Barbecues, afternoon showers, studying for finals, jumping in the pool, and Jesuit baseball playoff games. Five images common during the month of May around the friendly confines of 12345 Inwood Rd. This past May was no different as Jesuit baseball reached the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year under the helm of Coach Brian Jones while also winning a 4th consecutive district title. Last time we checked up on the Rangers, they had completed the first half of district play, so now it is time to see how they clinched their district title and playoff berth.
In the first game of the second half of district play, Jesuit took on Dallas Skyline on a bright Saturday morning in April. The Rangers sent flame-throwing Senior Al Higgins to the mound, and he did his job shutting down the Raider offensive attack. The previously-slumping Ranger bats broke out in a big way as they swatted 3 HRs, one each by Darius Hill ’15, Bret Lopez ’13 and William Hairston ’13, as the Rangers came up victorious 10-0.
Next up was a drive down Highway 75 to visit the Berkner Rams. On the mound for the Rangers that Tuesday night was Nick Campagna, a senior who struggled heavily in his junior year, but stepped up to form a solid number 2 behind ace Johnny Morin ’13 throughout the season. Campagna had his best game that night as he held the Rams to 2 runs on only 4 hits, while the suddenly red-hot Ranger offense provided 7 runs of support.
Those two wins put the Rangers in a dead lock for the district lead with surprising district 9-5A newcomer, JJ Pearce, as WT White had knocked off Pearce that same Tuesday night, both teams now standing with 8-1 district records.
However, heading to Jesuit that upcoming Friday night was none other than the WT White Longhorns. The Rangers had already beaten them 7-1 three weeks prior at a game played at WT White’s field with ace Johnny Morin on the mound. It was family day and alumni day at Jesuit ballpark, so kids, parents and students packed the stands for the rivalry game.
The crowd got to enjoy an appetizer of the JV game beforehand, which Jesuit won 7-6 in a hard fought victory. That game set the tone for the varsity contest.
On the mound for the Rangers was Senior Garret Franzio, a crafty southpaw who would be countered with a hard throwing righty for White in Junior Jake McKenzie. White got the first punch in, scoring 3 runs in the top of the 1st behind a base-clearing triple from McKenzie. However, the Rangers came right back and scored 3 of their own in the home half of the inning with base hits from Grant Hatzman ’13, Grant Reuben ’15, and a bunt hit from Max Ready ’14. The game settled down after that, with both pitchers only allowing one run each till the 7th inning, putting the score at 4-4.
In the top of the 7th, White worked some good at bats, loading the bases with 2 outs. Franzio was getting tired, so the Rangers made a move to the bullpen, bringing in Higgins for the last out. However, he couldn’t come through as he walked the hitter, bringing in the winning run and giving the Longhorns a 5-4 lead. The Rangers couldn’t answer in the home half of the 7th and WT White won the hard fought contest.
However, the Rangers couldn’t dwell on the loss, and they had Lake Highlands the next morning at Lake Highlands. They sent ace Johnny Morin to the mound in hope of stopping the slide, and he didn’t disappoint as he allowed only one run. The Wildcats, though, countered with an ace of their own in Senior Hudson Taylor as he pitched the game of his life shutting out the Rangers 1-0. This devastating loss left the team with an 8-3 district record, tying for second place with Lake Highlands and WT White behind first place JJ Pearce, who had a 9-2 record.
Coincidentally, the team next on the schedule was the JJ Pearce Mustangs. The Rangers sent Nick Campagna to the mound for his second start of the week. Behind the right arm of Camp and the bat of Darius Hill, they stopped their slide, knocking off Pearce 8-1. That win created a four way tie for first place, with fifth place Berkner only one loss behind with a 7-4 record with two games to play. Luckily for the Rangers, they had the easiest schedule left, as they beat Sunset 10-0, which brought them to the final day of district play.
Since JJ Pearce had lost to drop their record to 8-4, there was a three way tie for first place between Lake Highlands, Jesuit and WT White. Lake Highlands and WT White were played each other while Jesuit took on Richardson. WT White won, and Jesuit won 5-1 behind two home runs from Grant Reuben ’15 which set up a one game playoff to decide the district championship the next day at the neutral sight of Lewisville High School. The much anticipated matchup ended up being a blowout, as Jesuit won 12-2 in a total team effort. Star performers for the Rangers were DH Stuart Deary ’14 who had 4 RBIs, and Charlie Young ’14 who had 2 hits and played great defense. Once the final out was recorded, the team charged the mound and dog piled in act of pure jubilation in celebration for their 4th straight district title.
The district championship set up the Rangers for a first round matchup with the McKinney Lions in the first round of the playoffs. The first game of the series was played on a cold and rainy Thursday night at McKinney’s stadium. The Rangers played hard but lost 6-5. This set up a do-or-die Game 2 Friday night at Jesuit.
The Rangers came out swinging, scoring 3 in the first; however, for every run the Rangers had, McKinney answered with some of their own. The game stayed so close that it went to extra innings with neither team scoring until the 11th, when McKinney scored 4 runs off some poor defense. In the bottom half of the inning with the season on the line, Jesuit could only push across 2 runs to lose 9-7 and end their season.
While the season had a tough-to-swallow loss to end it, the season as a whole was a huge success. The team fought through adversity with 3 district losses because they played big when it was needed, winning their 4th straight district title.
Congrats to Jesuit Baseball on a great season!
