Wildcats sharpen claws for return date
Rematch with Pearland has Clear Creek ready for some revenge
Same old story, same old song and dance. Clear Creek just hopes it can get make the most of it this time.
For the second year in a row, Clear Creek will meet Pearland in the third round of the baseball playoffs. Pearland won last year’s series in three games and went on to win the regional title.
One year often can make a big difference with roster turnover, but both teams were young last season. Clear Creek coach Brent Kunefke said the teams are as identical to last year as it can get.
“(Jacob) Barfield and (Connor) Wong are not there. It wasn’t just them, but those are two bats that are having very successful college careers,” Kunefke said. “There is really nothing drastically different about our teams this year. We feel like we’re playing the same guys.”
Clear Creek returns many of last year’s most productive players. They include Zach Esquivel, Landon Etzel, Harrison Hill, Satchel McElroy, Michael Rohland and Aron Solis.
One thing that does seem different this season is that the Wildcats are getting production from the second half of their lineup. When kids like Austin Adams, Parker Osburn, Garrett Poston, Nick Reny and Ben Rigby are getting on base the offense is even more potent than last year when it scored lots of runs.
“It gives you some confidence knowing these guys are going to have competitive at-bats and be able to do some things with it,” Kunefke said. “You feel like you have a chance in the lower half to score some runs.”
Last year Clear Creek had won 13 games in a row before meeting Pearland. This year the Wildcats have won nine in a row. They also have won 14 of their last 15 and are on a big roll since going 7-7 in nondistrict play.
Clear Creek has played an ultra-tough schedule in order to prepare it for playoff series like the one it will face this week. The Wildcats also have last year’s series against Pearland to draw from. The Oilers used that victory as a springboard to the regional championship.
Clear Creek hopes it’s the one that gets to keep playing this time around.
“I like the confidence the kids have and the hunger,” Kunefke said. “We have a bunch of workers. They’re trying to get better at what they’re doing.”
Two other local teams - Clear Springs and Deer Park - remain alive in the postseason and will face one another this week.
Clear Springs survived a best-of-three series with Baytown Sterling despite losing the first game. The Chargers, who are into the third round for the second time in school history, scratched their way to a 7-5 victory in the second game before rolling to an 8-0 triumph in the decisive game.
Deer Park showed yet again why it is one of the teams to beat in Region III with a sweep of Friendswood. The Deer allowed three runs in two games.