Last year, the Jesuit baseball team made a historic run to the state championship, marking the first time the team had ever made the trip to state while in the UIL. It was an unforgettable experience that the players, coaches, and fans will never forget.
But, that was last year. This year is different. The team is looking to repeat the run from last year, and it started with the Bi-District round against North Mesquite.
On Friday, May 6th and Saturday, May 7th, the Jesuit Rangers baseball team faced off against North Mesquite in the first round of the playoffs, and the Rangers swept the opponent, shutting them out in both games, 10-0 and then 8-0. These games highlighted the all-around talent of the team, not only their pitching prowess, keeping a shutout in both games, but also their hitting efforts, cranking two home runs and scoring an impressive 18 runs over two games. Kyle Muller ’16 even earned the Dallas Morning News Player of the Week award for his strong performances in both games. Here’s a closer look at both games:
On Friday, May 6th, the Jesuit Rangers began another postseason run in their first game against North Mesquite. With Stanford commit and southpaw Jacob Palisch ’17 on the mound, the opponent never had a chance, as Palisch threw a complete game shutout in five innings and struck out eight batters. A returning pitcher in the rotation from the playoffs last year, Palisch’s veteran experience helped keep his composure and throw a fantastic game.
In the batting column, just about everyone on the team helped out, especially Pete Hamrick ’16 with two hits, two RBIs, and a run scored, Matt Horvath ’16, who had two runs and two hits, and Kyle Muller ’16, who scored three runs on three stolen bases. After the strong win to open up the postseason, the Rangers went home knowing they could finish out the first round with another win the following day.
When describing his feelings now that the team is in the postseason, pitcher J.J. Montenegro ’17 said “It’s playoffs. The hype is real when it comes to the playoffs. Everyone is amped up to start the run for state. It’s a good feeling knowing our offense is in high gear to back up our pitching now.”
On Saturday, May 7th, Jesuit traveled to the Copeland Baseball Field in Mesquite, Texas in an attempt to take home the Bi-District Championship. Behind Muller’s strong performance on the mound and in the batter’s box, the Rangers secured another easy win, shutting out the Stallions 8-0. In fact, to say Muller had a “strong performance” would be an understatement. Muller threw a no-hitter through seven innings, striking out an impressive fifteen opponents, and also hitting a two-run home run to jump-start the Rangers’ offense.
If it weren’t for Muller’s no-hitter, the highlight of the game would most definitely go to Jared Bond’s inside-the-park home run, showcasing his impressive base running abilities. With Muller and Bond’s outstanding performances, the Rangers were able to take home another Bi-District Championship to their fans at Jesuit Dallas.
Commenting on the importance of pitching in playoffs, Montenegro added, “Our pitching has saved us a bunch this season. We believe in our pitching to have well enough outings to give us a chance to win. We just need to continue to challenge guys like we did this past round and hope for the same results this upcoming round.”
As the Rangers prepare throughout the week to face Belton in the area round of the playoffs, they will look to continue their impressive pitching performances behind Palisch, Muller and Montenegro, but will also hope to continue their offensive dominance behind Muller, Bond, and catcher Bryce Bonner ’16.
Pitcher Heath VanKirk ’17 commented on his hopes for the team in the playoffs, adding, “We’re going to do our best to repeat last year’s run and play our hearts out, leaving it all out on the field. I hope that our hard work and dedication will produce fruitful results in the playoffs.”
Be sure to come out and support your Jesuit baseball team as they face Belton High School this Friday night, May 13th, at Wright Field at 7 pm.
