Grapevine High School and Colleyville Heritage High School competed in the area round of the UIL 5A state playoffs in their respective divisions and both teams won their best-of-three-game series to advance to the next round of the postseason.
GHS competed against Joshua High School and began the series with a loss in game one, 5-3, which was their first loss since March 13 of this season.
On the brink of elimination, GHS came back strong with a win in game two by a score of 15-7. The Mustangs responded again in game three and won the series 13-4.
CHHS faced off against Paschal High School. In game one, senior Andrew Goodman started on the mound for the Panthers and pitched seven innings, only allowing one hit, while striking out six batters to secure a 2-0 victory.
In game two, junior pitcher Jobe Reed continued the defensive dominance for the Panthers, striking out nine batters over seven innings in a 1-0 victory to sweep the series, making it the fourth straight shutout this postseason.
“To have that many shutouts is a credit to not only our pitchers, but the entire team. Our pitchers have done a great job of throwing multiple pitches for strikes, limiting walks and relying on our defense to make big plays when needed,” said CHHS head baseball coach Chris McMullen. “Our catcher, Logan Rose, also deserves a lot of credit for the job he has done this year. He is a big reason for those shutouts as well.”
Reed also reached an impressive milestone of striking out over 100 batters throughout the season, which was achieved in game two. This is the second year in a row that a Panther has accomplished this.
“I can't say enough about Jobe and the season he is having. Not only does he have 108 strikeouts on the season, but only 18 walks,” said McMullen on Reed’s success. “One of the most important factors in being able to be a good pitcher as you get older is to throw strikes! Jobe has done that as well as anyone in the state this season.”
Both teams will be playing in the regional semifinals round of the playoffs, which will begin on Thursday, May 15. GHS will play Abilene Wylie High School and CHHS will play El Paso Americas High School. Congratulations to both schools!
Regional Semifinals Schedule:
CHHS vs El Paso Americas
Game 1: Thursday, May 15, at 6 p.m. at Odessa High School
Game 2: Friday, May 16, at Noon at Odessa High School
Game 3 (If necessary): 30 minutes after game two at Odessa High School
GHS vs Abilene Wylie
Game 1: Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. at Graham High School
Game 2: Friday, May 16, at 1 p.m. at Graham High School
Game 3 (If necessary): 30 minutes after game two at Graham High School
