Districts 31-5A and 32-5A have been two of the most competitive across the state during the 2024 season. Now, the four playoff qualifiers from each district and several other RGV baseball teams will square off in the bi-district round of the UIL state playoffs beginning today across the Rio Grande Valley.
A complete schedule and scores for bi-district playoff games can be found at RGVSports.com.
CLASS 6A
LOS FRESNOS VS. EDINBURG ECONOMEDES
Los Fresnos is fresh off a three-peat as 32-6A champ and enters the playoffs as the district’s No. 1 seed.
The Falcons (25-6-1, 9-1) haven’t dropped a game in close to a month and have four shutouts during their past six contests. Starting pitcher Joaquin Cavazos has been among the Valley’s best with an 9-1 record as a starter and 0.43 ERA.
Edinburg Economedes is in the postseason for the first time since 2017 and just the third time in program history. The Jaguars defeated rival Edinburg North 8-4 in their district finale to clinch their playoff spot as sophomore Gilbert Rodriguez led Economedes with 3-for-4 hitting and three RBIs.
The Jaguars (13-18, 3-7) may be a fourth seed but picked up non-district victories against 32-6A competition with wins over Brownsville Rivera, San Benito, Weslaco High and Harlingen High twice. Economedes and Los Fresnos also met during the regular season, with Los Fresnos winning 9-2 on March 5.
PSJA HIGH VS. HARLINGEN HIGH
PSJA won its third straight district championship and reached the fourth round of the playoffs a season ago. The Bears (27-6, 10-0) return several starters from their regional semifinal team and will look to replicate that postseason run beginning in the bi-district round against the Cardinals. Vinny Cano, Jacob Delgadillo and Jaime Lopez are all hitting over .400 to lead PSJA.
Harlingen (14-19, 5-6) won a play-in game against Brownsville Rivera on Monday to punch its ticket to the playoffs. Jace Kushner pitched a complete game for the Cardinals with one run allowed off two hits, three walks and five strikeouts, and teammate Isaiah Gaytan went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
LA JOYA HIGH VS. SAN BENITO
La Joya finished as runner-up in 31-6A and takes on 32-6A’s No. 3 seed San Benito to open the playoffs.
The lineup for La Joya (17-13-1, 8-2) features two of the RGV’s biggest bats as senior Homer Munoz and sophomore Matthew Ortiz are tied for the Valley lead with six home runs apiece and rank third in the state. The Coyotes were upset in the first round of the postseason a year ago and are hoping to not follow the same fate.
San Benito (14-12-1, 6-4) has qualified for the playoffs each of the past four seasons but hasn’t won a series in more than 10 years. The Greyhounds will be looking to change that against the Coyotes with pitchers Angelo Villarreal and Mauro Arizpe on the mound for San Benito.
WESLACO HIGH VS. MISSION HIGH
Weslaco has been strong all season and finished one game shy of winning a share of the district title. The Panthers (21-8-1, 8-2) were the only team to defeat 32-6A champion Los Fresnos in league play with a dominant 22-3 victory April 5.
Weslaco will lean on seniors Ryan Everitt and Stone Gomez, who rank first and second on the team in hits and runs scored.
Mission earned the No. 3 seed in 31-6A and lost its last two entering the postseason. The Eagles faced the Panthers during tournament play earlier this season with Weslaco winning 11-0.
CLASS 5A
BROWNSVILLE VETERANS VS. SHARYLAND HIGH
The District 32-5A Chargers (21-4-2, 16-2) are slated to face off against perennial power Sharyland High (17-11-2, 11-7), who came up big with a win on the final day of the regular season to clinch the No. 4 seed in 31-5A.
The Chargers have been led by one of the Valley’s top arms in Carlos Garza and top bats in Oscar Rodriguez. Garza is 8-1 with a 0.76 ERA, five shutouts and 111 strikeouts, which ranks fifth in Texas, and Rodriguez is hitting .526 with 24 RBIs.
Sharyland’s Alejandro Islas is a four-year starter who has done it all for the Rattlers with a .477 batting average and 6-0 record, 2.01 ERA and 51 strikeouts.
The last time these two met in the playoffs was in 2022 with Brownsville Veterans winning the series 2-1. The Chargers also defeated the Rattlers 6-0 in non-district play Feb. 24.
SHARYLAND PIONEER VS. BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ
Sharyland Pioneer (24-6, 16-2) proved to be the top dog in a brutal 31-5A district with a balanced attack of hitting and pitching. Brownsville Lopez (17-9, 12-6) came through last week with a playoff-clinching victory to lock up the No. 4 spot in 32-5A.
