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State Semifinals Preview: Keller baseball looks to take down Strake Jesuit
Keller baseball is gearing up to face Houston Strake Jesuit College Prep in the UIL Class 6A State Semifinal matchup. Let's take a look at the breakdown between the teams per MaxPreps.
Keller Indians
The Indians have posted a 35-7 overall record on the season. After finishing first in their district, they fought their way through an incredible playoff run to make it to the UIL State Tournament. With six athletes posting above a .300 batting average, the Indians' lineup will be hard to shut down. Seniors Gray Rowlett (.393), Trey Orman (.345), Clayton Thomas (.333), Aidan Connors (.369), and Todd Baffa (.304) alongside junior Mike Dattalo (.409) have led the charge all season as the Keller offense has outscored their opponents by over 170 runs this season.
The Keller bats combined with a nearly unmatchable pitching duo in Eric Hammond (USC signee) and Robert Cranz (Wichita State signee) gives the Indians a possible upper hand against a strong Strake Jesuit team.
Strake Jesuit Crusaders
The Crusaders have posted a 27-12-1 record on the season so far en route to the semifinals. As a team that consistently scores behind a great lineup, the Crusader's offense is going to be hard to shut down.
Outscoring their opponents by nearly 100 runs this season, the Crusaders have been on fire. With sophomore Clay Richardson (batting .421 on the season) and junior Trey Duffield (.314) leading the way in batting averages for the team, Strake Jesuit has what it takes to truly put Keller's defense to work.
Prediction
Defense wins championships. Keller's defensive strength will have what it takes to advance to the state final, but not without a fight.
The semifinal is set to begin at 4 p.m. at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Keller Baseball vs. the rest of Texas: The Indians look to snag a state title
With the mantra of "win Texas", no one can deny that Keller baseball has had an incredible season so far. From finishing first in their district to posting an 82% win percentage, the Indians have a lot going for them as they enter the UIL Class 6A State Tournament. The icing on the cake for the Indians this season would be a state title. Let's take a look at how they got to this point!
The Indians opened the season strong in non-district matchups against Rockwall, Prosper Rock Hill, Coppell, Plano, and more. Opponents had a difficult time snuffing out Keller's fire as the Indians went on to post a 9-1 district record; their only district loss coming against an incredibly strong Southlake Carroll team en route to playoffs.
In the first two rounds of playoffs, Keller took on Weatherford and El Paso Americas with ease, defeating both teams in only two games. Then came V.R. Eaton. Despite dropping the second game, the Indians were able to regroup and take the series in three. Next up came Coppell in the Regional Semi-Finals. In an almost identical fashion, Keller dropped game 2 only to come back stronger in game three for the series win.
Last week, Keller faced off against Southlake Carroll in a meeting that would decide the fate of both teams. One would advance to the state tournament, the other would have their hopes at a state title squandered. Keller topped Southlake 2-1 in game 1 before a huge loss nearly set them all the way back in game two as Southlake won by 10 runs. Keller showed their nature of resilience as they entered game 3 looking as strong as ever; defeating Southlake Carroll and advancing to the state tournament.
With a 32-7 overall record, the Indians have outscored their opponents by 169 runs. Playing great offense with a strong batting lineup, the Indians are able to come in each game ready to get rolling. Scoring early and often seems to be the name of the game in Keller. Keller will have to keep that same energy going into the State Semifinals if they want to advance to the championships.