Of all the UIL sports that encompass District 6-6A, baseball might be the toughest to get a read on from week to week.
That’s partially due to the unique setup of 6-6A’s schedules, where instead of cycling through every opponent once and repeating that order during the second half of district, teams play home-and-home series each week against one another. So even though only a few weeks remain in the regular season, Allen and first-place Hebron are yet to play each other.
That kind of approach can imbalance the difficulty of some schedules compared to others, but that hasn’t deterred Hebron from establishing a commanding lead for first place. With the rest of the district playing catch-up to the Hawks, here’s a rundown of where things stand on the 6-6A diamond.
1. Hebron (10-2)
Justin Thomas: The Hawks had their seven-game win streak in district snapped Tuesday with a 1-0 slip up to McKinney Boyd, but are still in the driver’s seat for the 6-6A crown. Hebron leads Flower Mound by a game and has the benefit of closing the season with four games against current non-playoff teams (Allen and Plano West).
Hebron’s key to the top spot has been its balance. The Hawks boast the district’s most dangerous and balanced offense while also possessing elite pitching.
2. Flower Mound (7-4)
Justin Thomas: The Jaguars are closing in on a playoff berth and still have a chance to catch Hebron for the district title. That should be all the motivation Flower Mound needs down the stretch as earning the No. 2 seed would mean a second-round date with the top team in the state (Coppell).
Pitching continues to be the strength for Flower Mound and the Jaguars have fired shutouts in three of their last four 6-6A wins.
T3. McKinney Boyd (6-5)
Jackson Long: The Broncos are in the playoff picture after finishing one game out of the postseason field in 2015. Boyd is a veteran squad, carried well by the senior starting pitching tandem of Grant Restmeyer and Braxton Webb. A 2-0 sweep of second-place Flower Mound and 1-0 shutout of Hebron have been Boyd’s highlights thus far.
The race for the final two playoff spots from the district will be tight and Boyd can improve its chances with a strong performance in its upcoming series with Lewisville, which is in the mix.
T3. Plano West (6-5)
Tim Glaze: West’s recent loss to Plano dealt a big blow to its playoff hopes, but the team bounced back into the mix with a sweep of Plano East. West will need as many wins as possible in the final stretch of 6-6A play, with many of those games coming against teams currently sharing their plight in the standings.
West’s final four games include a draw with Allen, then two sets of back-to-back games with Boyd and district-leading Hebron to end the season.
5. Flower Mound Marcus (7-7)
Justin Thomas: The perennial playoff competitor Marauders have work to do if they want to take their customary spot in do-or-die games. Marcus sat two games back in the loss column of two teams for the fourth playoff berth despite a win over Allen that snapped a four-game losing skid in which it scored a combined five runs.
Unfortunately, Marcus closes the season against rival Flower Mound — who as noted, will likely have plenty to play for — where runs will again be at a premium.
T6. Allen (5-6)
Matt Welch: The Eagles are yet to string together more than two consecutive wins or losses in district play, yet find themselves entrenched in the playoff discussion. Bolstered by a myriad of pitching options and a strong campaign at the plate by senior Cody Wernli, Allen entered the week tied for third place in and having already completed series against district powers Flower Mound and McKinney Boyd.
If Allen can clean up the occasional defensive lapse – the Eagles are averaging 2.4 errors over their last five games – a return to the playoffs could be in sight.
T6. Lewisville (5-6)
Justin Thomas: No squad in the district has seen more game-to-game drama than the Farmers this season, so it should be no surprise Lewisville will likely also be involved in a tight race for the final playoff berth.
Lewisville’s 4-2 win on April 9 over Allen snapped what had been a streak of five consecutive games that either went to extra innings or were decided by one run. Fittingly, the Eagles still brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning before Lewisville prevailed.
8. Plano Senior (5-7)
Matt Welch: The Wildcats halted a four-game skid over the weekend with a much-needed win over rival West, but still have some ground to make up if a sixth consecutive playoff appearance is in the cards.
If Plano is to reverse course, it’ll require more activity from the plate. Since routing Marcus, 11-2, on March 22, the Wildcats have scored just 10 runs in the six games since. On the mound, junior Zach Holifield has been an iron man for Plano, going at least 6.2 innings in each of his past three starts.
9. Plano East (2-11)
Tim Glaze: The Panthers have shown improved play of late, notching a recent 4-2 win over rival Plano and holding 6-6A leaders Hebron to four runs in a 4-2 loss. But the early-season struggles of East, burying the team in a 4-16-2 hole, have the team stuck in the 6-6A cellar halfway through the district tilt.
The remaining schedule doesn’t get any easier for East: a game with rival Plano West, against McKinney Boyd, and back-to-back games with Flower Mound to end the season.