got Dupre and he’s coming back in the outfield,” Morris said. “He’s another solid All-District guy.
“Lowery stepped up last year as a freshman, and boy, he just took off on us. He was a good surprise. He’ll be back out there in the outfield.”
On the bump is the big man himself, Keegan Chavez. A towering 6-foot-7 presence, Chavez pitched 24⅔ innings last year, but wasn’t one of the team’s primary starters.
“Keegan is back,” Morris said. “He wasn’t in the starting role last year, but he will be this year. He’s worked his tail off and done some great things.”
Chavez also plays first base.
“We’ve got a lot of guys competing for spots as well as some older guys,” Morris said. “I don’t know exactly how it will shake out, but I really feel good about it. I think our guys are ready to go. We’ve got some really good talent.”
Said Chavez, “We have a lot of young depth, I’d say. Some don’t have a lot of experience, but we have a lot of talent and I think once we can tap into that, I think the sky is the limit.”
Last year, Magnolia fell to rival Magnolia West, which was the defending state champions, in a series sweep to start district play. The Bulldogs went on to win 10 of 12 district games the rest of the way.
“We came out and almost won the district,” Chavez said. “We got second place. This year, we have a lot of young guys going up to 6A and I think we’re going to prove a lot of people wrong. I don’t think a lot of people know what we have.”
The Bulldogs pummeled Belton by a combined score of 21-0 in the bi-district round. They lost Game 1 to Georgetown East View in the area round, but responded with 20 runs scored and three allowed over the next two games to advance.
It then beat Lake Creek 6-1 in Game 1 of the regional quarterfinals before the Lions took two close wins to advance and end the Bulldogs’ season.
“I think we carry our momentum from last year,” Enyart said. “Last year in the playoffs, we were rolling and then we ran into Lake Creek and shot ourselves in the foot in that series. But I think in our scrimmages, we’ve swung the bats well and have been good on the bases, good defensively and our pitchers throw a lot of strikes.
“I think we’ll be a pretty good team this year.”
Last year’s finish does carry some momentum.
“It kind of gives us some confidence going in,” Morris said. “Going into 6A, the kids have bought into what we are trying to do. It’s a change. Sometimes it’s different and sometimes it takes a year or two to figure it out. But I’ve got a good group of guys that are bought into it. They take the success from last year and it gives them some confidence going into this year.”
How does one describe District 15-6A?
Well, it starts with Tomball, the defending state champions. Next is Magnolia West, who turned its fortunes around after a fourth place finish in district play to reach the 5A state semifinals. Then there’s the five Klein ISD schools – Klein, Cain, Collins, Oak and Forest. Don’t forget Tomball Memorial.
“Hopefully another playoff spot this year,” Dupre said. “We’re going to try to win district. It might be pretty tough, but overall, we’re just going to try to compete as a team and just try to push each other to be our best every day.”
Morris is looking forward to seeing how things go.
“I’m just excited and happy for these guys,” Morris said. “They worked extremely hard this offseason, they’ve been killing it. I’m just looking forward to getting out there and getting after it.”
Seen here are members of the 2025 Magnolia Bulldogs baseball team. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)
