The UIL baseball state championship games will be held Thursday through Saturday at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. Here are top storylines to watch.
Playoff format strategy
In the UIL, high school pitchers are limited to 110 pitches per day and must rest four days between outings if they throw more than 86. That means in a best-of-3 series, a starting pitcher who throws 86 or more pitches is typically limited to one appearance. This creates challenges for teams that rely heavily on a single ace, often forcing them to piece together a rotation for Games 2 and 3 if the series goes the distance.
Last season, teams like Flower Mound, Lovejoy and Grapevine faced difficult decisions about whether to use their top pitcher in the state semifinals or save them for the state championship just a day or two later. Most teams opted to pitch their ace in the semifinals, which left secondary arms to handle the title game. Programs with a deeper staff — like Grapevine — had a clear advantage. The Mustangs used Dasan Hill, the 69th overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, to dominate in the semifinals, then used Luke Schreyer and JoJo Kubo in the championship game.
But this season is different under the new playoff format, with the semifinals and finals played on different weekends. Some teams have had a full week between games, allowing pitchers more rest. That means every arm is available, and hitters are more recovered. Teams now have the flexibility to use their top two pitchers in the same game — a rarity in previous years due to quick turnarounds.
High School Sports
This benefits deep pitching staffs like Grapevine, which has three pitchers with at least 45 strikeouts, including two with over 68. It also allows the Mustangs to keep two-way players like Lale and Luke Esquivel fresh and ready to contribute on both sides of the game.
Can Grapevine repeat as champion?
Grapevine won its second baseball state title in school history last season after defeating Lovejoy. This year, Grapevine is aiming to go back-to-back and returns seven starters from its championship team.
The UIL’s second-highest classification has featured several repeat champions over the years, but no program has won consecutive titles since Robstown in 1991 and 1992.
Grapevine enters the state championship game with multiple Division I pledges on its roster, while Humble Kingwood Park — its opponent in the final — has none. Kingwood Park entered the postseason ranked No. 8 in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association poll, while Grapevine held the No. 1 spot. Kingwood Park has not defeated a top-10 opponent in the playoffs, while Grapevine knocked off Lovejoy in the state semifinals.
This marks Kingwood Park’s deepest postseason run in program history. Its previous best came in 2018, when it reached the state semifinals. Grapevine, by contrast, brings experience and pedigree into the title game.
Still, Grapevine head coach Jimmy Webster wasn’t certain entering the season whether his team could repeat. The Mustangs lost all three of their starting pitchers from last year’s title run. While Webster believed he had capable arms ready to step up, he didn’t know just how effective they’d be.
Three new pitchers have emerged for Grapevine this season: LSU pledge Luke Esquivel, Lale Esquivel and Benjamin Chen. All three have started at least two playoff games, with Chen earning the win in the state semifinal.
Luke Esquivel, a freshman and the younger brother of Lale, is expected to start the championship game. He enters with an 11-1 record and 118 strikeouts. He struck out eight and allowed just five hits in a shutout win over Lovejoy in Game 1 of the semifinals. At the plate, he has 53 hits, 33 RBIs, 22 walks and only 10 strikeouts.
Lale Esquivel is 7-1 with 47 strikeouts. After Grapevine lost Game 1 of the area round to Joshua, he helped even the series by allowing just three hits and no runs with three strikeouts in Game 2. He also has 47 hits, 34 RBIs and just 11 strikeouts.
Chen, who could also pitch in the final, is 10-0 this season with 70 strikeouts.
Webster said the team is prepared to use all three pitchers if necessary.
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Aledo has won a record 12 football state championships — the most in UIL history — and has captured titles in several other sports. Still, the school is often viewed primarily as a football powerhouse.
Baseball coach Chad Barry, who led Aledo to its first baseball state title in 2014, said adding another non-football title could change that.
With the softball team having won three state championships and the baseball team now one win away from its second, Barry believes Aledo is becoming a school known for athletic dominance across the board.
Barry said he knew early in the season that this year’s group had a chance to compete for a title. That belief started when he saw four pitchers consistently throw between 88 and 92 mph.
Barry favors having a deep pitching staff, and this season he has that luxury.
Junior Luke Sandefur will start the state championship game, but the team may use multiple pitchers thanks to the extended rest between playoff rounds.
Sandefur threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts in Game 1 of the state semifinals against McKinney North. He also recorded five strikeouts and allowed two earned runs in the regional final-clinching win that sent Aledo to the state semifinals.
Special connection
Benjamin Chen struck out four and allowed seven hits over 5 ⅓ innings to earn his 10th win of the season — and second of the playoffs — in a 6-5 extra-inning victory over Lovejoy in the Class 5A state semifinals. It was only his second playoff appearance, as Grapevine has played just one Game 3 this postseason. Chen said he was ready for the moment by staying calm and leaning on his teammates.
Chen has built strong relationships across the roster, but he shares a special connection with three teammates who, like him, are of Asian descent. Chen is Taiwanese, second baseman Colin Park is Chinese, left fielder Derek Duong is Vietnamese and catcher Ryan Bansal is Indian.
Chen and Duong met while trying out for the team as freshmen. Since then, they’ve become best friends who spend time together off the field. Park said that their shared bond has fostered strong chemistry that’s helped Grapevine succeed.
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