UIL state tournament preview: Brock, Grapevine, Flower Mound to compete in semifinals

When the UIL high school baseball state tournament starts on Wednesday in Round Rock and Austin, three schools from the greater Fort Worth-area will compete in state semifinals: Grapevine, Brock and Flower Mound.

All three school will compete at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. Here is a preview with things to know, players to watch and more.

Grapevine to face Leander Rouse in 5A semifinals

Grapevine (38-5) overcame Argyle in three games in the Class 5A regional finals after a game one loss.

The Mustangs have battled through adversity to make a state tournament for the first time since the 2017 season. They’ll be looking for their second state championship; the first came in the 2016 season, which was also the year they made their first appearance at the state tournament.

Grapevine will face Leander Rouse (34-9-1) at Dell Diamond at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the Class 5A state semifinals The Raiders are making their second state tournament appearance and are looking for their first championship.

Leander Rouse’s pitching staff has been dominant, leading the Raiders to a seven game win streak and sweeps in the regional quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. In the last five games, Leander Rouse’s pitching staff has allowed three total runs.

The Raider offense came alive in the regional finals too, scoring 17 runs in two games.

Grapevine certainly has the talent to match the Raiders’ firepower. The Mustangs have three stellar pitchers in Luke Schreyer, DBU commit Dasan Hill and JoJo Kubo. All three allowed just one run against Argyle, the sixth ranked team by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association in Class 5A.

Grapevine showcased why its the No. 2 ranked Class 5A team by the THSBCA in a decisive game three victory against the Eagles. Grapevine will certainly be the favorite heading in the state semifinal but should not take Leander Rouse lightly, given the No. 6 ranking by the THSBCA.

One player to watch out for is Grapevine catcher and Texas A&M commit Gianni Corral, Perfect Games’ No. 43 ranked sophomore in Texas. Another thriving hitter to keep tabs on is Ryan Williams, Grapevine’s all time leader in RBIs.

Of course, you don’t get RBIs without the batters before you getting on base. Grapevine’s greatest strength is arguably its depth with most players having the ability to step up in key situations.

Brock to face Corpus Christi London in 3A semifinals

Brock’s offense has been firing on all cylinders throughout the postseason.

Following a game one loss to Jacksboro, Brock tallied seven and nine runs en route to punching a ticket to the Class 3A state championship tournament. The Eagles (34-3) will face Corpus Christi London (39-3) at 9 a.m. on Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

Brock is ranked No. 5 in the THSBCA Class 3A poll while Corpus Christi London is ranked No. 2. One player to watch is Brock center fielder Sawyer Strosnider, Perfect Game’s No. 13 ranked Class of 2024 recruit in Texas and a TCU baseball commit.

One Brock pitcher to watch is sophomore Evan O’Connor, who allowed two earned runs in a complete game with the Eagles’ season on the line in the regional finals. He stymied Jacksboro, allowing five hits and striking out 10 batters.

Brock has one state championship in program history. It was claimed in 2006, when Brock was in Class 2A. In total, Brock has eight state tournament appearances with three state semifinal wins.

The Eagles’ last state tournament appearance came in 2022 and culminated with a state championship loss to Corpus Christi London, a program with four consecutive state tournament appearances. Brock has an opportunity to eliminate a rival and a modern staple in the UIL high school baseball state tournament.

Flower Mound to face Pearland in 6A semifinals

Flower Mound has high expectations as the THSBCA’s No. 1 ranked team in Class 6A.

The Jaguars (36-8-2) are on a quest to defend their 2023 state championship and will face Pearland (36-8-2) at 4 p.m. on Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. Flower Mound, in the regional semifinals and finals, secured consecutive series victories in three games against Keller and Pearce.

The Jaguars’ (40-5) lineup is packed with division one talent that has championship experience. Two of their star seniors are committed to Texas A&M: outfielder Sam Erickson and shortstop Adrian Rodriguez.

But the Flower Mound to the SEC pipeline doesn’t stop there. Senior catcher Zane Becker is committed to Arkansas.

The Jaguars also have senior pitcher Zack James, a TCU commit and Perfect Game’s No. 25 ranked right handed pitcher in Texas. James had a shaky start against Pearce, allowing four earned runs. The Horned Frog commit, however, was vital in the regional semifinals against Keller with a complete game, one run performance.

Experience is arguably Flower Mound’s greatest strength, given its core group of upperclassman has a ton of it following last year’s championship season. They’ll need it to defeat Pearland, THSBCA’s No. 3 ranked Class 6A team.

Flower Mound has two state championships and five state tournament appearances in program history.