Valley baseball teams set for bi-district round

2 months ago 155

One year ago, the McAllen Memorial Mustangs shocked the South Texas high school baseball world by putting together their best run in program history into the Elite Eight as the Rio Grande Valley’s last team standing.

This year, multiple RGV squads have played at a high level from start to finish, others have gotten hot at the right time and all will be looking to make a run at this year’s state title.

CLASS 6A

PSJA High and Los Fresnos have been the Valley’s top 6A teams from Day 1 as both completed a four-peat to capture the District 31-6A and 32-6A championships, respectively.

The Bears and Falcons have the potential to make noise in the playoffs, but first they’ll need to take care of business in the bi-district round.

The Bears (24-3) are ranked No. 16 in Class 6A and drew a first-round matchup against Brownsville Veterans in 6A DII. The Chargers (12-14) advanced to the third round a season ago. The 6A DII best-of-three series starts today in Brownsville.

The Falcons (25-3) are matched up against another 6A power in La Joya High (17-10). La Joya is coming off a fourth-round playoff appearance in 2024 and shouldn’t be counted out against a tough Los Fresnos squad. Los Fresnos, meanwhile, is senior strong and ready to start a run. The 6A DI series begins today in Los Fresnos.

The last two Class 6A playoff matchups between Valley teams are tossups that should be competitive.

Weslaco High (17-9) and San Benito (12-14) collide in a best-of-three 6A DI series beginning today in Weslaco, and Edinburg High (11-15) and Harlingen High (13-13) get their best-of-three 6A DII series started today in Harlingen.

CLASS 5A

All four Valley vs. Valley first-round matchups between Districts 31– and 32-5A have the potential to bring fireworks. The eight playoff qualifiers from the two 5A districts have played well all season long and managed to lock up a spot in the postseason, but getting out of the first round will be a test.

It’ll be Raiders vs. Raiders in Round 1 as District 31-5A champion PSJA North (24-4) faces Brownsville Rivera (18-7) in a best-of-three 5A DI series. PSJA North is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and Brownsville Rivera will look to advance to the area round after sliding down from Class 6A to 5A.

Weslaco East, which won a share of the 32-5A title, will take on McAllen Rowe in Round 1. The Wildcats (18-5) and Warriors (20-8) met in a one-game playoff in the 2023 season with Rowe taking home the win. This time, they’re set for a best-of-three 5A DI series starting today in McAllen.

In 5A DII, District 32-5A co-champion Brownsville Lopez (19-4) will lock horns with the Sharyland High Rattlers (21-6-2) in a best-of-three series. The Lopez Lobos are led by a strong senior group, and the Sharyland Rattlers bring tons of tradition to the table. Their series starts today in Brownsville.

Harlingen South (22-5) and Sharyland Pioneer (15-10) round out the 31-5A vs. 32-5A slugfest. Both the Hawks and Diamondbacks fell one win short of a district title, and now they’ll square off for a spot in next week’s area round.

District 30-5A’s playoff qualifiers face some tough competition from the Coastal Bend right out of the gate.

La Joya Palmview’s seniors have won four consecutive District 30-5A titles and now are hoping to piece together another deep run. The Lobos (19-6) will face Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (13-13-2) in best-of-three 5A DI series. Palmview’s Mateo Garcia has been dominant offensively with a .458 batting average and 23 RBIs, and has helda 0.21 ERA with 47 strikeouts. Joseph Martinez also has been lights out with a 0.90 ERA and 44 strikeouts.

Mission Veterans has been solid at the plate and on the mound this year with Jahziel Trevino and Jeremiah Vela both batting over .400, and Trevino and Gabriel Cantu have combined for 14 wins and 97 strikeouts. The Patriots (18-6) are set for a best-of-three 5A DII series against Gregory-Portland (17-15).

Rio Grande City (14-9) is matched up against Corpus Christi Ray (17-11) in a best-of-three 5A DII series. Evan Marroquin and Hiram Lopez rank No. 1 and No. 2 in batting average for the Rattlers at .381 and .358.

SUB-5A

The Hidalgo Pirates (18-6-1) are fresh off winning their fourth straight District 32-4A championship but will have their work cut out for them with a best-of-three bi-district series against No. 8 Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway (22-8-1). The Pirates will be looking to get past the first round for the first time since 2019.

La Feria has a shot to take down Zapata after the Lions (10-6) finished second in 32-4A and the Hawks (11-12) placed fourth in 31-4A. They’ll play home-and-home in Games 1 and 2 of their best-of-three series, with Game 3, if necessary, to be played Saturday at Grulla.

In Class 3A, Raymondville in 3A DI and Lyford in 3A DII have the best chances at advancing past this weekend.

Grulla (5-15) will take on Robstown (14-15) in a one-game playoff Friday at Robstown, and Valley View (14-8) will play a best-of-three series against the top-ranked Class 4A team in the state in Corpus Christi Calallen (26-2).

The Bearkats (16-9) finished second in 32-3A with strong play from Noel Reta, who leads Raymondville with a .442 batting average, 34 hits, 21 RBIs and two home runs. The Bearkats are slated to face Edinburg IDEA Quest in a best-of-three series.

District 32-3A champion Lyford (20-8) went unbeaten in league play and is headed to a one-game playoff against Monte Alto as the Bulldogs are chasing back-to-back area round appearances. Lyford’s Gael Silva, Diego Medina and Jacob Reyna lead the team with 21 RBIs apiece.

Rio Hondo (16-11) has a tough matchup against No. 17 Falfurrias (20-8-2) in 3A DI with all games scheduled to be played at McAllen High, and Progreso will travel to Hebbronville (18-10-1) for all three games of its series against the Longhorns.