GAMES
RANKINGS
Pitching ignites Mustangs’ run to regional quarterfinals
Before he took over as Katy Taylor’s head baseball coach this season, Russell Krenek had a good idea of what he’d be dealing with.
“The first thing I learned is we had some good pitching,” said Krenek, who spent the previous 15 seasons at El Campo. “That’s been the strength. We’re playing the cards we’re dealt and having some strong arms that are really doing a fantastic job for us.”
Largely because of a deep, quality pitching staff, the Mustangs (24-13) are in the regional quarterfinals for the first time since 2014. This coming despite Krenek being the third head coach in three years and Taylor finishing third in District 19-6A.
“It’s amazing to be where we are right now in the playoffs,” senior right-hander Matthew Irwin said. “I don’t think anybody in Texas would’ve said we would make it this far, but we refuse to quit or back down, and our pitching is a big reason why we’re here.”
In six playoff games, Taylor has produced two shutouts and surrendered 22 runs, but only seven runs over the last five games. Irwin (11 2/3 innings, 1.61 ERA, nine strikeouts to three walks), senior right-hander Blake Wolf (7 2/3 innings, four hits allowed) and senior right-hander Jared Schaeffer (11 2/3 innings, 2.41 ERA, 15 strikeouts to five walks) are Taylor’s “big three.”
But there’s more.
Senior right-hander Ryan Mullan (5 1/3 innings) has been terrific out of the bullpen, as has junior left-hander Layne Bishop (2 1/3 innings).
Krenek’s rotation for the bi-district playoff series against George Ranch was Wolf-Schaeffer-Irwin. For the area round against Cy-Fair, it was Irwin-Schaeffer-Wolf. Irwin and Wolf each starred in do-or-die Game 3 wins.
“They’ve all risen to the occasion at different moments, and they’ve all picked each other up at different moments,” Krenek said. “It’s been a total staff effort. Not to sound cliché, but that’s the reality of it. We have staff meetings with our pitchers on how we want to attack, and we don’t necessarily have to roll out the same guy in game one or two or three. We feel like we can do any combination that gives us the best chance to win the game or series.”
The Mustangs are a staff that attacks hitters and throws strikes. Against Cy-Fair, in which all games were decided by one run, Taylor’s pitchers consistently got ahead early in counts, controlling the at-bat.
“We are trying to make the hitters get themselves out,” Schaeffer said. “I think what makes our pitching staff dangerous is that all of us have the potential to go out and give our team a chance to win.”
Many of the pitchers are peaking at the right time of the season. That is by design.
Krenek has emphasized a more intensive recovery process, implementing post-start runs and workouts. Irwin said arm care workouts after games have seen significant improvement from years past.
“It’s nice to have that day in the weight room after a game to stretch your arms and get the blood flowing so we can recover quickly and strengthen our arms,” Irwin said. “I think (Krenek) gets the best out of his pitchers because he knows every guy is different and he lets us do our routine and what we need to do to be successful, while also offering help and coaching us when necessary.”
Leading up to the start of district play, only once did a Mustang throw more than 100 pitches in a game as Krenek made sure not to overextend guys early in the season, knowing he’d need them now.
“That’s been critical, but it’s also a luxury at the same time when you can pull a guy and you have confidence going into the next guy,” Krenek said. “We’re able to do that.”
Another key to the success of the staff is the batterymate, catchers Peter Dworaczyk, a sophomore, and Yianni Stellakis, a junior.
Dworaczyk is highly regarded by Mustang pitchers for his attention to detail, pitch-calling and pitch-framing. Both he and Stellakis stay long after practice to catch extra bullpens.
“They work harder than anyone on the team,” Irwin said.
Katy Taylor is 24-13 this year and enjoying its finest season in eight years.Courtesy of Katy Taylor baseball social media
A staff that gets outs. A coach that cares and actively seeks player input into decision-making. An offense that, while reserved, can put up runs in a hurry when it’s on time against the fastball and driving the ball to right centerfield.
“We aren’t a team that’s going to put up 10 runs a game like some teams we have played this season, so we need our pitching staff to be real consistent,” said Schaeffer, also the Mustangs’ cleanup hitter. “I believe that without how well our pitching has been this year, we wouldn’t be in the position we are in right now.”
More than anything, the Mustangs are a team that will fight. They are 3-0 in elimination games this postseason, having conquered a No. 2 seed in George Ranch and a district champion in Cy-Fair.
“We’re resilient,” Krenek said. “We scare a lot of people. They can’t take Taylor lightly. I think we’re a team that hangs in there and are able to do things late.
“If we get down, we’ve faced adversity numerous times already, so it makes us stronger.”
