Brewhaha: Key takeaways from a memorable Generals season

Published 5:15 am Tuesday, August 5, 2025

The Victoria Generals came up short in their bid for back-to-back Texas Collegiate League championships Saturday evening. They were upended by the Baton Rouge Rougarou in the league championship game, 6-2, in Baton Rouge.

Though Victoria coaches, players, and fans did not get the outcome they had hoped for, there is nothing to feel down about. This was my first season covering the Generals, and I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw from the club on a regular basis. Here were some observations I had that made covering the 2025 Generals a memorable experience for me:

A balanced lineup: Regardless of who stepped up to the plate for the Generals this season, a host of players took turns contributing. Cole Tabor, Diego Diaz, Damien Whitfield, Reece Lunsford, Justin Vossos and Juan Cantua were among the players that stood out for me. Collectively, they provided timely hits whenever Victoria needed a spark offensively.

Lefty-heavy lineup: Victoria’s lineup this year featured a plethora of left-handed hitters. This is usually an advantage for the batter when going up against right-handed pitchers. Whitfield, Lunsford, Diaz, Travis Bragg, Caleb Cotton, and Dalton Mullins certainly made life difficult for righties while hitting from the opposite side of the batter’s box.   

Aggressive baserunning: The old adage in baseball is that you don’t want to make the first or last out of an inning advancing to third base. Victoria threw caution to the wind and ignored this idiom for virtually the entire season. This aggressive approach resulted in Victoria’s league leading 228 stolen bases in 2025. The next closest team was Brazos Valley with 114.

Individually, Whitfield (41), Diaz (39), Cotton (31) placed first, second, and third in the league respectively in stolen bases.

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Patience at the plate: Victoria led the league in walks with 352. Great discipline at the plate combined with aggressive baserunning wore down many opposing pitchers. This was the catalyst the Generals needed for many of their big rallies throughout the year.

Top-notch pitching: Brock Lambert solidified himself as the ace of the staff with a 6-1 record and a 1.73 earned run average through nine starts. Victoria also saw a productive season from Drew Wenske (4-1, 2.28 ERA in five starts). In the postseason, outstanding relief appearances from Hayden Tronson and David Lopez against Brazos Valley helped propel Victoria to the championship round.

MLB-caliber talent: The Victoria Generals are noted for having an abundance of pro talent. In the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, a total of five former Generals were selected by professional teams. Zach Royse (seventh round, Atlanta Braves), Braylon Owens (10th round, Milwaukee Brewers), Brady Parker (12th round, Colorado Rockies), Cameron Nickens (17th round, St. Louis Cardinals), and Derek Cerdra (17th round, Chicago White Sox). Only time will tell what future prospects this year’s Generals club can produce. 

Incredible fan support: I was utterly amazed at how enthusiastic the fans at Riverside Stadium were. Even when the Generals had a massive lead late in the game, and the contest had long been decided, Generals fans were still cheering. It could be 15-3 in the eighth inning with the Generals ahead, and fans were still hungry to see another run come home to score. The enthusiasm at home games never waned regardless of what the scoreboard read. 

I can’t wait for another season next summer, and the chance to see even more talent propel the Generals to success.

Robert Brewer is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. He can be reached at robert.brewer@vicad.com.