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Calallen baseball, softball set for big playoff matchups this weekend

With the area baseball playoffs and the softball regional quarterfinals set for this weekend, the Calallen Wildcats and Lady Cats will be involved in two of the marquee series in the Coastal Bend this weekend.

The No. 13 Wildcats will take on the No. 1 ranked Sinton Pirates in a best-of-three series, while the Lady Cats will take on District 31-4A foe Tuloso-Midway, also in a series.

For the Wildcats, it will be the third time in a row they meet the Pirates in the state playoffs. The Pirates got the better of the Wildcats in the regional finals each of the last two seasons, winning 2-1 in 2021 and 3-1 last season.

This year, the Pirates look to be favorites again in this matchup as they are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A and have ranked in the nation’s top 5 in both the MaxPreps and Baseball America polls.

Still, Calallen coach Steve Chapman says his team may be the underdog, but it’s not going to faze them this weekend.

“We’ve played all season long and have been the underdog all season long, too, so I’m sure we’ll be the underdog this weekend against the No. 4 team in the nation,” Chapman said. “We’re looking at it and we’re going to play hard. We’re going to go out and do the best job we can. We can win as easily as we can lose because we get after it.

“It comes down to who executes and who doesn’t and who gets the hits when they need it and things like that,” he added. “I like the fact that we’re a real young ball club, we play really hard and we don’t have any quit in us. We’re going to play until the end no matter what.”

Calallen heads into the area round after sweeping Rio Grande City La Grulla (11-0, 10-0), while Sinton swept Somerset (10-1,11-0).

The series kickoff at 7 p.m. tonight in Sinton with Game 1, with Game 2 scheduled for the same time Friday in Calallen. Game 3, if necessary, will be Saturday at 1 p.m. in Sinton.

The series winner will face the winner of Pleasanton and Zapata in the regional quarterfinals.

Turning to softball, the Lady Cats kick off a three-game series against the Tuloso-Midway Cherokees, a team they swept in district play this season.

“The girls seem in good spirits,” Lady Cats head coach Teresa Lentz said. “They know we’ve done what we needed to do, we’ve taken the reps and we know T-M, we’ve seen them. We need to come out and do what we know how to do and not take them for granted. They’re a really good team and we have to be ready to respond. It’s a rivalry so there’s a lot of emotions and we must stay mentally focused.”

The Lady Cats come in riding a sweep of the Sinton Lady Pirates (17-3, 11-1) in the area round, while the Cherokees are fresh off a sweep of District 29-4A Champion Floresville (11-6, 6-4).

Calallen has reached the regional semifinals every season since 2018, except for the 2020 pandemic-shortened campaign. Tuloso-Midway is looking to head to Round 4 for the third year in a row.

The series will be played at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field, with Game 1 slated for tonight at 7 p.m. Game 2 will be Friday at 7 p.m., with Game 3, if needed scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

The winner will take on either Sweeney or Needville in the regional semifinals.

AREA BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

Class 5A

Corpus Christi Carroll vs Sharyland High

Best-of-Three Series

Game 1: May 11 at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field, 5 p.m.

Game 2: May 12 at McAllen, 7 p.m.

Game 3: (If Needed) May 13 at Cabaniss Field, 5 p.m.

Corpus Christi Veterans vs Edinburg Vela

Best-of-Three Series at Hebbronville

Game 1: May 12, 6 p.m.

Game 2: May 13, Noon

Game 3: (If Needed), 30  mins after Game 2

Corpus Christi Ray vs McAllen Rowe

Best-of-Three Series at Laredo’s Uni-Trade Stadium

Game 1: May 11, 4:30 p.m.

Game 2: May 13, Noon

Game 3: (If Needed) 30 mins after Game 2

Class 4A

Sinton vs Calallen

Best-of-Three Series

Game 1: May 11 at Sinton, 7 p.m.

Game 2: May 12 at Calallen, 7 p.m.

Game 3: May 13 at Sinton, 1 p.m.

Bishop vs Floresville

Best-of-Three Series at Beeville’s Coastal Bend College

Game 1: May 12, 7 p.m.

Game 2: May 13, 1 p.m.

Game 3: (If Needed) 30 mins after Game 2

Robstown vs. Rockport Fulton

Best-of-Three Series

Game 1: May 11 at Rockport, 7 p.m.

Game 2: May 12 at Robstown, 7 p.m.

Game 3: (If Needed) May 13

Class 3A

Taft vs Rio Hondo

One-Game Playoff: May 12 at San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

Banquete vs Lyford

Best-of-Three Series

Game 1: May 11 at Banquete, 7 p.m.

Game 2: May 12 at Lyford, 7 p.m.

Game 3: (If Needed) May 13 at Hebbronville, 3 p.m.

IDEA Quest vs. Santa Gertrudis

One-Game Playoff: May 12 at Raymondville, 7 p.m

London vs IDEA Edinburg College Prep

Best-of-Three Series at San Diego

Game 1: May 11, 4:30 p.m.

Game 2: 30 mins following Game 1

Game 3: (If Needed) May 13, 1 p.m.

REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS

Class 5A

Flour Bluff vs. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial

Best-of-Three Series at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field

Game 1: May 11, 5 p.m.

Game 2: May 13, Noon

Game 3: (If Needed ) 30 mins after Game 2

Corpus Christi Carroll vs Mercedes

One-Game Playoff at Alice: May 12, 6 p.m.

Class 4A

Calallen vs Tuloso-Midway

Best-of-Three Series at Cabaniss Field

Game 1: May 11,  7 p.m.

Game 2: May 12, 7 p.m.

Game 3: (If Needed) May 13, 9:30 a.m.

Alice vs Pearsall

Best-of-Three Series at Kenedy

Game 1: May 11, 8 p.m.

Game 2: May 12, 7 p.m.

Game 3: (If Needed) May 13, 2 p.m.

Class 3A

London vs Lyford

One-Game Playoff at San Diego: May 11, 6:30 p.m.

Santa Gertrudis vs Hebbronville

Best-of-Three Series at Beevile Jones

Game 1: May 11, 7 p.m.

Game 2: May 13, 3 p.m.

Game 3: (If Needed) 30 mins after Game 2