Friday, Jun. 06, 2008
Hot Dragons Head to State
Carroll Records Fourth Series Sweep, Eliminates Jaguars to Earn Berth to Round Rock
By Zach Warner
Staff Writer
Timely, clutch hits from batters, consistently strong performances by Dragons pitchers and solid, steady defense has resulted in a 10-1 record through five postseason rounds. Eight of those games, seven of which Carroll has won, have been decided by one run.
It all adds up to a trip to the 5A state tournament for the Dragons (22-18), who travel to face tradition-rich Houston Bellaire (39-8) in the 5A state semifinal at 7 tonight at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The winner of the one-game series plays the winner of the Plano West-Laredo United semifinal in the state title game at noon Saturday.
"Every one of those teams [in the 5A state tournament] are tough," said Carroll coach Larry Hughes, who has guided his team to state for the first time since the Dragons won the 4A title in 2002. "You’ve just got to line it up, put your pitcher out there, do it all over again and see if you’re good enough. That’s what it’s all about.
"We’re in the Final Four," he said. "There are 249 5A teams and we’re one of the final four standing. That in itself is a great accomplishment for these guys."
That’s especially true when considering that only three players played on last year’s team. Outfielder Tanner Toal, catcher Andrew LaCombe and pitcher Ethan Cunningham, all seniors, were the only ones to return from a 20-man roster that was much more experienced going into the 2007 season and went three rounds deep into the playoffs. But the unknowns who joined this year’s team have proven their worth in this season’s campaign.
Senior Ross Stripling, who played on Carroll’s JV last year, has posted a 13-0 record with a 1.75 earned-run average and 147 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. First baseman Will Watson, owner of the Dragons’ best average this season (.417), infielder Josh Rake (best hitter in the playoffs with a .393 average) and outfielder Shaun McPeters (.287, 24 RBI, six home runs) are all first-year varsity players that have joined others in making their presence felt this season.
They now face a Bellaire team that returned 10 players from last year and boast 10 nationally-ranked athletes. Catcher Jeremy Schaffer was the highest ranked coming in, while OF/1B/P Wesley Mercurio, third baseman Will McCaleb and P/1B/OF Jared Rothenberg were also highly touted returners this year.
Getting past the Cardinals, who have won seven state titles in school history, including two in the 1990s, is a big enough challenge. A win would mean facing either Laredo United (32-7) or Plano West (38-2), the top-ranked team in the state by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association.
"It doesn’t matter [who we face], we’re just going to go out there and give it our all," said McPeters, who delivered the winning RBI double in the sixth inning of Carroll’s 4-3 victory over Flower Mound in the 5A Region I final on May 30. "We think we have a good chance to win it all."
The Dragons proved that facing challenging teams was something they could handle once again when facing perennial power Flower Mound (22-16).
Carroll’s bats came alive in Game 1 against Flower Mound, as the Dragons were down 1-0 before exploding for a 14-4 win that ended in the sixth due to the 10-run rule. Pitcher Ethan Cunningham (10-3) gave up five hits, while Carroll gathered 13 of its own.
Game 2 saw centerfielder Ronnie Mitchell give his team a 3-0 cushion after belting a two-run homer in the third, but the Jaguars tied it up 3-3 with a run in the top of the sixth. However, McPeters’ late heroics and Stripling’s complete game allowed the Dragons to walk away with another win.
"We’ve been clutch all year," said Stripling, who had 10 strikeouts and got out of several jams in the contest. "We’ve been down going into the last inning or two, and one of our greatest strengths is that we’ve been able to pull it out multiple times.
"Nobody expected us to go this far with only three returners," he said. "To be able to make it this far, it feels great."
Mitchell, whose homer broke him out of some postseason struggles, said reaching state is an indescribable feeling.
"We’re feeling real good, but we’re not done yet because we want to get the state championship," he said. "But we’re going to have fun in the process."
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