THE CRYSTAL BALL: Who will advance in Class 6A Baseball Regional Quarters?

No. 1--Tompkins Falcons v. Katy Tigers

Tompkins Falcons

2022-23 Regular Season: 22-6-1/District 19-6A Champions

Head Coach: Kenneth Humphreys

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 12-3, Game 2: W 10-0) v. George Ranch
• Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 3-0, Game 2: W 13-3) v. Cy Creek

Katy Tigers

2022-23 Regular Season: 22-6-3/Finished 3rd in District 19-6A

Head Coach: Wes Hearne

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 13-0, Game 2: W 16-6) v. Fort Bend Austin
• Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 9-0, Game 2: W 7-3) v. Cy-Fair

This round of the playoffs features an old fashioned district rivalry between two powerhouse Katy ISD teams.

Tompkins seemed to handle Cy Creek with ease throughout the Area Round, which started from their bullpen.

Senior LHP/OF Ty Dagley was phenomenal from the mound in game one, throwing eight strikeouts and nearly completing a no-hitter before being retired after the sixth inning.

The series clincher saw Adam Benavidez (Sr. 3B) rise to the occasion from the batter's box, as he would proceed to drive in five of the thirteen runs--three of which were from a homer he hit in the second inning--that the Falcons would score before ultimately reaching the run rule.

Katy enjoyed similar fortunes against Cy-Fair in the Area Round.

Caleb Koger (Sr. OF/P) had an impressive outing as the starting pitcher in the series opener. Combined with the top-notch Tigers defense, he didn't allow a single run to be scored while sitting down four batters in the six innings he pitched.

While seniors Cole Kaase (P/IF) and Reese Ruderman (C) in the two-game sweep over the Bobcats, Andrew Hilton (Sr. OF/P) added to his highlight reel with five RBIs, which included a three-run shot in Game No. 1.

Given the familiarity and close proximity of these two clubs, the tension in the air should be palpable.

No. 2--Ridge Point Panthers v. Cinco Ranch Cougars

Ridge Point Panthers

2022-23 Regular Season: 25-4-2/District 20-6A Champions

Head Coach: Clinton Welch

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 10-0, Game 2: W 3-2) v. Seven Lakes
• Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 4-1, Game 2: W 3-0) v. Lamar

Cinco Ranch Cougars

2022-23 Regular Season: 27-4/Finished 2nd in District 19-6A

Head Coach: Brett Wallace

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 10-0, Game 2: W 13-4) v. Hightower
• Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 4-1, Game 2: W 12-1) v. Memorial

The Ridge Point hot streak continues.

March 9th is the last time the Panthers took an L. Since then they've gone on a 22-game winning streak, thanks to the direction of ninth-year coach Clinton Welch, not to mention the considerable depth of the RPHS roster.

The Panthers pitching was on point in Round No. 2, with senior right-hander Kellen Gradisar limiting Lamar's batters to one run in the contest and racking up nine K's. Texas-commit Jack McKernan (So. LHP) also had an exceptional performance in his game two start.

Ridge Point's batting was as efficient as ever--particularly that of seniors Travis Vlasek (1B) and JJ Kennett (C)--to secure yet another sweep in the postseason.

They will be tasked with matching up against Cinco Ranch, who touts a 31-4 overall record and recently made history by reaching the Regional level for the first time in school history.

No. 3--The Woodlands Highlanders v. Tomball Cougars

The Woodlands Highlanders

2022-23 Regular Season: 25-6-1/District 13-6A Champions

Head Coach: Ron Eastman

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 1-0, Game 2: W 6-0) v. MacArthur
• Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 5-0, Game 2: W 7-0) v. Klein Collins

Tomball Cougars

2022-23 Regular Season: 21-11/Finished 2nd in District 15-6A

Head Coach: Doug Rush

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 3-0, Game 2: W 5-4) v. Cy Ranch
• Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 7-2, Game 2: W 4-2) v. College Park

The Woodlands continues to cook in the playoffs.

Having yet to allow a single run thus far, this is indicative of the lock-down capability of the pitchers in the Highlanders arsenal.

Klein Collins experienced that first-hand when Nolan Roycraft (Jr. LHP) and senior Ethan Coronel combined for a shutout and 8 K's in Game No. 1, followed by Tennessee-signee Brayden Sharp (Sr. LHP) following suit with 13 strikeouts to close out the series.

