Baseball player of the year: Timothy Haynes leaves Lubbock-Cooper as one of the greats

WOODROW — Brad Wuensche isn't quite a psychic, but he knew what was to become of Timothy Haynes.

After seeing what the "Swiss Army Knife" did as a sophomore, the longtime Lubbock-Cooper baseball coach predicted the greatness Haynes would produce over the next two seasons.

It seemed unlikely Haynes would match the exploits of his junior campaign , even with a standout year. He did that and better, a feat perhaps only Wuensche could've envisioned.

"We always knew what Timothy was going to be," Wuensche said, "since freshman year. After his sophomore year, we knew that he was going to be one of the most dominant players that ever wore the Pirate jersey, and that's what he was."

Haynes' swan song commanded statewide recognition. It also earned him a second consecutive title of Lubbock Avalanche-Journal player of the year.

Haynes, a Midland College signee, went 12-2 with a 0.93 ERA over 90 innings. He notched 95 strikeouts and nine walks, with a .856 WHIP and .205 batting average against.

He hit the ball, too.

The Cooper star batted .441 with a .586 on-base percentage, 1.37 OPS and .784 slugging percentage. He totaled 11 doubles, eight home runs, 41 RBI, 31 runs and 30 walks.

Each statistic was an improved number compared to 2023, when he was District 4-5A MVP. In addition to repeating that honor, Haynes garnered MVP of the Texas High School Coaches Association's Class 5A Super Elite team.

"I was going to leave it all out on the field," Haynes said. "Leave no doubt behind of what I want to leave LCP with and what it means to be a Pirate. Go out there every day and compete as hard as I can and do it for my brothers on my team."

Wuensche, who transitioned to the district's secondary athletic coordinator following seven seasons as head coach, credited Haynes' competiveness.

"Whenever you get that recognition as a junior, which he earned, it takes a true competitor to kind of one-up that year from before and really go after it," Wuensche said.

Haynes "set the tone" in the season opener, a 1-0 win over 6A Allen. He started on the mound and hit a solo home run in what proved to be foreshadowing.

He was dominant the rest of the way, building on each performance. Wuensche called Haynes the "most confident kid on the field" in any situation he entered.

"I've had it since I was little," Haynes said. "My parents tell me I'm too confident sometimes. Going out there and telling myself I'm the best and that I can get the job done, no matter what the circumstances are."

Haynes said he "found that line" that teeters into overconfidence and made sure not to cross it. The subsequent boost was evident.

Haynes will take that approach to Midland as well. The Chaparrals staff will give him a shot to pitch and hit, a driving force in his decision to commit. His first goal is to get on the field, then see where his play takes him.

"Getting the opportunity to do both was something I've always wanted," Haynes said. "So when they told me that yeah, you can do both, it was kind of a no-brainer for me."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Baseball player of the year: Timothy Haynes leaves Lubbock-Cooper as one of the greats