Katy Taylor stuns No. 3 Katy, rallies for huge upset
KATY—Katy Taylor’s baseball team sent shockwaves Tuesday evening, rallying from a two-run deficit in the seventh inning to stun No. 3 state-ranked Katy, 5-3, at Katy High.
Junior Joe Jefferson drilled a one-out two-run home run to left field in the seventh to tie the game 3-3, and sophomore Chase Marshall followed with a two-out, two-run single to put the Mustangs ahead for good.
“It feels great,” Marshall said. “We had some big-time people come up. Joe, a two-run home run to lead off the inning. Getting runners on base, I was able to drive it in. I got the pitch I wanted, was able to read that closer.”
.@baseball_THS sophomore Chase Marshall discusses the Mustangs\u2019 5-3 upset win over No. 3 Katy tonight. Marshall was 3-4 with three RBIs, two coming in Taylor\u2019s four-run seventh inning. #txhsbase @taylor_mustangs @KatyISDAthletic @THS_Mustangspic.twitter.com/S6MpBOsgXG— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1650419031
It was the first loss in district play for the Tigers, who fell to 22-5 overall and 8-1 in District 19-6A. Katy is now tied with Tompkins for first place in district, each with one loss apiece in 19-6A. Taylor, which will make the playoffs for the second straight year after snapping a three-year skid last season, improved to 18-10 overall, 7-3 in 19-6A.
“This win, in the grand scheme of the district race, doesn’t carry a whole lot of weight,” said first-year coach Russell Krenek. “However, when you can knock off a top-ranked team, it carries a lot of confidence booster. It shows what we’re capable of doing.”
The Tigers were rolling smoothly until the late innings—up 3-1, thanks to solo homers from senior Dominic Melchor and junior Graham Laxton, and a sacrifice RBI from senior Jhonnatan Ferrebus—when junior ace Lucas Moore started tiring and losing control of his command in the sixth inning. Slowly, the Mustangs gained confidence at the plate, especially when Katy brought in senior closer Brayden Powers in the seventh inning.
After mustering two hits over the first five innings, Taylor had six over the final two.
“We were patient,” Marshall said. “I felt that was the big thing. We just started seeing the ball better.”
Sophomore Peter Dworaczyk led off the seventh with a walk. That forced the removal of Moore after 83 pitches. Powers struck out pinch hitter Yianni Stellakis. Then Jefferson drilled the game-tying homer on a 2-0 count.
HUGE DUB VS KATY \u2066@fsmith27\u2069 \u2066@hbucoachbrem\u2069 \u2066@FiveTool\u2069 @TA450\u2069 \u2066@TwelveBaseball\u2069 \u2066@TwelveRecruits\u2069pic.twitter.com/didhwPsP7R— Joe Jefferson (@Joe Jefferson) 1650424439
Brett Dolejsi walked and Hunter Ham singled. Jared Schaeffer struck out, and Marshall stepped up to deliver his go-ahead two-run knock to right.
Chase Marshall two-out two-run single puts @baseball_THS 5-3 on Katy. Still top of the seventh inning. #txhsbase @taylor_mustangspic.twitter.com/QlIuHnxNnO— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1650417404
“I don’t think the game is ever too big for Chase,” Krenek said. “He enjoys playing baseball. There’s no pressure to him. He’s going to relax and have fun, and that’s probably one of his biggest assets. He just plays ball.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Taylor senior ace Blake Wolf, who was brought in for starter Schaeffer in the sixth inning, mowed down Katy’s 9-1-2 hitters with ease: groundout, strikeout, flyout.
Wolf earned the win in two innings of relief, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out two.
“This is huge for us going into the playoffs and beating a team like Katy, a really good baseball team,” Marshall said. “This is amazing. A big confidence booster for us.”
In his first year at the helm, Krenek, previously the head coach at El Campo, has made baseball fun again for the Mustangs. There is an ‘all-for-one’ thing going on at Taylor.
“We’ve got everybody buying in,” Krenek said. “It’s all a ‘want-to’ instead of a ‘have-to’ mentality. We hustle out to seventh period every day, and we get to practice. We don’t have to. It’s that old cliché stuff, but they’ve bought in, and I could not be more proud of these guys.”
Taylor, which graduated 14 seniors from last season, has nine seniors, but the lineup consists of four juniors and two sophomores. Krenek has changed some things in the program but doesn’t care to discuss what.
It doesn’t matter.
“We’re looking through the windshield,” he said, “not the rearview mirror.”
Whatever is being done, it’s working.
“All the buy-in we have right now, there’s proof in the pudding,” Krenek said. “The sky’s the limit. We’re looking forward to the playoffs.”