Senior 3B Carson Kimball enjoyed the most success at-bat against the Tigers, hitting for .500 with one RBI and a scored through the two-game sweep.

Tomball has enjoyed its fair share of success in the fledgling postseason.

LSU-commit Cade Arrambide (Jr. C) will likely be the difference-maker in the Cougars lineup against TWHS, having most recently contributing two RBIs in Tomball's 4-2 deciding victory against College Park.

But don't sleep on senior 2B Alan Lopez (Houston-signee) making an impact in the batter's box, either. Paired with an impressive bullpen of their own, the Cougs can pose a threat to any team.

No. 4--Cy Woods Wildcats v. Klein Oak Panthers

Cypress Woods Wildcats

2022-23 Regular Season: 28-3/District 16-6A Champions

Head Coach: Phil Schwarz

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 11-1, Game 2: W 7-2) v. Tomball Memorial
• Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 7-5, Game 2: W 4-2) v. Oak Ridge

Klein Oak Panthers

2022-23 Regular Season: 20-10-1/District 15-6A Champions

Head Coach: Bo Hernandez

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 12-3, Game 2: W 15-4) v. Cy Falls
• Area Round: 2-1 Series Win (Game 1: W 6-2, Game 2: L 7-11, Game 3: W 6-3) v. Grand Oaks

Cy Woods Baseball is nothing if not tenacious.

Despite falling behind 5-0 in the opening match against Oak Ridge, the Wildcats--buoyed by a remarkable showing by junior 1B McClane Helton (2-3, 5 RBI, 2 2B)--rallied to claim a 7-5 comeback victory in Game No. 1.

CWHS would then proceed to make another late-game comeback in game two to secure a trip to the Regional Quarters. This was thanks, in large part, to the efforts made by senior outfielders, Sam Myers (2 RBIs) and Kolvin Davis (3-4), as well as relief pitcher Ty Mason (Jr.) who earned the night's save.

The next obstacle they face is Klein Oak, who has emerged has one of the scary sleepers this Spring.

Oaks' Makoy Stone (Jr. OF) had himself a series against Grand Oaks, racking up some key RBIs to help lead the Panthers to Round No. 3. Junior infielders Reed Osborne and EJ Garcia also remained consistent, hitting 3-for-7 and 3-for-8 respectively.

Cy Woods and Klein Oak will be facing off at Tomball High School starting this Thursday. This is a matchup you won't want to miss.

No. 5--Clear Falls Knights v. Pearland Oilers

Clear Falls Knights

2022-23 Regular Season: 19-12/District 24-6A Champions

Head Coach: Eddie Youngblood

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 9-0, Game 2: W 3-2) v. Dawson
• Area Round: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 9-0, Game 2: W 10-0) v. Summer Creek

Pearland Oilers

2022-23 Regular Season: 27-5-1/District 23-6A Champions

Head Coach: David Rogers

2022-23 Playoffs:

• Bi-District: Series Sweep (Game 1: W 11-3, Game 2: W 11-1) v. Brazoswood
• Area Round: 2-1 Series Win (Game 1: W 8-0, Game 2: L 6-7, Game 3: W 4-3) v. Atascocita

Clear Falls made history this past week by reaching the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.

The Knights have been able to depend on the two-punch knockout of Alec Beversdorf (Sr. RHP) and Texas-commit David Ramirez (So. LHP) into the postseason, which was evidenced by their consecutive shutout victories against Summer Creek.

Clear Falls will also look to senior OF Maxwell Williams to anchor the lineup when they need some big hits against Pearland this week.

Speaking of, the Oilers are coming off a thriller of a series against Atascocita, which was highlighted by a 4-3 walkoff win in Game No. 3 via an RBI-single hit by Bubba Moya (Jr. OF).

Look for Texas A&M-signee Caden Ferraro (Sr. P/1B) to have a major impact on the outcome of the ensuing series.

The two surging ball clubs will meet at Channelview High School to decide who advances to the Regional Tournament

OTHER(S) TO WATCH:

Kingwood Mustangs (22-7-3/District 21-6A Champions) v. Clear Springs Chargers (20-9-1/FInished 3rd in District 24-6A)