A Look at the Semifinal Match-Ups for Diboll, Garrison & Kennard

The Diboll Lumberjacks, Garrison Bulldogs, and Kennard Tigers will be playing at the UIL State Baseball Tournament at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.  Let's take a look at the upcoming schedule while also taking a look at their opponents in the semifinal games.

Diboll Lumberjacks

It's hard to believe that just a little over a month ago, the Lumberjacks were playing against Central Heights to see who would be seeded as the top team coming out of District 21-3A.  Diboll won that showdown with the Blue Devils and has now rolled into the Class 3A State Tournament after sweeping the Franklin Lions in the regional finals

The Lumberjacks are 38-4 on the season and will now face the Brock Eagles in the state semifinal game.  That game is scheduled to get underway at 12 noon on Friday, June 10 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

Getting to Know the Brock Eagles

Brock is located about a 30-minute drive west of Fort Worth, and their school is an athletic powerhouse.  Whether football, basketball, track & field, softball, and/or baseball, their girls and boys teams are frequently competing at state tournaments.

Brock Baseball is making its 7th appearance at the state baseball tournament. Last year, the Eagles were taken down in the semifinal round by Corpus Christi Landon, 7-2.

The Eagles are senior-heavy on the pitching mound.  Tristan Boedeker boasts a record of 11-2, Dusty Baker is 7-0, and Peyton Shaffer is 5-0.

Garrison Bulldogs

The Garrison Bulldogs are making their second straight trip to the UIL State Baseball Tourney. Last year, Garrison defeated Bosqueville, 7-6, in the semifinal game before falling to New Deal, 7-2, in the Class 2A State Championship Game.

The Bulldogs (31-7-1) have won 23 out of their last 24 games, and they are ranked #1 in Class 2A.  They rolled through the playoffs without suffering a loss.  This year, Garrison will face the Shiner Comanches in the state semifinal game.  That game will take place on Wednesday, June 8 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock with the first pitch scheduled at 7 p.m.

Getting to Know the Shiner Comanches

The third-ranked Comanches are perfect on the year with 33 wins without a loss.  For the most part, they have blown through most of the opponents with an exception being the regional finals.  Shiner took a couple of 1-run victories in their showdown with Mumford.

Shiner made it to the semifinals last year before losing to New Deal, 14-1. This will mark the sixth time their baseball program has made it to the state tournament.  If the Comanches do come away with a state championship, they will be one of the few teams in Texas history to hold the football and baseball state championships in the same school year.

The Comanches are solid top to bottom in their line-up, but two juniors lead the way.  Drew Wenske is 10-0 on the mound this year and has a .489 batting average.  Meanwhile, Ryan Peterson is 13-0 and his batting average is an unheard of .596.

Kennard Tigers

For the second straight year, the Kennard Tigers are back at the state tournament in Round Rock.  Last year, the Tigers won their semifinal game against Hubbard before falling to Fayetteville, 6-4, in the Class A State Championship Game.

This year, Kennard (24-14) will take on the Nazareth Swifts in the Class A State Semifinal Game.  The first pitch will take place on Wednesday, June 8 at 9 a.m. at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

Getting to Know the Nazareth Swifts

Just like Kennard, they are making their 2nd appearance in school history at the State Tournament in baseball.  Last year, they fell in the semifinals to the eventual state champs (Fayetteville).

The Swifts are 20-1 on the season, and their stats are beastly.  In their 21 games this year they have outscored their opponents 221-47.  That means they are beating their opponents on average by a score of 11-2. They are led by Trent Garber. The senior pitcher is 12-0 on the season and has signed to play ball at Seward County Community College in Kansas.  He also leads the team in batting with a .418 average.

A Series for the Ages

Nazareth is ranked #2 in the state in Class A baseball, and their only loss came to the #1 team (Ira Bulldogs) in the regional finals.  Let's talk about that historic series.  Not only was it a showdown between the top two teams in the state, but the head coach for Ira is Toby Goodwin, who just happens to be the dad of Tyler Goodwin, the head coach for Nazareth.

In that 3-game series, Nazareth won the opener 3-2 with Gerber getting the win.  Ira forced a third game after defeating the Swifts 7-5.  Then came the historic final game for the right to advance to state.  Nazareth was down 12-2 in that game before rallying for a 15-14 win in extra innings.

How to Watch the Games

Bally Sports Southwest and NFHS Network will combine to televise and webcast the UIL State Baseball Tournament June 8-11 from Dell Diamond and UFCU Disch Falk Field.   

Find out more about how to view the games here.

A | B-C | D-G | H-J | K-M | N-S | T-Z

A

B-C

D-G

H-J

K-M

N-S

T-Z