Who are these guys?
College Park Baseball Prepare for the 6A Playoffs
Todd James
May 23, 2018, 8:23 pm
Surprising run has Cavaliers in fourth round of 6A playoffs.
There’s a recurring theme in the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” where the outlaws are being chased by a relentless posse of lawmen.
Butch and Sundance cannot shake the nameless, faceless group from their trail as they watch the burning torches from the horseback posse getting closer in the night sky.
At one point Butch asks Sundance “Who are these guys”?
The Houston baseball community is now asking the same question about the College Park Cavaliers.
“Who are these guys”?
The Cavaliers had to finish off a pesky Conroe squad the last game of the season just to garner the fourth and last playoff sport in district 12-6A.
With a regular season record of 14-16 (7-7 in district) the Cavaliers got hot quickly and have made an astonishing run through the playoffs. Breezing through the first three rounds with their only loss coming to Rockwall-Heath in the first round.
Led by “switch pitcher” Brandon Garza, who amazingly pitches from either side of the mound with either hand, the Cavaliers are in the regional semi-finals for only the second time in school history.
The first time being way back in 2009.
Only a junior, the ambidextrous Garza will most likely start game one and is 3-0 in the playoffs with key wins over Rockwall-Heath, Pearce, and Oak Ridge.
“We have to go as hard as we can this week,”said Garza.
“Its the fourth round and we’re losing for a win this Thursday to get things started.”
Also contributing mightily for the Cavlaliers are senior infielders Travis Washburn and Luke Trahan, who each homered in the final game against Oak Ridge.
Cavalier Coach Jason Washburn has his team primed for an another upset against a Round Rock team that finished the regular season 32-8 and ranked #11 by TxHighSchoolBaseball.com.
“Its going to be a really good series,” said Washburn.
“And its going to be the best show in town starting Thursday night (in Huntsville.)”
The Cavaliers will play their opening round game Thursday night at 6pm at Sam Houston State’s Don Sanders Stadium. Due to graduation ceremonies Friday night the series concludes Saturday evening at Dell Diamond Stadium in Round Rock with the second game of the series starting at 5:30pm.
A third game, if necessary, will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the prior days game.
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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