BASEBALL WARM-UP GAMES, PLAYOFF UPDATES | Lots of things not yet set, but here’s where we are
EDITOR’S NOTE: Short version: several playoff series involving baseball programs in the ETBlitz.com coverage area are ongoing. We’ll have updates until they are set. The following story is updating everything as it stands now: warm-up games this weekend, and playoff series already complete.
Regular season baseball games are just about extinct around here, as high school programs are getting ready for the playoffs, or for the offseason.
Things look like this in the District 16-4A standings: Spring Hill finished first, not losing a game in district play with a 14-0 record. Carthage went 11-3, and finished second. Henderson finished third (9-5), and Kilgore fourth (8-6), so those will be the playoff teams. Gilmer, Pine Tree, Chapel Hill and Cumberland Academy have all completed their seasons.
Playoffs now, though, are split into divisions, as they are in football, with the larger schools by enrollment placed in the Division I postseason, and the smaller in Division II. So even though Spring Hill and Carthage finished 1-2 in the standings, they’ll actually be the two teams from the district that move into the 4A-Division II playoffs, and Kilgore and Henderson will go Division I.
Kilgore
Kilgore knows what’s in its immediate future.
The Diamond ‘Dogs (11-16-1) finished their regular season Tuesday night, and they’ll open the first round of the 4A-DI playoffs against Lindale next Thursday, a best-of-three-game series.
Game 1 of the playoff series will be at Lindale on Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. Game 2 will be on Friday, May 2, at Driller. And game 3, if it’s needed, will be Saturday, May 3, at Lindale, at 1 p.m.
Tickets will be $5 for adults, $3 for students.
First, though, they will have two playoff warm-up games, both at home at Driller Park, this weekend.
They’ll host Daingerfield Friday at 6 p.m. at Driller Park, and then on Saturday, they’ll play another ETBlitz.com-area program, the West Rusk Raiders, also at Driller, at 1 p.m.
Henderson
The Lions (15-11 overall) have a warm-up game at Canton at 1 p.m. Saturday, and Henderson does have a playoff opponent.
They’ll face Mabank next week in what looks to be a Thursday-Saturday best-of-three-game series. But Mabank still has one game left in its regular season, on Friday night, and there are some details of the series with Henderson still to be set. When those details are set, we’ll announce them here on ETBlitz.com.
District 16-3A
There was a development – a big one – in District 16-3A Tuesday night, as Troup, who was leading the district standings going into their game at Arp, the regular season finale for both programs.
Arp pulled off one of the biggest wins of the season, a 6-1 upset of Troup that proved very costly for Troup’s Tigers: the loss, combined with Tatum’s overwhelming 23-0 win over Sabine Tuesday, knocked Troup to second place in the standings.
Tatum finished with a 10-2 district record; Troup finished up 9-3.
West Rusk beat Gladewater, 6-1, and West Rusk wound up with a third-place district finish, a 7-5 record in district play.
Fourth-place is a different story.
White Oak actually had an open date Tuesday on the regular season’s final day. Coach Charles Foshee’s Roughnecks are 16-8 overall, and finished district at 6-6. Gladewater’s Bears, coached by Zac Spears, are also 6-6 in district, and 15-9 overall.
They’re going to play one game to see who’s moving on into the playoffs, and who’s staying home.
That game will be Friday at 6 p.m. at Tatum High School.
Arp sixth, and Sabine seventh in the standings.
Again, there will be divisions, with enrollment dictating who goes the bigger Division I, and the smaller Division II.
As playoff pairings and warm-up games are announced, we’ll have them here, as well.
Coach Dustin Russell’s Tatum Eagles have a couple of playoff warm-ups this weekend, one on the road and one at home.
They’ll visit New Diana (19-6), the unbeaten champions of their own district, on Friday, a 7 p.m. first-pitch, and then they’ll host Bullard on Saturday at noon. Tatum split a non-district pair of games in tournament play with ND this season, beating the Eagles 4-2 on March 6, then losing to them, 6-5, on March 8.
When the first round of the playoffs begin, the Eagles will meet Mineola, although they’re still negotiating that series.
Playoff situations for Troup and West Rusk aren’t as clear because of uncertainty in the other district.
West Rusk will play a warm-up game at Driller on Saturday, as mentioned above, against Kilgore at 1 p.m.
West Rusk (12-12) will meet either Edgewood or Grand Saline. Those two teams finish up the regular season on Friday, with Grand Saline playing Winona at home, and Edgewood on the road at Malakoff.
Again, when the Raiders’ first-round playoff series is set, we’ll announce it here on ETB.
District 19-2A
Overton still has one more regular season game to play – at home against Elysian Fields on Friday – and the Mustangs have won eight straight games. They’re in a battle with Harleton for first place in the district standings with that one game left.
Overton (21-5 overall, 11-2 in District 19-2A) will host the Yellow Jackets on Friday night, beginning with junior varsity at 4. Overton is battling it out with Harleton for first in the district standings.
Leverett’s Chapel has had a good season, the first under coach A.J. Hendrix, and is 5-6-1, after several rain-outs. The Lions have played a limited district schedule, not enough games to qualify for the playoffs.
Joining Overton and Harleton in the playoff conversation are Beckville and Ore City.
