All that said, let’s dive in.
District 25-6A
This district was already competitive enough last year; with Hutto added back into the 2025 mix, it really makes this district a wide open 9-team scramble. Perennial state power Round Rock tied with Vista Ridge for the district title in 2024. The Dragons have a bunch of those guys back and all that experience is reflected in their early 10-1-1 mark. Vandegrift was five outs away from the playoffs in 2024 before falling to Westwood in a play-in game. The Vipers (10-2) return both starting pitchers and have found an offense to support their hurlers. Cedar Ridge and Stony Point also appear poised to battle for a playoff spot. It’s a mad scramble behind them as Westwood and Vista Ridge look to rebuild and McNeil tries to step up from spoiler into a playoff spot. Hutto hovers around the .500 mark and scrambles the race as the newcomer while Manor, while not yet competitive in the district, has already doubled its win total from last season. In short, eight of the nine teams in this monster district can win on any given night. This will be one of the best races in the state.
District 26-6A
Westlake and Lake Travis, blah, blah, blah. Except that it’s not that simple this year. Sure, the Chaparrals appear to have regained their footing after missing the playoffs for the first time in forever last season. But the defending champion Cavs have struggled to a .500 start despite a plethora of returning talent. All eyes are on Dripping Springs as the Tigers have nearly everyone back from last year’s squad that fell in Game 3 of the Area round on a walk-off balk. (Ouch). The Tigers have more than held their own while facing a brutal tournament schedule. Bowie is in rebuild mold after a solid 2024 and figures to battle Austin High for the final playoff spot. The Maroons appear much improved despite their lackluster record. With Buda Johnson moving to the more southern facing District 27-6A and Anderson moving down to 5A, Akins and Del Valle remain to try and surprise the field and be the fourth qualifier from this 7-team district.
District 23-5A
It would be easy to say that Georgetown, who’s almost always a threat to go deep into the playoffs, is having an off year. That’s what happens when you post an un-Eagles like 3-7-1 record in the early going. But a closer look reveals very close losses to some very good teams, i.e. Rouse, Rockwall, Heath, Round Rock, etc.) Don’t overlook the Eagles. But also, don’t dismiss Weiss as the Wolves have built on a solid 2024 with an impressive 8-2-2 mark heading into district. None of the other five teams – Connally, East View, Elgin, Hendrickson or Pflugerville – are above .500 at this point of the season. And that’s okay. All have a solid core of returning players and, like District 24-5A below, it will come down to which team will “gel” the fastest.
District 24-5A
The best team in this district wasn’t in this district last year. In fact, they weren’t a 5A team at all. The Anderson Trojans went 20-11 overall in 2024 only (just) missing the playoffs because they competed in what last year was a punishing 9-team District 26-6A with Westlake, Lake Travis, Dripping Springs and Bowie. Reclassified as 5A, the Trojans are off to a solid start and should do very well in this Austin ISD-centric district. That’s especially true since McCallum, who’s usually always in the mix for a district title, has struggled out of the gate as the Knights look to rebuild on-the-fly. Most of the rest of the district hovered around the .500 mark last season, including Bastrop ISD’s Cedar Creek. The Eagles return a solid nucleus and should battle Anderson for the district title. Behind them, it will be a wide-open race between McCallum, Bastrop, Crockett, LASA and Navarro for the final two playoff spots.
District 25-5A
One would be hard-pressed to find a more competitive baseball district in the State of Texas last year. Start with state semifinalist Rouse and regional quarterfinalist and perennial power Cedar Park, then throw in 20+ winners Liberty Hill and Hays as your other two playoff teams. If anything, the field is more tightly packed this year. Rouse is off to another great start, but they have some holes to fill. Liberty Hill has also posted a good pre-season mark despite playing some tough competition while Hays has beaten the teams they should beat. It’s a mess behind them. Leander just missed the playoffs last season while Lockhart and Lehman will be in the mix. And despite losing a ton of talent to graduation and adapting to a new head coach, don’t overlook Cedar Park. Or Glenn, for that matter, as the Grizzles aren’t that far off the mark. This race will be a demolition derby.
Play ball!
