The Burton Panthers face this week’s playoff test in familiar and unfamiliar territory at the same time.
Burton will return to Bastrop for a second straight week after winning its regional semifinal series against Flatonia. However, the Panthers face a regional final date for the first time in nearly a quarter century with No. 9 Shiner on the other side of a regional title fight.
This week marks Burton’s first regional final series since 2001, over a decade before the Panthers jumped to Conference 2A. It also marks Burton coach Matt Thaler’s first regional final in his 21-year coaching career.
A series win this week will give Burton its first regional baseball championship since 1987, the last time the Panthers won a state championship.
However, Thaler is just thrilled to have his team competing for a regional title this week.
“I am so blessed to be where I am at right now,” he said. “I never thought I would be here. I am so proud of the guys, once again, the community, the fans and everything.”
He said after Saturday’s 7-2 series-clinching win over Flatonia that getting to the regional final marked another week of practice for his team of mostly underclassmen to get better not just for this week’s playoff series, but also for next year.
The mood around practice this week has not been much different from previous weeks. Good practices and good adjustments to hotter conditions have made this one just as productive as the three before it this postseason.
Thaler credited assistant coach Tim Honeycutt with good offseason workouts to make the adjustment to hotter conditions in the postseason more manageable. A good workout program during the season also made that adjustment not much of a challenge.
“We lifted with the football guys all the way up to playoffs and our weight room is outside and we do not have an indoor weight room because of construction,” Thaler said. “That was probably a good thing. We did not get tired the other day, but we also pushed the kids in the off-season.”
Burton got a stern test in its playing ability in hot conditions during last week’s series-deciding game on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers put together 10 hits and made just one error that came on a valiant effort to try for a double play.
Ryder Biggs also showcased Burton’s pitching depth in Game 3 against Flatonia. While he allowed four hits with just two strikeouts, he trusted his defense to get out of multiple jams and allow just two runs against the Bulldogs.
Burton’s defensive improvements were on display in Games 2 and 3 against Flatonia with three errors in the two wins. The Panthers’ defense in Game 2 was particularly better than Flatonia’s 10 errors, which were a primary factor in forcing Game 3.
Thaler said his team’s defense in the playoffs is significantly better than early in the season. Now, it is about being assured in their defensive abilities.
“You got to want the ball to come to you every play,” he said. “You are going to make mistakes in baseball, but I think they have confidence going into this and looking forward to playing. We are just trying to have fun.”
Sophomores Eli Jaeger and Tyler Witt will both face a serious test on the mound this week after Flatonia gave both pitchers their biggest tests of the postseason in the regional semifinals.
While Witt got the win in Game 2, he allowed four of his five total runs allowed in the playoffs against the Bulldogs. Only two of the runs were earned, but they represent his only earned runs allowed this postseason.
Jaeger, meanwhile, allowed nine hits against the Bulldogs with six total runs and four earned runs allowed. All three marks are season-highs for the sophomore.
Despite those figures, he struck out five batters for a third straight outing. Jaeger has earned at least five strikeouts in five consecutive outings and nine outings overall this year.
Witt and Jaeger, along with the rest of Burton’s pitchers, will look to use familiarity with Bastrop High School’s park to their advantage this week. Thaler said during last week’s series that throwing strikes is paramount at Bastrop in a bigger park with limited home run potential.
He continues to look for his pitchers to attack the zone this week as he has done all season long with the mindset of avoiding walks at all costs.
“If you are hitting the strike zone and the kids know that playing behind you, it makes for a good combination,” Thaler said.
Offensively, the Panthers also feel confident after scoring 25 runs through their regional semifinal series. All but four of those runs came in their two victories over Flatonia as well as 21 of their 24 hits in the series.
Thaler said Burton’s mindset has not changed week-to-week with the focus still on making contact and making opposing defenses work.
“I think they are confident at the plate right now and just trying to put the ball on the ball and not striking out … just putting the ball in play,” he said.
However, Burton will have the tough task of shutting down Shiner’s Charlie Clifford for at least one game. In Shiner’s two district games against Flatonia, Clifford earned 23 strikeouts with just two walks and two unearned runs allowed.
He shined against Flatonia in the first Shiner-Flatonia meeting, during which the Comanches won 1-0 in 10 innings. Clifford threw nine of those innings, racking up 13 strikeouts with just three hits and one walk allowed.
Burton is used to seeing one major ace followed by a plethora of other pitchers from last week. However, Shiner also presents quality in Landyn Pohler, who struck out 11 batters in Game 1 of the Comanches’ area round series against Falls City, and Lane Simper.
“They are going to pound the strike zone, hit the spots and I do not think they will be overpowering, but they are going to be good and they are going to be consistent,” Thaler said. “They are coached well and we will just have to play baseball.”
A Thursday doubleheader for the regional title will commence at 5 p.m. from Bastrop. If Burton and Shiner split the twin bill, they will return to Bastrop at 3 p.m. Saturday.