Playoffs: Region 4 Preview
May 24, 2017
By Colter Bostick
PBR Texas Scout
Twitter: @PBR_Texas
San Antonio Reagan (26-8) vs San Antonio Southwest (25-8)
Game 1 – Thursday, May 25 @ SAISD Sports Complex, 7:30 PM
Game 2 – Friday, May 26 @ SAISD Sports Complex, 7:30 PM
Game 3 – Saturday, May 27 @ SAISD Sports Complex, 7:30 PM
What to watch for:
Defense is going to be the determining factor for this semi-final matchup. Both Reagan and Southwest have had strong offensive outputs, having faced strong pitching in their previous rounds, and both teams have seen competitive efforts on the mound.
Southwest is the prototypical “scrappy” squad that has come together and gotten hot as they proceed deeper into the post-season. The 1-6 hitters in the Dragon’s lineup have been highly productive as of late. 2018 IF Eric Hernandez, hitting in the 3-hole, was the Dragon’s biggest bat in the previous round, but sophomore catcher Nate Aguilar is a dangerous cog in an offensive machine that could play a huge roll in his team’s success. On the mound, the Dragons have been flexible with their ace, senior RHP Mario Medina, by floating him between throwing game 1 or game 2 of a series. The crafty Medina can work his way through lineups and keep his pitch-count to a minimum, which is going to be a big task against a patient group of hitters like Reagan.
Reagan’s greatest asset has been pitching in recent rounds. The emergence of senior LHP Jake Hoggatt has been a big boost for the Rattlers. In their last series against NEISD rival, Johnson HS, Reagan boomeranged their pitching rotation using Hoggatt to start game one and LHP Cal Carver came in to relieve, and using Carver to start game 2 with Hoggatt closing the game out. Another arm to look for will be junior RHP Josh Buske. The Rattlers will look to seniors Cade Bormet (Missouri Commit) and Ramon Garza, as well as sophomore 1B Cal Martin, to drive Reagan offensively.
San Antonio Churchill (23-7-2) vs McAllen (29-3)
Game 1 – Friday, May 26 @ Uni-Trade Stadium (Laredo), 7:00 PM
Game 2 – Saturday, May 27 @ Uni-Trade Stadium, 1:00 PM
Game 3 – 30 Minutes After Game 2
What to watch for:
McAllen has been a strong team throughout the entire season, boasting a 29-3 record up to this point, but they have managed to fly below the radar of many rankings. The Bulldogs have put up some impressive numbers in the post-season, outscoring their opponents 53-5 through six games. The offensive efforts have been headed by seniors Keola Zamora and Victor Valdez, as well as freshman Aaron Nixon (Texas commit, No. 3 PBR 2020 Overall Ranking). Perhaps more impressive than the numbers that the Bulldogs’ bats have produced is the quality pitching that has helped suppress some extremely potent lineups. Senior LHP Ram Maldonado and junior RHP Abanny Garcia have been the 1-2-punch that have baffled teams all season. Another important piece has been Nixon at the back end of the game. Nixon has picked up two wins and two saves with a .47 ERA on the season. He may be needed as a starter should the series turn to a third game.
The Churchill Chargers come into the fourth round of playoffs having knocked off a powerful Lake Travis team, and having to show their versatility in order to do so. The Chargers’ three big arms, RHP Nico O’Donnell (Midland JC recruit), RHP Landry Wideman (Texas A&M recruit), and RHP Jack Neely (Texas recruit) have carried a lot of the weight during the playoffs, but the Chargers’ deep bullpen showed its strength against Lake Travis, and will be looking to do so if needed against McAllen. RHP Matt Moran (McMurray recruit), RHP Carter Elliott, RHP Carlos Flores (Houston recruit), and RHP Kevin Crusius (Trinity recruit) will be waiting in the ranks. Though pitching has been the conversation for the majority of the season regarding Churchill, it was the bats that proved to be the difference last weekend and will need to do so again this weekend. Seniors Garrett Wilkinson (Midland JC recuti), Jordon Billups (Midland JC recruit), and sophomore Hudson Head have proven to be tough outs against all pitching staffs.