Week of April 13th - Texas HS Baseball Preview By City
Photographed by: Reed Rymsza
THE BEST BASEBALL IN TEXAS IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK.
The playoff picture is coming into focus. The regular season is winding down. And this week, four of the biggest cities in the state are putting their best baseball on display. These are the games worth watching.
DALLAS
COPPELL (13-6-2) vs. FLOWER MOUND (18-9-1)
Ranked vs. ranked and this is the marquee matchup of the Dallas week. Flower Mound comes in with the better record at 18-9-1 but Coppell at 13-6-2 is not a team that cares about what anyone else thinks. Two programs that know exactly what a win like this does for their postseason seeding. Don't look away from this one.
WAXAHACHIE (27-2) vs. LANCASTER (10-12-1)
27-2. Waxahachie is one of the hottest teams in the entire state of Texas right now and it is not close. They walk in with one of the most dominant records you will find anywhere. Lancaster at 10-12-1 is going to have to play the game of their season just to stay competitive. Waxahachie is on a different level right now - and that record proves it.
GRAPEVINE (24-3) vs. RICHLAND (8-17-1)
Grapevine comes in at 24-3 and they are absolutely rolling. This is a program that has been one of the most consistent teams in North Texas baseball all season. 24 wins by mid-April tells you everything you need to know about where this team is headed. Richland has a very difficult night in front of them.
ALEDO (28-4) vs. GRANBURY (13-7-1)
28-4. Nearly 30 wins and counting, and Aledo shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Granbury at 13-7-1 is a respectable opponent - but Aledo right now is playing at a completely different level. This is a program on a mission and the scoreboard has been backing them up all year long.
ROCKWALL-HEATH (21-7) vs. ROCKWALL (12-13-3)
A rivalry game - and rivalry games throw records out the window. Rockwall-Heath at 21-7 has clearly been the better program this season but Rockwall at 12-13-3 is going to come in with everything they have. There is nothing like playing your neighbor with something to prove. This one could be closer than the records suggest.
SOUTHWEST CHRISTIAN (25-4) vs. TRINITY CHRISTIAN (18-4)
Two private school programs both having excellent seasons going head to head. Southwest Christian at 25-4 against Trinity Christian at 18-4 - both teams have been winning all year and this is the kind of matchup that defines playoff seeding in private school baseball. Whoever comes out of this one with the win gets a massive confidence boost heading into the final stretch.
AUSTIN
ROUSE (22-3) vs. LEHMAN (5-22)
22-3. Rouse is playing as well as any team in Central Texas right now and the record is impossible to argue with. This is a program that has been firing on all cylinders all season long and they are not letting up as the playoffs approach. One of the most dominant teams in the Austin area - and it shows every single night.
SMITHSON VALLEY (23-4) vs. TIVY (14-12)
This is the game of the week in Central Texas. Smithson Valley at 23-4 is one of the premier programs in the entire region and they come in with one of the most impressive records in the state. Tivy at 14-12 has battle-tested experience and is not going to roll over for anybody. Two programs that know what playoff baseball looks like going head to head - this one has all the ingredients for a classic.
LIBERTY HILL (20-5-1) vs. HAYS (16-9-1)
Ranked vs. ranked and this matchup has postseason implications written all over it. Liberty Hill at 20-5-1 against Hays at 16-9-1 - both programs well above .500, both locked in, both knowing that a win here sends a message to the rest of the region. Liberty Hill holds the record edge but Hays is not a team that is going to fade quietly. This is the Austin-area game of the night.
BOWIE (21-7-1) vs. AUSTIN (11-12-1)
Bowie at 21-7-1 has been one of the best teams in the Austin ISD all season and they are not slowing down. The crosstown matchup against Austin at 11-12-1 has extra juice because of the familiarity - both programs know each other well. Bowie should have the edge but Austin is competitive enough to make this interesting if Bowie comes in flat. Crosstown games never go exactly as planned.
JOHNSON (20-7-2) vs. STEELE (11-13-2)
Johnson at 20-7-2 is rolling through the second half of the season with consistency and confidence. Twenty wins by mid-April is no accident - this is a program that has been locked in from the jump. Steele at 11-13-2 needs to flip the script and get on the right side of .500 heading into playoff time. Johnson is the team to beat in this one.
SAN ANTONIO
BOERNE-CHAMPION (25-3-1) vs. WAGNER (3-21-2)
25-3-1. Boerne-Champion has been an absolute machine this season and they are the clear class of the San Antonio area right now. Nearly 30 wins, only three losses, and a level of dominance that very few programs in the state can match. Wagner at 3-21-2 is going to face one of the toughest nights of their season. Champion is not letting up for anybody.
