THE WHATABURGER OIL BELT CLASSIC | It’s Thursday, Friday & Saturday at Kilgore’s Driller Park — here’s a complete preview
Does it seem like, to anyone but us here at ETBlitz.com, that high school baseball season just isn’t started until we get to the annual Whataburger Oil Belt Classic?
If that’s you, then take off work on Thursday and Friday, because the Whataburger OBC is here, and starts Thursday: three great days, not just nights but days, of the best high school baseball in East Texas, at the best park in East Texas: historic Driller Park in Kilgore.
Kilgore’s Diamond ‘Dogs haven’t had the greatest of starts, but hopefully that’ll turn – this week, though, they’re playing host to some great programs: some of them are Oil Belt regulars, and there are some newbies. A few teams that we’ve seen in the Whataburger-sponsored tournament aren’t in this year (Sabine, New Diana, Rockwall, etc.), but some return, beginning with coach Zach Hubbard’s Kilgore Bulldogs.
Joining KHS in the 2025 Whataburger Oil belt Classic are (in alphabetical order) Collinsville, Central Heights, Harmony, Mineola, Pittsburg, Prestonwood Christian, and Redwater.
The schedule for the event, to be played in its entirety at Driller:
THURSDAY
9 a.m.: Harmony vs. Redwater
11 a.m.: Pittsburg vs. Central Heights
1 p.m.: Mineola vs. Harmony
3 p.m.: Kilgore vs. Central Heights
5 p.m.: Collinsville vs. Mineola
7 p.m.: Kilgore vs. Prestonwood
FRIDAY
9 a.m.: Prestonwood vs. Central Heights
11 a.m.: Mineola vs. Redwater
1 p.m.: Pittsburg vs. Prestonwood
3 p.m.: Collinsville vs. Harmony
5 p.m.: Collinsville vs. Redwater
7 p.m.: Kilgore vs. Pittsburg
SATURDAY
9 a.m.: Prestonwood vs. Harmony
11 a.m.: Collinsville vs. Central Heights
1 p.m.: Mineola vs. Pittsburg
3 p.m.: Kilgore vs. Redwater
Let’s look at all the teams in this year’s OBC.
Harmony: Coached by Cody Whitworth, in his 10th season as a head coach, the Eagles come into 2025 after winning their district championship a year ago and reaching the 3A regional semifinals.
They’re 1-4 on the season to date: they lost their first four games to White Oak (11-1); to Center (6-1); to Tatum (14-0) and to West Rusk (9-8) before beating Elysian Fields on Tuesday.
Some of the Eagles’ best players returning for this season include senior Leithen Wilkerson, who’ll see action on the mound, as an infielder and as a designated hitter; and then a trio of juniors: Blayen Hart (pitcher and outfielder), Jake Rider (pitcher and first baseman) and Ollie Trimble (pitcher and infielder).
Pittsburg: Coach Juan Perez has the Pirates playing red-hot: they’re 4-1 coming into the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic, with wins over Quitman (17-2), Huntington (3-1), Mexia (14-2) and Tyler (10-0), and a loss last Saturday to Huntington (5-3) in a rematch.
The Pirates are a 4A program looking to make a move: they finished 10-14-1 a year ago and in fourth place in their district.
Among the players to watch for the Pirates are senior Landon Graham at third base; Graham was first-team all-district last year. Also, Kord Johnson, a pitcher and outfielder back for his junior season after winning their district’s newcomer of the year award in 2024.
Also back: First-team all-district catcher Lane Hall, a junior; senior shortstop Carter Langford; senior infielder Jaden Castaneda; junior infielder and pitcher Andrew Moss; Nick Styles, an outfielder and a junior; and Drake Proffitt and Ely Manly, a pair of juniors that play outfield that could be counted on to pitch, as well.
Redwater: The Dragons snuck into the 3A playoffs a year ago, finishing one win above .500 (13-14) in coach Cody Engstrom’s first year.
This season things haven’t been too kind so far, but the season is young. They beat a larger program, Paris (5-4) in the first game of the season, but they’ve lost four games since: to Mount Pleasant (6-4), to Jefferson (8-6), to Hooks (9-0) and to Daingerfield (10-0), and that loss to Daingerfield was Tuesday night.
