Howard College Baseball Advances to Super Regional After Taking Down Grayson College

The Hawks from Howard College keep their season alive after defeating a strong Grayson College team to advance in the postseason. 

In the first round of Region V Tournament play, the Hawks went head-to-head with the Vikings with a three-game series to decide who would continue on to the Super Regional. 

In the first day of action, Grayson College secured the opening game with a 7-3 final. Friday afternoon saw the Hawks come alive and even out the series with a 7-4 win over the home team. The tie-breaking game put the nail in the coffin, resulting in a big upset with the red and black on top, 13-11. 

'' Our guys showed tremendous toughness and confidence to stand toe to toe with one of Region 5's best programs with our back against the wall. The odds these guys had to overcome says something about this group. We're excited for the opportunity to continue to compete and prove what this team is about'', commented Head Coach Trevin Sonnier. 

Game 1

In the opening game of the series, the Hawks got off to a slow start offensively. With only three runs on five hits, the first game of the series left room for improvement in the days to follow. 

Colton Klapprodt went yard, and Isaiah Shivers had a double to count for the bulk of the offensive efforts. David Hernandez also had an RBI to contribute to the action at the plate.

Game 2

In the second game, the script flipped seeing the Hawks take a 7-4 win over the Vikings. 

'' This weekend meant a lot to us as a team. Having our backs against the wall in multiple situations but never shying away when adversity shows its face. The grit and relentlessness demonstrated by our squad shows that we're ready to play anyone'', stated Owen Skinner.

The second inning got things going for the red and black with a couple of runs coming in to take an early lead. The Hawks were next to the board with another run in the fifth and another in the sixth. The bats stayed hot in the seventh with another trio of runs tacked on by Howard College, resulting in a win for the Hawks. 

In total, the Hawks scored seven runs on 11 hits with one error. Austin Frye had a double and a triple. Sam Distel also had a double and Shivers had a triple. Distel totaled two RBI and Adam Hawrylak recorded two RBI as well. Lincoln Schroeder and Cah Bolgiano also contributed an RBI each. 

Hernandez, Wylie and Hawrylak each played a role in a double play for the Hawks.

Skinner (W, 9-2) secured the win after 9.0 innings on the mound, totaling seven strikeouts and giving up four runs, two earned, on eight hits. 

'' I think what clicked for us was just staying patient, never letting the moment get too big. Putting the results in God's hands and controlling what we can control'', commented Skinner.

Game 3

The series finale was another big game at the plate for the Hawks with 13 runs on 19 hits. 

'' What clicked for us this weekend was having strong compete factor. Every pitch we treated like it was going to be our last no matter the score. This meant a lot to us to because it showed when you trust yourself and each other great things will happen'', stated Shivers.

In the opening stanza, Howard College got to work with a couple of runs early on to take the lead. In the second, third and fourth innings the Vikings totaled nine runs, but the Hawks refused to roll over. In the fifth inning another solo run came across for the red and black. The sixth was scoreless across the board but the final three at bats for the Hawks were big time. Another couple runs were tacked on in the seventh and the eight and ninth innings each saw four more runs come across. The bottom of the ninth was a dry inning for the Vikings, securing a 13-11 victory for the Hawks to proceed in postseason play. 

Distel and Klapprodt each had homers. Distel, Frye, Shivers (2), Wylie and Schroeder all had doubles. Distel, Frye (2), Shivers (2), Klapprodt (3) and Schroeder (5) all tallied RBI for the red and black. 

Hernandez, Wylie (2), Bolgiano and Hawrylak (2) helped out in double play action for Howard College. 

Zac Foden (W, 1-10) got his first win of the season after 2.2 innings pitched giving up no runs, no hits, one strikeout and walking two. 

'' I think this weekend was huge for us in the sense that it's proof of the caliber of team we know we are. It's been a grind of a season with injuries and changes in roles, etc. We really lean into the culture and identity of what our program is and it was incredibly rewarding to see our guys respond like champions. It's very difficult to drop game one and bounce back to take a series and to do so the way we did it'', stated Sonnier.

Next up, the Hawks head into Super Regional play beginning Thursday, May 14 as Weatherford hosts the remaining teams, Howard College, Midland College, McLennan Community College and the host. This round will be double elimination style. The Hawks will face Midland College at 3 p.m. on Thursday. The following days will see the winning teams play at 3 p.m. and teams looking for a chance to fight out of the loser's bracket in the noon timeslot. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, but if necessary, may be played on Sunday.