Former Heath players help UT Tyler win first Lone Star title

Former Rockwall-Heath High School players were part of the roster that carried UT Tyler to its first Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship, a 6-4 win over Angelo State at Irwin Field in Tyler and a result that sent the Patriots into the NCAA Division II postseason.

Kaston Mason, a senior from Rockwall and a Heath graduate, helped spark the decisive rally with an RBI groundout in UT Tyler’s four-run third inning. Mason finished the tournament as the most valuable player, giving the Patriots a local name at the center of a title run that stayed unbeaten from start to finish.

Klayton Wingfield, a junior pitcher who also came through Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, was part of the same 2021 6A state championship team as Mason before continuing his career at Baton Rouge Community College. At UT Tyler, Wingfield added another layer to a roster that blended veteran production and regional talent, and his path reflects how Rockwall County players are moving from high school success into winning college programs.

The championship was another milestone for a UT Tyler team that had already claimed its first Lone Star Conference regular-season title on April 25, when it swept St. Mary’s to improve to 40-9 and earn the top seed in the conference tournament. The Lone Star Conference said the tournament winner would get the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championship, putting extra weight on every game in the May 7-9 championship round.

UT Tyler met that pressure with a complete run. Dylan Blomquist worked 5.2 innings in the title game and earned the win, while Coleson Abel closed it out for the save. The Patriots’ depth showed up again when six players were named to the All-Tournament Team, a sign that the championship was built on more than one big inning.

For Rockwall County, Mason and Wingfield gave the latest proof that Heath baseball still produces players ready for championship moments. Two former teammates from the 2021 state title team ended up on a college roster that delivered UT Tyler’s first conference tournament crown, a measurable example of how local programs continue to send proven talent into high-level college baseball.