CLEMENS (22-5-1) vs. JUDSON (3-23-1)
Clemens at 22-5-1 has been one of the most consistent programs in the San Antonio area all season long. Only five losses heading into mid-April is elite - and Clemens has been delivering that level of baseball week in and week out. This is a program that is built for a deep postseason run and they are going to keep taking care of business until someone stops them.
SMITHSON VALLEY (23-4) vs. TIVY (14-12)
This one matters so much it shows up in both the Austin and San Antonio conversations. Smithson Valley at 23-4 against Tivy at 14-12 with playoff positioning on the line for both programs. Smithson Valley has the record advantage but Tivy is a program that has been in big games before and they will not be intimidated. The best game on the San Antonio schedule this week - don't miss it.
MEDINA VALLEY (18-6) vs. DEL RIO (8-17)
Medina Valley at 18-6 has been one of the most dominant teams in their classification in South Texas all season. Only six losses by mid-April and playing with the kind of confidence that comes from winning consistently. Del Rio at 8-17 has a very tough assignment in front of them. Medina Valley is locked in and dangerous right now.
BOERNE (17-10) vs. PIEPER (14-9-1)
Two winning programs going at each other with something on the line. Boerne at 17-10 against Pieper at 14-9-1 - both teams above .500, both competing for playoff positioning in a loaded San Antonio bracket. This is exactly the kind of midweek game that separates the teams that are ready for the playoffs from the teams that are still figuring it out.
MARION (22-5) vs. JOURDANTON (19-10-1)
Marion at 22-5 has been one of the quiet powerhouses of South Texas baseball this season. Twenty-two wins and only five losses - that record speaks for itself. Jourdanton at 19-10-1 is no pushover and has put together a solid season of their own. This is a battle between two programs that have been winning all year - and only one of them can leave with the victory.
HOUSTON
TOMBALL (29-0-1) vs. KLEIN CAIN (10-12-1)
29-0-1. TWENTY-NINE AND ZERO. Tomball has put together one of the most historic seasons in Texas high school baseball this year - undefeated and operating at a level that is almost impossible to comprehend. Klein Cain at 10-12-1 has a massive mountain to climb tonight. Tomball is not just the best team in Houston right now - they are one of the best teams in the entire state of Texas. This is a program that is chasing something special.
ATASCOCITA (26-3) vs. CHANNELVIEW (10-11)
Atascocita at 26-3 has been right there alongside Tomball as one of the most dominant programs in the Houston area all season. Twenty-six wins and only three losses - this is an elite baseball program operating at full capacity. Channelview at 10-11 is going to have to find something extra to compete tonight. Atascocita is locked in and they are not taking any opponent lightly with the playoffs this close.
CYPRESS WOODS (26-2) vs. CYPRESS PARK (9-18)
Cypress Woods at 26-2 is another Houston-area program having a remarkable season. Twenty-six wins and only two losses - that is the kind of record that makes you a state championship conversation team. Cypress Park at 9-18 is going to face one of the best pitching staffs and lineups they have seen all year. Cypress Woods is on a mission and they are not stopping now.
KATY (24-2-1) vs. TOMPKINS (18-9-2)
Katy at 24-2-1 is doing what Katy always does - winning. Only two losses all season and a program that has been a model of consistency in the Houston area for decades. Tompkins at 18-9-2 is a solid program with a winning record and they are going to make Katy earn every run tonight. This is one of the better competitive matchups on the Houston schedule - both teams are legitimate and both are preparing for a postseason run.
BRIDGELAND (23-6-1) vs. CYPRESS RANCH (21-8-1)
Two programs with twenty-plus wins going head to head in what might be the best game on the entire Houston schedule this week. Bridgeland at 23-6-1 against Cypress Ranch at 21-8-1 - both teams have been excellent all season, both are battle-tested, and both are playing for playoff positioning. This is the kind of game that defines a season. Everything is on the line and both programs know it.
MAGNOLIA WEST (15-4) vs. MAGNOLIA (13-11-2)
A rivalry game with extra meaning. Magnolia West at 15-4 against Magnolia at 13-11-2 - the West side of town has clearly had the better season on paper but rival games are a different kind of game. Magnolia at 13-11-2 is going to come in fired up and ready to make a statement against their neighbor. Magnolia West needs to bring their best to avoid a rivalry upset.
THE BOTTOM LINE.
Dallas. Austin. San Antonio. Houston. The best high school baseball in the country is happening in Texas this week - and these are the games that matter most. The regular season is almost over. The playoff bracket is almost set. And every team on this list knows that what happens this week could define their entire season.