The nationally-ranked No. 5 Jesuit Dallas Rangers (35-3-2) punched their first-ever ticket to the UIL 6A Baseball State Championships. Facing Laredo Alexander (31-3) and Arlington Martin (27-5) on the other side of the bracket in the semifinals, the Rangers faced Cypress Ranch (29-6) in the second semifinal on June 12 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. Although they came up just short, losing 2-1, the Rangers still had an incredible season.
It’s been a historic campaign for Jesuit, who have won six consecutive district championships, but had previously never advanced past the regional semifinals. After finishing the regular-season slate with a flawless 14-0 district record, the Rangers’ postseason run has included series victories over Mesquite, Rowlett, Highland Park, Lake Travis and Oak Ridge.
Jesuit clinched its spot in the regional semifinals following a 5-3 victory against regional rival Highland Park. Dubbed the “Tollway Series” and played at the newly-constructed Wright Field, the game was punctuated by a crowd of nearly 2,000 fans.
In their game against Lake Travis, who finished the year as the top team in Austin, the Rangers dropped the opener, 3-2, and then had their backs against the wall as they trailed 5-2 with one out in the bottom of the sixth, the second to last inning, of game two. Down to its last four outs of the season, Jesuit scored seven runs in the frame to knot the series, before going on to score a thrilling 1-0 victory in Game 3.
When speaking about the season overall, Darius Hill ’15 stated, “It was really special to be able to make a run like that senior year. Even though we didn’t accomplish all of the goals we set out for, it was truly a great experience and an awesome way to end my time at Jesuit. We played some great teams and made a lot of memories that’ll last a lifetime.”
Jesuit secured its first state tournament appearance with a pair of victories over Oak Ridge, who finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in Texas and had been paced by Gatorade National Player of the Year Luken Baker. In the series-clinching game at Prosper, the Rangers knocked Baker, who was 12-0 with a 1.02 ERA entering the tilt, for four runs and eight hits, while junior Kyle Muller tossed a complete game for Jesuit in a 4-0 victory.
The Rangers were fantastic on the bump all season, posting a very impressive team earned run average of 1.24. All four of the team’s primary starters, Muller (8-1, 0.99), Harrison Folk (13-1, 1.09), Jacob Palisch (4-0, 1.66) and JJ Montenegro (4-1, 1.81) posted an ERA under 2, while pitching 11 shutouts.
Batting .459 with a team-high 37 RBI and a team-best 44 runs scored, Darius Hill served as the team’s offensive catalyst all season, leading a unit that has batted .333 as a whole while averaging 6.5 runs per game. Nic Ready hit .417, while Muller lead the team in doubles (14) and homeruns (7). All three players have totaled over 30 RBI. In addition, Bryce Bonner, Cameron Dobbs, and Grant Reuben have all played a key part in the team’s attack, especially in the playoffs.
Cameron Dobbs 16′ looked back on the season saying, “It was an unbelievable ride that I will never forget. The thing that made it so special for me is that every single person on the team had a certain role and everyone did their role with the same goal in mind, a State Championship. Even though we came up short it was still a great experience and it is cool to be able to call ourselves the greatest Jesuit baseball team ever.”
This was Jesuit’s strongest finish in the school’s 12 year history in the UIL. The baseball team has made the playoffs 11 of those 12 seasons, and has won 6 consecutive district championships. The loss to Cypress Ranch completes, but does not dampen, the Rangers’ incredible season.
