For the first time since 2011 the Corpus Christi area has three high school baseball teams in the UIL state semifinals.
With split divisions introduced to more sports this season, each classification has four teams remaining in Division I and Division II, brackets that were split according to enrollment of playoff qualifiers at the beginning of the postseason.
The trio is trying to claim the Coastal Bend’s first baseball championship since 2022 when London and Sinton each hoised the trophy as the last team standing.
While Calallen and London have made a habit of reaching the state semifinals, Orange Grove has qualified for just the second time and first time since the Bulldogs’ 1994 state championship.
Under the split division format, state semifinal matchups are now decided among the two teams, including time and place and if the pairing will be decided by one game or in a best-of-3 series. Championship games will not be contested until next week.
While the top two teams were separated until the final under the old format, the new format stays true to the bracket, with Region I facing Region II, and regions III and IV on the opposite side of the bracket.
Because of this heavyweights Calallen and China Spring will square off in the semifinals. The programs have combined for seven state championships and 24 state appearances.
Orange Grove and Thrall have each only been to the state tournament one previous time, with Thrall’s coming in 1998. Both teams won the championship in their only appearance.
London has extended its Coastal Bend-best streak of five consecutive state semifinal appearances and will meet Huntington, which qualified for the semifinals for the first time since 1984.
Here is the schedule for this week as the Coastal Bend trio tries to advance to the state championships at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
STATE SEMIFINALSClass 4A Division I
Calallen vs. China Spring
Game 1: 2 p.m. Friday, May 30, Baylor Ballpark, Waco
Game 2: 4 p.m. Saturday, May 31, Northside ISD, San Antonio
Game 3: 30 minutes after Game 2 (If necessary)
Class 3A Division I
London vs. Huntington
One game: 7 p.m. Friday, May 30, Concordia University, Austin
Class 3A Division II
Orange Grove vs. Thrall
All games at North East ISD Sports Park, San Antonio
Game 1: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 28
Game 2: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29
Game 3: 3 p.m. Saturday, May 31 (If necessary)