‘It’s pretty special’: Inside Benbrook High baseball’s consecutive no-hitters in playoffs

A no-hitter is a sought-after accomplishment for pitchers at all levels of baseball.

What is more impressive than a no-hitter? Well, a perfect game. Fort Worth Benbrook high school baseball, the District 9-4A champions, did not throw a perfect game.

What the Bobcats accomplished in the UIL area round, however, was arguably just as impressive. Benbrook (28-5-1) tossed back-to-back no-hitters, shutting down Van Alstyne’s offense for the entirety of the series.

“It’s pretty special,” Benbrook head coach Justin Chavez said. “To be in round two and do that. You don’t ever expect it. The guys -- I’m not even sure if they knew because they were really focused.”

Chavez himself didn’t realize his pitchers had no-hitters and was focused on his game plan. The entire Bobcat dugout adhered to one of baseball’s important unwritten rules: don’t talk about the no-hitter.

“You don’t talk about it,” Chavez said. “ ... I’m more focused on our scouting reports and getting our defense lined up. And coach Brady Donart calls the pitches. After the game, he tells me ‘we just threw a no-hitter.’ And then the next day, he tells me ‘we just threw a no-hitter.’”

No-hitters are impressive in any situation, but the context makes the Bobcats’ area round even more impressive.

Hudson Stockton and Sebastian Martinez, the pitchers who tossed the gems, are sophomores. They faced a Van Alstyne team that eliminated Benbrook in the area round in the 2023 season.

Chavez said both pitchers were “thrown into the fire” as freshman last year. Benbrook lost the games Stockton and Martinez started on the mound last year, and the underclassman duo responded a year later with dominating performances.

“Going through one year and having that experience is huge for these guys,” Chavez said. “We knew that the next year could be a really good year. They’re still young. Now, the moment isn’t too big for them. They are ready for the moment.”

Stockton, a right handed pitcher, threw the first no-hitter on Thursday. He picked up 11 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings, and Chavez said he was “aware he had it going.”

“Hudson is crafty,” Chavez said. “He can throw multiple pitches. In a full count, a lot of kids will think the fastball is coming. It could be any one of his four pitches: Fastball, slider, change-up, curveball. He has confidence in all his pitches and that he’ll make the right pitch.”

Martinez, also a right handed pitcher, tossed a no-hitter to power the Bobcats to the regional quarterfinals. He picked up eight strikeouts over five innings; the game ended early due to a run rule.

Chavez said Martinez likely wasn’t aware of his no-hitter, and is the type of player to go “pitch by pitch.”

“He is not worried about anything but getting the next man out,” Chavez said. “He is a bulldog. He likes to attack hitters. And he is going to go right at ‘em. He wants to compete, and he is going to find out who has better stuff.”

Stockton and Martinez received praise for their performances, and rightfully so. But the entire Benbrook team rose to the occasion and defeated a rival. The Bobcat offense scored a whopping 11 runs in the first four innings of game two.

After the loss to Van Alstyne in 2023, Chavez told his team they would be in the same position next year. He raised a question to his team: “What will we do differently?”

Chavez challenged his team to hit the weight room over summer to become bigger, stronger and faster. He told them to “trust the process.” The team obliged and found themselves with a shot at redemption against Van Alstyne.

“Our guys knew what was at stake,” Chavez said. “They knew that Van Alstyne was in our way last year. ... When we found out it was Van Alstyne, those guys were going to be locked in for the week and have a good week of practice.”

The next opponent: Aubrey

Benbrook will face Aubrey (12-19-1) in the regional quarterfinals. The Chaparrals finished fourth in a tough District 11-4A group but will be a capable opponent. All games will take place at Coppell high school, and the series opener will be at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Game two will be 7 p.m. on Friday. If necessary, game three will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Chavez said Aubrey tends to “find a way to win.” On Friday against Life Waxahachie, Aubrey scored a run to extend the game in the seventh inning and proceeded to walk it off in the ninth inning.

On Saturday in an elimination game, Aubrey’s offense scored six runs in the final two innings to take a 8-6 lead and, eventually, the series.

The keys to success for Benbrook include good pitching and getting the first out, according to Chavez.

“They are never going to quit,” Chavez said. “They have a ‘it’s never over until the last out mentality. You have to play every single out like its a tight ballgame. They can’t score a run. You can’t give them any sort of momentum.”