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06-07-2006, 10:34 AM
Bulldogs two wins away from state crown
By Jacob Brown / brownj@reporternews.com
June 7, 2006
With part of Wylie's goal complete, the Bulldogs can achieve the ultimate end to their season by winning two more games.
Wylie earned a trip to the UIL Baseball State Championships beginning today at Dell Diamond in Round Rock by defeating Decatur for the Region I title last weekend. The Bulldogs will face Region IV champion Falfurrias at 7 p.m. in the second Class 3A semifinal matchup of the day.
Both teams have withstood a difficult road through the playoffs, but the lack of familiarity with each other will present a new challenge.
''At this point, we don't know a whole lot about Falfurrias. I imagine everybody's in the same boat,'' Wylie coach Clay Martin said. ''Right now we're just concerned about our team and getting ourselves to play as good a baseball game as we can.''
Falfurrias coach David Salinas agreed that his players will need to focus on what got them to where they are instead of worrying about their opponent.
''We've just got to play the game of baseball the way we know how, and keep doing the things that we're doing and adjust on the run,'' Salinas said.
For the Jerseys - who are making their third trip to state but first since 1993 - that means continuing strong defensive play. In seven of its nine playoff games, Falfurrias allowed three runs or less and shut out its opponent twice.
''We're pretty well-balanced, but during the playoffs there was a stretch where we were playing tremendous defense,'' Salinas said. ''We've had pretty solid pitching and real good defense, and I'd say the kids have come through like you have to in the playoffs.''
Wylie has experienced its share of ups and downs during the postseason. The Bulldogs have played four games on the brink of elimination, having lost their openers in the area round to Canyon and the regional final round to Decatur. But Wylie was able to bounce back with wins in the second and third games of each series to stay alive.
The Bulldogs have also shown how dominant they can be. Six of their eight wins have come by at least five runs, and they came back to win from a seven-run, fourth-inning deficit in the opening game of the regional semifinal against West.
The victorious team will face the winner of the matchup between Texarkana Liberty-Eylau and Bridge City for the state championship at 6 p.m. Thursday, also at Dell Diamond.
But the Wylie players know they cannot overlook today's contest.
''We just approach it like every game. You win, or you die and go home,'' Bulldogs senior Chase Davis said. ''We've been talking the last two weeks about how we want to be the one team. When we break out of the huddle, we say 'One team,' so that's our approach. We want to be the last team there.''
Davis is one of several key seniors that has led Wylie to the state tournament for the fourth time overall and the first time since 2002. The experience of the seniors played in integral factor in the Bulldogs advancing through the region after the team fell in the regional quarterfinals last season, and it could prove to be the difference in Round Rock.
''We all just believed in each other,'' Davis said of his teammates. ''We knew we could do it coming into this year and that we had a good shot of making it this far.''
WYLIE (27-8) VS. FALFURRIAS (28-6)
What: Class 3A semifinal matchup of the UIL Baseball State Championships
Where: Dell Diamond in Round Rock
When: 7 p.m. today
Radio: KWKC 1340 AM
By Jacob Brown / brownj@reporternews.com
June 7, 2006
With part of Wylie's goal complete, the Bulldogs can achieve the ultimate end to their season by winning two more games.
Wylie earned a trip to the UIL Baseball State Championships beginning today at Dell Diamond in Round Rock by defeating Decatur for the Region I title last weekend. The Bulldogs will face Region IV champion Falfurrias at 7 p.m. in the second Class 3A semifinal matchup of the day.
Both teams have withstood a difficult road through the playoffs, but the lack of familiarity with each other will present a new challenge.
''At this point, we don't know a whole lot about Falfurrias. I imagine everybody's in the same boat,'' Wylie coach Clay Martin said. ''Right now we're just concerned about our team and getting ourselves to play as good a baseball game as we can.''
Falfurrias coach David Salinas agreed that his players will need to focus on what got them to where they are instead of worrying about their opponent.
''We've just got to play the game of baseball the way we know how, and keep doing the things that we're doing and adjust on the run,'' Salinas said.
For the Jerseys - who are making their third trip to state but first since 1993 - that means continuing strong defensive play. In seven of its nine playoff games, Falfurrias allowed three runs or less and shut out its opponent twice.
''We're pretty well-balanced, but during the playoffs there was a stretch where we were playing tremendous defense,'' Salinas said. ''We've had pretty solid pitching and real good defense, and I'd say the kids have come through like you have to in the playoffs.''
Wylie has experienced its share of ups and downs during the postseason. The Bulldogs have played four games on the brink of elimination, having lost their openers in the area round to Canyon and the regional final round to Decatur. But Wylie was able to bounce back with wins in the second and third games of each series to stay alive.
The Bulldogs have also shown how dominant they can be. Six of their eight wins have come by at least five runs, and they came back to win from a seven-run, fourth-inning deficit in the opening game of the regional semifinal against West.
The victorious team will face the winner of the matchup between Texarkana Liberty-Eylau and Bridge City for the state championship at 6 p.m. Thursday, also at Dell Diamond.
But the Wylie players know they cannot overlook today's contest.
''We just approach it like every game. You win, or you die and go home,'' Bulldogs senior Chase Davis said. ''We've been talking the last two weeks about how we want to be the one team. When we break out of the huddle, we say 'One team,' so that's our approach. We want to be the last team there.''
Davis is one of several key seniors that has led Wylie to the state tournament for the fourth time overall and the first time since 2002. The experience of the seniors played in integral factor in the Bulldogs advancing through the region after the team fell in the regional quarterfinals last season, and it could prove to be the difference in Round Rock.
''We all just believed in each other,'' Davis said of his teammates. ''We knew we could do it coming into this year and that we had a good shot of making it this far.''
WYLIE (27-8) VS. FALFURRIAS (28-6)
What: Class 3A semifinal matchup of the UIL Baseball State Championships
Where: Dell Diamond in Round Rock
When: 7 p.m. today
Radio: KWKC 1340 AM