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Another year, another head-scratcher of predicting the Region III-5A baseball playoffs.
This is another year where as we enter the playoffs, there is no clear-cut favorite in Region III. Last year, Cy-Fair came out of nowhere to not only take the regional crown, but win the state championship. The Bobcats are still a strong team, but there are several other teams that could come out the woodwork to advance to Austin.
One of those teams is Lamar, who beat out rival Bellaire to win the District 20-5A championship thanks to strong hitting from Rice commit Anthony Rendon, who is hitting better than .500 this season.
But don’t overlook Westside, who has posted a 22-2 record this season and have relied on its strong pitching, including Taylor Wall, who has given up only six earned runs in 52 1/3 innings of work.
Another team to look out for is Atascocita, who tied Baytown Sterling for the District 21-5A championship. The Eagles had a 24-game win streak snapped last week, but still have enough bats in the lineup to put up a lot of runs against anybody in the region.
If Atascocita gets by Baytown Lee in the first round, it would possibly set up a big second-round series against Alvin. The Yellow Jackets won District 24-5A thanks to great starting pitching from Travis Jenkins and Aaron Stewart, who have ERAs of 1.82 and 1.63, respectively. But Alvin must get past Fort Bend Dulles first, which have won eight of its last nine games.
Sterling is another contender for state thanks to the strong pitching and hitting of pitcher/infielder Hunter Cervenka. In a game against Atascocita on April 18, Cervenka struck out 18 batters in a 4-1 win.
Also, there are some area powers that also can make some noise in the playoffs. Katy still has great players in outfielder Joey Fuda and pitcher Keifer Nuncio and the Tigers are always a tough team to beat. Elkins surprised everyone by winning District 23-5A convincingly despite having a new coach in Richard Thislewaite and a mostly inexperienced team. But infielder Travis Crow and pitcher Myles DuVall have kept the Knights’ winning tradition alive and ready for another strong postseason.
Other contenders include Memorial, Clements, Langham Creek and Brazoswood.
But don’t forget the defending state champs. Cy-Fair still has Tommy Collier, who continues to be dominant on the hill and at the plate. The Bobcats open the playoffs Friday at Mayde Creek in a one-game playoff.
The rest of the playoff schedule:
Cinco Ranch (15-15) vs. Langham Creek (22-6)
Game 1: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Langham Creek
Game 2: Saturday, 11 a.m., Cinco Ranch
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Lamar (22-5) vs. MacArthur (16-8)
Game 1: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Jersey Village
Game 2: Saturday, 2 p.m., Jersey Village
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Nimitz (12-10) vs. Bellaire (29-4)
One game: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Lansford Field
Katy (22-6-1) vs. Cypress Woods (18-10)
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m., Cy Woods
Game 2: Saturday 1 p.m., Katy
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Atascocita (27-3) vs. North Shore (14-11)
Game 1: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Atascocita
Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m., North Shore
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Fort Bend Dulles (19-12) vs. Alvin (27-3)
Game 1: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Manvel
Game 2: Saturday, 11 a.m., Manvel
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Brazoswood (19-9) vs. Kempner (19-10-2)
Game 1: Friday, 8 p.m., Hightower
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., Baytown Sterling
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Kingwood (15-14) vs. Pasadena Memorial (17-7)
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m., Maguire Field
Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m., Kingwood
Game 3: Saturday, 7 p.m., Kingwood (if necessary)
Katy Taylor (20-8-1) vs. Cypress Creek (16-11)
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m., Cy Creek
Game 2: Saturday, 11 a.m., Katy Taylor
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Memorial (25-3) vs. Milby (15-12)
Game 1: Friday, 4 p.m., Delmar
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., Stratford
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Westside (22-2) vs. Spring Woods (12-11)
One game: Friday, 4 p.m., Jersey Village
Cy-Fair (20-7) vs. Mayde Creek (13-14)
One game: Friday, 4 p.m., Mayde Creek
Beaumont West Brook (15-11) vs. La Porte (16-10)
Game 1: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Barbers Hill
Game 2: Saturday, 2 p.m., Barbers Hill
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Elkins (24-5) vs. Pearland (14-13-1)
Game 1: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Texas City
Game 2: Saturday, 5 p.m., Manvel
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Clements (20-8) vs. Clear Lake (14-9)
Game 1: Friday, 8 p.m., Deer Park
Game 2: Saturday, noon, Deer Park
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (if necessary)
Baytown Sterling (22-3-1) vs. Deer Park (12-12)
One game: Friday, 3:30 p.m., at Baytown Sterling
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