Michael was a line-drive machine this season. As one of our lefty fielders, he rotated between first base, pitcher, and right field—where he made a game-saving catch in extra innings of the semifinal at the Clutch City Classic against Westbury Blue, known as one of the greatest games ever played. He will go down in history as the first Habanero to go back-pocket out, starting a trend the older generation wasn’t made to understand and that the local girls found entrancing.

Boyd hails from a strong baseball family and showed up ready to play from day one. With a powerful arm, he may have played every position this season. He led the team in outfield assists, including a beautiful throw in the eight-inning battle at the Clutch City Classic that got Heights out of a high-pressure inning. Always smiling, Boyd was a steady presence in the dugout, leading the team in chants with a predilection for rhyming.

Cash played Gold Glove–level first base in spectacular fashion all year, making it look easy. As the season went on, he developed into the power hitter Heights needed. He led the team in stand-up triples, stand-up doubles, and homers—and not just because he refused to slide. In the semifinals of the Blue-Grey, Cash scored the winning run in extra innings from first in a baserunning feat you’d have to see to believe.

Ly was the rock in the lineup, hitting leadoff with consistently hard contact. He played a lot of pitcher but was at ease all over the diamond, making web gems from the infield and outfield alike. Never short of platitudes, you could hear Ly all over the field encouraging his teammates and urging them to “respect the call.” When Ly got called out of town on business and had to miss a few games, his first game back he crushed a double in his first at-bat and looked back at the dugout to let his team know it was time.

Deacon, a mid-season acquisition, quickly became a fixture on the team. He played mostly pitcher and outfield, recording the final putouts in our memorable extra-inning semifinal matchup against Katy at the Blue-Grey. At the plate, he became a master of the opposite-field line drive and, with his blazing speed, could beat most throws. By the end of the season, Deacon was finding his power stroke, leaving us excited to see what happens with a full offseason.

Theo, a third-generation Heights star, is one of the youngest but mightiest Habaneros. From the start, he brought a toughness to the team they otherwise lacked. He started at catcher, then moved to the outfield when it became clear he was fearless pursuing fly balls and line drives. But mainly, he hit bombs. Lefty bombs. Though undersized, he took ferocious hacks, sending balls through the gaps to the fence.

JC played shortstop like his hair was on fire, throwing his body around with little regard for health and safety. Early in the season, he was already making diving stops, popping up, and firing lasers to first. At the plate, he had a powerful swing, ripping the ball all over the field with crazy exit velocity. JC led the way as a great teammate—quiet but focused, always ready to play.

Enri came into the season and quickly developed into the most powerful hitter on the team. A classic cleanup hitter, he ripped baseballs toward the left-field fence every time he swung. On defense, he held it down mostly at third base and left field, with a deadly accurate throwing arm that opposing runners came to fear.

Another late-season acquisition, Andy showed up ready to play. With sneaky power and frightening speed, he was a threat to triple every time he stepped up to the plate. It almost didn’t look real how fast he glided around the bases. He’s still working on his deceleration method, as no coach has ever moved fast enough to guide him.

Max started the season as a utility man, playing every position before settling in at third base. He started the only ground-ball double play of the season. He was also a big part of one of the great Habanero wins, crushing a walk-off liner to the fence to score his friend Cash in extra innings of the Blue-Grey semifinal.

Grayson is the youngest Habanero, but maybe the fastest. In his rookie season, he had the longest on-base streak on the team, going three games in a row without making an out. Once on the bases, he was almost a guaranteed run. I once saw the boy known as Wolf cut down a runner at first from right field. A fan favorite, he also brought Werewolves of London back to Houston baseball fields—Warren Zevon should probably owe him a few bucks for that.

Michael started the season as a DH hitting bombs and ended it with the most tag outs by a catcher in the league. He recorded the final out in the bottom of the eighth of the greatest Habanero game in history. Michael fielded a throw from right field with the tying run bearing down on him and held on through a serious collision. When the dust settled, he held the ball high, sending the Habaneros to the championship game. Some say it was the greatest game ever played.

Alex absolutely bulldogged the catcher position this year, leading the league in every defensive metric. His first out was a diving catch on a foul ball, and he went on to field plenty of bunts and gun runners out at first all season. Pop-ups behind home plate became routine. He finished the season by catching the only foul-tip strikeout in coach-pitch history. Alex also played about 20 straight innings at shortstop on the longest, hottest day of baseball in Habaneros history, putting up a memorable performance for all the fans in attendance.

Lucas held it down all season at second base while hitting in the middle of the lineup. He creamed a ground-rule double at First Colony—the first ball to leave the ballpark in Habanero history. So drippy you’d think he only played in the rain, Lucas led the team in putouts and compression sleeves.