San Antonio Missions: Team wants to keep the momentum

His plan has worked superbly thus far as the 2007 Texas League champs won the first-half South Division title, earning them a third straight trip to the playoffs.

“So far in just two months these guys have improved vastly, mainly in their own personal approach to the game,” said Kennedy, a four-time All-Star catcher in the Major Leagues. “They know now that they can compete at this level, and now they’re being more aggressive.”

Still, it did take the Double-A San Diego Padres affiliate some time to come to that realization as they held an above .500 mark only three times through 56 games.

Most notably, they fell five games behind the South Division leading Midland RockHounds with 14 remaining in the first-half of the season.

But the Missions rallied, finishing 11-3 to clinch the crown with a 39-31 overall record.

The most critical wins during their much-needed late season rally came when they captured three during a four-game road series against the RockHounds, pushing them one ahead of Midland with two to go.

The Missions wrapped up the first-half of their season with back-to-back extra-inning victories in Corpus Christi and ultimately clinched the South Division title with a RockHounds loss to Frisco on June 23.

“At the beginning of the year we had the talent, but now everything’s just kind of coming together,” pitcher Nathan Culp said about his team’s turnaround. “Our defense has been good, our offense has been a lot more consistent, our starting pitchers have been going deeper in the game, and our bullpen’s been money all year.”

And the numbers don’t lie either.