Who are these guys?
College Park Baseball Prepare for the 6A Playoffs
Todd James
May 23, 2018, 8:23 pm
The Cavaliers are in the regional semi-finals for only the second time in school history Vype
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.
The Houston Astros will go for the sweep Wednesday afternoon in Phoenix as they wrap up a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With wins in the first two games of the series and three straight overall, the AL West-leading Astros are starting to find their rhythm again, and they’ll look to keep it going behind left-hander Brandon Walter.
Walter (1-3, 3.66 ERA) has been steady since joining the rotation, and he'll be tasked with keeping Arizona’s contact-heavy lineup in check. The Diamondbacks, sitting fourth in the NL West at 50-52, are hitting .253 as a team, fifth-best in the National League, but have struggled to string together wins at home, where they’re just 26-27.
Opposing Walter is right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who enters with a 10-6 record and 4.74 ERA. He’s capable of missing bats but can be vulnerable to power, something the Astros lineup will try to exploit as they look to post at least eight hits for the fourth straight game. A mark that has typically led to success this season (39-19 when they reach it).
Houston will again lean on veterans like Jose Altuve and the red-hot Victor Caratini, who’s 13-for-36 over his last 10 games. Brice Matthews and Christian Walker have also sparked the offense in recent days, while the bullpen continues to deliver under pressure.
For Arizona, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez have been the primary power threats of late, with Suárez clubbing eight home runs in his last 10 games. If the Diamondbacks want to avoid the sweep, they’ll need to capitalize on any early chances against Walter and match Houston’s timely hitting.
First pitch is set for 3:40 p.m. EDT.
Lineup takeaways
For the finale, you'll notice Cam Smith is not in the leadoff spot and playing right field. Smith gets the day off with Taylor Trammell hitting first and playing center field, followed by Victor Caratini, who is playing first base. Christian Walker is the DH and hitting third, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Brice Matthews (2B), Mauricio Dubon (SS), Cooper Hummel (LF), Chas McCormick (RF), and Shay Whitcomb (3B). Jose Altuve's name is nowhere to be found. It seems like manager Joe Espada is happy with the series win based on this lineup.
Last one on the road.
⚾️: 2:40 PM CDT | 12:40 PM MST
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