Coach Webb gets 400th win

Head Coach Bryan Webb knocked down another significant mark over the past week as the longtime ball coach captured his 400th career win.

While obtaining the massive accomplishment, Webb gave all the credit to his players and coaches.

“It was an accumulation of a lot of players and good coaches,” Webb said. “Having my sons here, all the coaches who have been through here, having a good administration, good people around me. ... It’s not just me; I’ve just led the ship. When you surround yourself with good people and good coaches, you just lead the program in the right direction. It’s just a mile marker we will talk about at the end of the year.”

But despite Webb giving all his focus towards the team as the Rattlers clinched the district title, Athletic Director John Walsh said he still wanted to recognize the landmark win. “It’s a monumental accomplishment,” Walsh said. “It’s not a matter of how long you coach, but rather how well you coach. It speaks to his quality.”

As to his coaching the San Marcos baseball team since 2006, Walsh said he understood Webb's impact on the community from when he first moved here in 2019.

“He means a lot to our athletic program,” Walsh said. “When I first got here, it was very clear that he ran a quality program. History also tells you he runs a winning program. When you have been here for as long as he has and still bring the energy he brings, it makes our whole athletic program better.”

Starting pitcher and leadoff hitter Gavin Gomez was not surprised about Coach Webb gaining his 400th win considering all the work he has put into the program.

“It feels great,” Gomez said. “That is a big accomplishment. Not a whole lot of coaches can get that award. But that’s about his hard work behind the field. He is a coach but he is a mentor off the field. His advice and talks really get us there. He is a great coach and I’m not surprised he got his 400th win.”

Pitcher Reagan Chomel also spoke about how Coach Webb is more than just the baseball coach.

“He is a big mentor,” Chomel said. “Not just on the field but in the classroom, off the field and in the locker room. He is full of wisdom and we all love him. The fact I’m still a junior and I get one more ride with him is an amazing feeling.”

One of the few people who has seen the program from the beginning is Coach Webb’s son Kannon Webb.

Having literally grown up with the baseball program, Kannon Webb knows all too well the depth of Coach Webb’s influence.

'You can see the impact he has had,” Kannon Webb said. “Not very many people wanted to play baseball and the stands were not very packed. Growing up, I kind of grew up with the program. When I was little, the program was little so when I grew the program started to grow with me.”

For Kannon, Coach Webb was able to turn the Rattler baseball team from a non-playoff team to a perennial district contender.

“We moved here in 2006 when I was three years old and my little brother (Kutter Gage) was a month and half,” Kannon Webb said. “The program hadn’t had much success. There was a period during the 80s where San Marcos was successful but other than that, they were on a slow streak. It really got ignited when my dad got here and that’s when the program started rolling.”

One of the major impacts Kannon Webb saw was Coach Webb’s influence on the players over the years.

“I remember some of the older players growing up watching my Dad coach,” Kannon Webb said. “Not only do they have success with their baseball careers but [I] see them start families, have jobs, be good coaches, be good husbands, and still come back to support the program. You can tell how much he means to people because those guys are coming back 15 years later and are still supporting the program. It speaks volumes about what the coaching staff has done and what he has done as a coach.”

But perhaps the moment was biggest for shortstop Kutter Gage Webb.

It was an emotional moment for the younger Webb sibling who was the one to not only share the moment with his Dad but be on the field and help achieve the goal. “It was cool,” Kutter Gage Webb said. “My brothers came through here and got to contribute but they didn’t get to get No. 400. They texted me that morning talking about saying, ‘Go get for him’. It was emotional for sure. But we did it for him and I’m proud of them.”

Understanding the significance, Kannon Webb said he was happy for both his brother and his Dad.”

“It was special,” Kannon Webb said. “Not very many people get to coach their kids and play for their Dad. Me and my brothers were blessed with that opportunity to do that. It is special that he (Coach Webb) got to share that with Kutter Gage on the field.”