Playoffs: Mound Showdown (Flower Mound vs. Marcus)

May 18, 2017

By Toby Bicknell
Texas Scouting Director

Marcus (24-11, 9-5) vs. Flower Mound (27-9, 9-5)
Thursday, May 18 8:00 PM @ DBU
Friday, May 19 5:00 PM @DBU
Saturday, May 20 12:00 PM (If Necessary) @DBU

Two schools that are separated by less-than four miles will travel to Dallas Baptist on Thursday and play what is sure to be a heated rivalry. These two teams split their regular season series 1-1. Marcus won the first game 1-0, and Flower Mound took the second game 7-6. Marcus came back to win the last two games of their opening series in the playoffs against Denton Guyer, then went on to roll past South Grand Prairie, scoring 18 runs in a two-game sweep. Flower Mound has not lost a playoff game yet, sweeping McKinney and San Angelo Central in back-to-back weeks.

What to watch for:

Flower Mound
The Jag's post a solid lineup that can score runs in bunches. They are led by six seniors, all of whom are committed to play at the next level, (Hayden Houser, Lance Russell, Kyle Landers, Dylan Antonelli, Syler Shepherd, and Zach Mesa). Add in junior shortstop Carson Bradley and sophomore left-handed hitter Austin Wallace, and you have a recipe for scoring runs. Wallace, a Texas commit, has also been a steady presence on the mound for the Jag’s this season. After losing senior right-hander Ryan Stuempfig earlier this season to injury, Coach Wallace has been able to depend on two right-handers, 2018 Caleb Burgess and 2017 Ryan Johnston. Johnston is a Navarro JC commit, and threw 5.1 innings in relief last week in Flower Mound’s come-from-behind win. At the back end of the bullpen is 2017 RHP Eric Jones, a Weatherford JC recruit and shut-down closer for the Jag’s. He recorded a save and a win last week against San Angelo Central.

Marcus
If the rotation stays true to form, the Marauders will start 2019 RHP Blake Mayfield, a Texas A&M recruit. The sophomore has been at the front of the rotation all year and shown a seasoned approach, working deep into games. 2017 RHP Michael Leaumont, a Louisiana-Lafayette recruit, has been the number two starter most of the season. Last week, Leaumont went five innings, allowed only four hits and no runs in a win over South Grand Prairie. Coach Sherman has a number of options in the bullpen, but you can count on seeing 2017 RHP Reed Osborn at some point in the series.

The Marauders offense is balanced from top to bottom, and they can score runs in a number of ways. Marcus has a formidable 2-4 in Rogers, Glowenke, and Hall. 2017 CF Ridge Rogers is a speedy left-handed “spark-plug” that is committed to Incarnate Word, and runs it down in centerfield. 2017 SS Jimmy Glowenke, a DBU recruit, is ranked No. 144 Overall in PBR 2017 Ranking. Glowenke is having a stellar senior campaign, and is one of the top hitters in Texas. In the cleanup spot is 2017 OF Hampton Hall, a strong, left-handed hitter with pop. 2018 C Mitchell Dickson has been doing the heavy lifting behind the plate all year, and anchors the Marcus defense.

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