Burnet baseball ready for Giddings in playoffs
CAPTION: Burnet senior pitcher Dash Denton and the Bulldogs look to add another gold glove to the trophy case. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Burnet High School baseball team will meet Giddings in a best-of-three area series in the Class 4A playoffs.
Game one is set for 7 p.m. Friday, May 10, while game two is at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 11. Game three, if necessary, will begin 30 minutes after the second contest ends. All games will be played at Georgetown East View High School.
The Buffaloes (11-15, 5-5) entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed out of District 22-4A and beat Mickey Leland College Prep Academy 20-2 for a bi-district title.
“They won against some and lost against some,” Burnet head coach Russell Houston said. “Everyone in their district moved on to round two. They played the inner-city Houston schools.”
Offensively, sophomore Brandon Burgdorf is batting .405 with 17 RBI off 30 hits. Sophomore Gunnar Fromme is batting .378 with 12 RBI off 28 hits. Freshman Corbin Medack has a .318 batting average with 24 RBI off 27 hits.
Burnet will lean on a pitching staff led by a pair of senior aces: Dash Denton and Kade Shaw.
“Dash and Kade are going to give every effort they got,” the coach said.
Many of Giddings’ pitchers are underclassmen.
The Bulldogs will counter with a line-up that has manufactured runs in various ways: hits, free bases and avoiding base-running errors. When Burnet has won lopsided contests, it’s because every batter has found a way to get on base and meticulous work his way home. Houston pointed out playing in back-to-back games as opposed to a Tuesday and Friday schedule is a tremendous help to batters.
“Momentum in high school sports goes a long way,” he said. “We hit the ball really well when they see live pitching over and over again.”
Houston noted the Bulldogs haven’t done anything any differently to prepare for the Buffaloes.
“We’re trying to keep everything as same old, same old,” he said. “We’re trying not to make anything a big deal. If we do what we normally do and keep everything the same. Life seems to be better when we try to keep the same routines. We’re trying to do the same things over and over again. With this group, it’s the same old, same old. They don’t get too high or too low. They go with the flow and know what is expected.”
The coach has stayed consistent with messaging that has produced a District 24-4A title, a winning streak and a bi-district championship.
“Don’t put any other pressure on yourselves,” he said. “You’ve won 28 games for a reason. Go play. That’s hard for young kids. The more you can do that and relax and make it normal, the better chance you have to be successful. I tell my kids I don’t worry about who we play. If we play up to our standard, we have a chance to win. It’s about us. If we play the way we’re capable, we don’t have to do anything special. We like our chances.”
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