Texas high school baseball playoffs: 2022 UIL Class 1A Baseball State Tournament preview, players to watch
AUSTIN, Texas — The road to the Texas high school baseball state championships ends this week deep in the heart of the Lone Star State at the 2022 UIL Baseball State Tournament.
The sixth and seventh rounds of the playoffs will get underway at Dell Diamond in Round Rock and Disch-Falk Field in Austin with the last two dozen teams left standing around the state battling for six titles during a five-day state championship weekend.
RELATED: Class 1A UIL Baseball State Tournament bracket
The action will kick off with the UIL’s Class 1A Baseball State Tournament, as semifinal matchups begin Wednesday (June 8) followed by the 1A state championship game on Thursday (June 9).
Here are the projected first-pitch times for each of those Class 1A state tournament games:
- Class 1A state semifinal — Nazareth (20-1) vs. Kennard (24-14), 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 8th, at Dell Diamond in Round Rock
- Class 1A state semifinal — D’Hanis (26-3) vs. Abbott (21-3-2), Noon Wednesday, June 8th, at Dell Diamond in Round Rock
- Class 1A state championship — Nazareth/Kennard vs. D’Hanis/Abbott, 9 a.m. Thursday, June 9th, at Dell Diamond in Round Rock
SBLive Texas will be taking a closer look at the state’s top players, storylines and x-factors to watch in each classification level during the 2022 UIL Baseball State Championships throughout the week.
We’ll begin by taking a deep dive to analyze the competition in the four-team Class 1A baseball state tournament field, which features Abbott, D’Hanis, Kennard and Nazareth.
Here’s what you need to know about the Panthers, Cowboys, Tigers and Swifts before they step onto the diamond to duel for the 1A UIL Baseball State Championship:
ABBOTT PANTHERS
Season Record: 21-3-2 overall, Region II champions
How They Got Here: 8-0 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 13-3; W 11-0 vs. Coolidge
- Regional quarterfinal — W 3-1; W 14-3 vs. Graford
- Regional semifinal — W 4-3; W 7-2 vs. Hubbard
- Regional championship — W 8-7; W 11-6 vs. Dodd City
Head Coach: Kyle Crawford (8th season)
Players to Watch: Junior 1B/P Preston Pustejovsky; Junior 2B/UTL Karsyn Johnson; Senior LF/RF Keaton Pustejovsky; Junior C/P Will Kazda; Senior P/INF Kyle Gerik
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Four (2018)
UIL Baseball State Championships (Most Recent): One (2017)
Distance to Dell Diamond: 109 miles
D’HANIS COWBOYS
Season Record: 26-3 overall, Region IV champions
How They Got Here: 8-0 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 11-1; W 15-4 vs. Leakey
- Regional quarterfinal — W 13-0; W 11-1 vs. Bruni
- Regional semifinal — W 16-1; W 10-0 vs. Knippa
- Regional championship — W 11-2; W 7-4 vs. Fayetteville
Head Coach: Todd Craft (26th season)
Players to Watch: Junior OF Eusebio Tapia; Senior OF Luke Langfeld; Sophomore DH/P Will Schawe; Junior 3B/P Daelyn Gonzales; Senior C/P Ethan Reyes; Senior OF Koby Fortner
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Seven (2019)
UIL Baseball State Championships (Most Recent): Two (2019)
Distance to Dell Diamond: 153 miles
KENNARD TIGERS
Season Record: 24-14 overall, Region III champions
How They Got Here: 8-2 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 10-0; W 15-1 vs. Oakwood
- Regional quarterfinal — W 11-3; W 10-3 vs. Chireno
- Regional semifinal — L 6-8; W 9-6; W 14-11 vs. Chester
- Regional championship — L 4-5; W 10-0; W 16-4 vs. Union Hill
Head Coach: Blake Wallace (1st season)
Players to Watch: Junior SS/P Jaden Kulms; Senior SS/P Dylan Cole; Junior C/P Keyton Lumbreraz; Senior 1B/P Ryan Pilkington; Senior 2B Caleb Alfred
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Two (2021)
UIL Baseball State Championships (Most Recent): None
Distance to Dell Diamond: 170 miles
NAZARETH SWIFTS
Season Record: 20-1 overall, Region I champions
How They Got Here: 7-1 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 20-0 vs. Follett
- Regional quarterfinal — W 10-0; W 13-0 vs. Borden County
- Regional semifinal — W 3-0; W 10-0 vs. Kress
- Regional championship — W 3-2; L 5-7; W 15-14 vs. Ira
Head Coach: Tyler Goodwin (1st season)
Players to Watch: Senior P/SS Trent Gerber; Junior C/P Luke Schulte; Junior SS/P Carson Heiman; Sophomore RF/2B Jack Welps
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Two (2021)
UIL Baseball State Championships (Most Recent): None
Distance to Dell Diamond: 443 miles
Stay with SBLive Texas all week and throughout the postseason for scores, game recaps, photo galleries, top performers and much more.
For complete statewide scores and schedules, check our Texas scoreboards below:
REGION I SCOREBOARD | REGION II SCOREBOARD
REGION III SCOREBOARD | REGION IV SCOREBOARD
Here are the brackets for every classification level this week at the 2022 Texas (UIL) Baseball State Championships:
CLASS 6A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 5A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 4A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 3A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 2A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 1A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
You can also download the SBLive Sports app to follow along on your phone:
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More from SBLive Texas:
Vote for the Texas High School Athlete of the Week! (May 30-June 5)
(Feature photo by Andrew McCulloch)
