White Settlement Brewer baseball will make program history in bi-district round
White Settlement Brewer head coach Art Senato has been around high school baseball for 34 years.
During that time, he’s picked up 563 wins as a head coach. He’s won district titles, coach of the year awards and has led teams to deep playoff runs.
Those accomplishments, however, don’t give him the same satisfaction compared to what he’s done with Brewer this season.
On Wednesday, Brewer (15-13) will face Argyle (16-13-1) in Game 1 of a three-game bi-district series. It’ll be the first time Brewer has made consecutive playoff appearances in over two decades, Senato said.
“They’ve stuck to the plan,” Senato said. “They never stop competing. They don’t let adversity affect them too long. They are pretty good at bouncing back.”
Before Senato was hired at Brewer ahead of the 2024-25 season, Brewer hadn’t been to the playoffs in six years. The current upperclassmen have helped return the program to being competitive.
“I think they just needed a breath of fresh air here,” Senato said. “They were always in close games in district the previous two or three years. In 2022, they tied for fourth and lost the play-in game. They weren’t very far away.”
Brewer focused on things that can win or lose close games, and things started to turn around. Senato started rewarding players for key plays, like two-out RBIs, with stickers on their helmets, which serves as motivation.
The little things added up, creating a culture shift. Now, the players who stepped up are taking the program to a place it hasn’t been since before they were born.
The Bears have six players batting over .300 in a well-rounded lineup: Silas Shugrue (.302), Matthew McGinnis (.333), freshman Brennan Ball (.377), Sergio Aguirre (.390), Khyler Farris (.421) and two-way standout David Ellington (.461).
“We made it a priority to cut down on strikeouts and put the ball in play,” Senato said. “And we’ve done that. … They’ve done a better job of executing an offensive game plan, game to game.”
On the mound, Ellington has allowed 10 earned runs in 29 2/3 innings of work (2.36 ERA). He has a team high 52 strikeouts. The Bears also have an ace in Evan Montolvo, who has allowed 13 earned runs in a team-high 46 2/3 innings of work.
Facing the next challenge
A challenging district schedule featuring 2025 Class 5A Division I state champion Aledo, a strong Granbury squad, and a flurry of competitive teams has helped prepare Brewer for the postseason.
“Every game was a dogfight,” Senato said. “There were no easy games. … Every game is a preview of what a playoff series is going to be like.”
The games only get harder from here.
Senato said his focus is on preparing for Argyle and spoke highly of the program, noting that Argyle has an unbelievable tradition and expects to win. The Eagles, historically an area powerhouse, have six state tournament appearances since 2014.
Brewer understands, however, that it has a fighting chance against anyone. In 2025, the Bears took reigning state champion Grapevine to its limit in Game 2 of their bi-district series.
The Mustangs, arguably one of the greatest Texas high school baseball teams of all time, took an 8-7 win in 11 innings; Brewer made them fight for it.
“That gave them a lot of confidence heading into this year,” Senato said. “There’s a whole lot less self-doubt around here this year.”
Moving forward, Senato only has one expectation for his team: Compete until you can’t.
“Compete at-bat to at-bat,” Senato said. “Inning to inning. Game to game. Argyle will be a challenge. … We just need to focus on what we do and take care of our own business. Executing pitches, having quality at-bats, and making routine plays. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
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