Coming back for this season: shortstop Tanner James, for his senior season, after hitting .306 and 19 RBI last year, as well as sophomore Will Srudthoff, an outfielder who was second-team all-district as a freshman a year ago and batted .373 and scored 21 runs.
Collinsville: Led by coach Derrick Jenkins, Collinsville’s Pirates went 40-3 a year ago and won the UIL Class 2A state championship.
One would think they’re still loaded.
One would be right.
Cash Morgan, the all-everything utility player for the Pirates, is back for his senior season after being named to the Texas High School Coaches Association’s Super Elite Team and to a spot on the Texas Sports Writers Association’s 2A All-State team.
Also back: senior pitcher and outfielder Garrett Trevino; catcher Peyton Davidson, the defensive player of the year in his district last season, a junior; and sophomore second baseman Jaxon Jenkins, who also is likely to see time on the mound and another TSWA all-state selection.
Jenkins, by the way, has 426 career wins.
Mineola: The Yellowjackets have been busy with basketball and the playoffs, but they’re off to an 0-5 start after losing to Grace Community, 15-5, to open the season, and then tournament losses to Mount Vernon (8-2), Farmersville (3-1), Athens (10-8) and then Winnsboro (16-6) on Monday. Mineola is in District 15-3A.
The ‘Jackets are led by coach Trey Neighbors, in his eighth season. They, too, made the playoffs a year ago, getting into the postseason and finishing 2024 with an 11-17 record.
Three senior cornerstones of the team are back: senior outfielder and pitcher Calem Redding, first baseman and DH Trey Rushing, and pitcher and infielder D.J. McDowell. Also back is catcher Matthew Ballew, a junior who was first-team all-district in 2024.
Prestonwood Christian: Like Collinsville, Prestonwood Christian’s Lions had a big year in ’24: 27 wins, 2 losses and a tie, and made it all the way to the state semifinals under coach James Vilade, in his fourth season, with 436 career wins.
The Lions are 7-3 so far this season, but come into the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic with back-to-back losses to Grapevine Faith (4-3) on Saturday, and Liberty Christian School on Monday (10-6).
Upper-classmen back for the Lions include senior right-hander Xavier Mitchell, who went 9-0 a season ago with a 1.31 ERA – first-team all-state, first-team all-district – first team everything.
Also back, another rightie: Landon Murphy, a senior who went 3-0 a year ago with a 1.077 ERA.
Infielder Trent Vilade, the coach’s son, returns for his junior year. Trent batted .392 last year and is an infielder who was first-team all-district, first-team all-state and was the most valuable player in the Lions’ district.
Central Heights: Led by Overton alumni and former OHS coach Travis Jackson, who has settled in pretty well with this Blue Devils’ program, a school on the outskirts of Nacogdoches.
Jackson and the Blue Devils are 2-1 this year so far, after going 29-5 and to the 3A regional quarterfinals a year ago.
Starters Luke Williamson (first base, pitcher), Garner Rodriguez (utility, pitcher), Brady Owen (catcher, pitcher), and Beau Bryant (third base, pitcher) are among their returning players.
After dropping the season opener (2-0) to Jacksboro, Central has won back-to-back games over North Lamar (1-0) and Winnsboro (5-1) both in the Central tournament over the weekend.
Kilgore: Last but not least, the Kilgore High School Bulldogs, the Diamond ‘Dogs – the home team.
Coach Zach Hubbard is in his first season as head coach here at KHS after doing very well at Shelbyville in six seasons; last year, Shelbyville went 25-8, and made it to the regional finals.
Kilgore a year ago got to the first round of the 4A playoffs and ran into a buzzsaw named Bullard. The ‘Dogs finished the season 16-13-1.
Kilgore has had a rough go of it so far this season, a tough schedule: Hallsville to open the season (at Hallsville), then tournament play in Whitehouse last weekend against Crandall, Pleasant Grove, Whitehouse and Decatur, all losses. The Diamond ‘Dogs are still looking for their first win of the season.
They bring back a lot of talent, including seniors Tanner Beets (infield, pitcher), Cade Cox (utility), Joseph Hendrickson (catcher) and Jackson Tucker Phillips (outfield), as well as a talented junior class: Brodey Benson (pitcher), Kason Henry (outfield, catcher), Cason Edney (infield, pitcher), Kolton Hale (infield), and Kayson Brooks (outfield).