That brings must-see pitching matchups in the best-of-three series between the D’Backs and Lobos as Pioneer’s Rene Vela (6-0, 0.96 ERA) and Ruben Lopez (9-0, 0.96 ERA) duel against Lopez’s Hector Arellano (1.62 ERA) and Nehemiah Garcia (0.89 ERA).
The series starts Friday in Mission before moving Saturday to Brownsville for Games 2 and 3, if necessary.
LA JOYA PALMVIEW VS. VICTORIA WEST
La Joya Palmview locked up its third consecutive district title and is looking to repeat last year’s deep playoff run to the regional semis.
The Lobos (26-3-1, 13-1) pitched shutouts in half of their 30-5A games to take the No. 1 seed and a bi-district series against Victoria West (17-13). Palmview pitchers Mateo Garcia, Jorge Garza and Herminio Gonzalez give the Lobos three starters who combined to win 21 games while surrendering just 18 combined earned runs.
BROWNSVILLE PORTER VS. McALLEN MEMORIAL
The No. 2 seed Cowboys (19-5-1, 15-3) face the No. 3 seed Mustangs (18-11, 11-7) in a coin toss of a series.
The Cowboys lost their ace, Bryan Galvan, earlier this season due to injury, but seniors Omar Banda and Ivan Torres have stepped up to lead Porter’s pitching staff. Banda has a 0.53 ERA and Torres boasts a 1.94 ERA since entering the starting rotation.
In the other dugout are Memorial pitchers David An and Manuel Villa, who have struck out a combined 131 batters. An has a 2.03 ERA in 48 1/3 innings pitched, and Villa has a 1.92 ERA in 47 1/3 innings.
McALLEN HIGH VS. HARLINGEN SOUTH
The Bulldogs battled their way to earn the No. 2 seed in 31-5A, which was no easy feat. McHi (18-11, 12-6) secured its spot with a pair of one-run wins over Valley View during the final week of the regular season. Pitcher Jaime Palacios has been reliable all year for the Bulldogs as they prepare for a three-game series against the Hawks.
Harlingen South (19-8-2, 14-4) was one win away from forcing a three-way tie for first place in a tough 32-5A. The No. 3 seed Hawks are led by the pitching duo of Josh Ruiz and Ayden Medrano, which has been lights out for South.
MISSION VETERANS VS. VICTORIA EAST
The Patriots (18-8-2, 10-4) finished as the No. 2 seed in 30-5A and draw a first-round playoff series against Victoria East (24-8), which finished third in 29-5A. Pitchers Jahziel Trevino, Robert Ramos and Richard Garcia have formed a steady trio for the Patriots this season.
The Patriots and Titans will play all three games, if necessary, in Robstown.
RIO GRANDE CITY VS. CORPUS CHRISTI RAY
The No. 3 seed Rattlers (16-13-1, 10-4) out of 30-5A will look to advance into the area round for the first time since 2019.
Standing in their way is a solid Corpus Christi Ray team that finished second in a stacked 29-5A and is 18-11-1 overall.
RGC senior Kako Salinas has a 0.64 ERA as the Rattlers’ ace, and sophomore Deandre Rodriguez has come on strong with a team-high .415 batting average.
They’ll start with a three-game series Friday in Corpus.
CLASS 4A
HIDALGO VS. BISHOP
District 32-4A co-champion Hidalgo (15-9-2, 11-1) used a late-season win over Zapata to earn a share of the district title and flipped to earn the No. 1 seed.
That sets up a bi-district series against Bishop (15-11-2) beginning Friday in Bishop.
Pirates pitcher Raul Prishker has been a force on the mound, and infielder Brent Ian Szczuroski is dangerous at the plate.
LA FERIA VS. CORPUS CHRISTI CALALLEN
La Feria slides in as the No. 3 seed from 32-4A and faces a tall task with a bi-district matchup against Calallen. Shortstop Michael Gomez has been consistent at the top of the order for La Feria to lead the Lions at the plate.
GRULLA VS. CORPUS CHRISTI TULOSO-MIDWAY
Grulla took down Raymondville 4-2 in their district finale April 24 to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot in 32-4A. The Gators are now gearing up for a three-game series against state-ranked Tuloso-Midway beginning Friday in Grulla.
CLASS 3A
RIO HONDO VS. DONNA IDEA
Rio Hondo (22-4, 8-1) closed the regular season with back-to-back wins against defending 32-3A champion Lyford to win this year’s district title in dramatic fashion.
Junior Caleb Sandoval hit a walk-off, two-run single during the bottom of the seventh to give the Bobcats a 5-4 win April 26 and clinch their first district title since 2008.
Pitchers Christopher Galvan and Joshua Laster have been overpowering this season with 81 and 97 strikeouts, respectively.
EDINBURG IDEA COLLEGE PREP VS. PROGRESO
Edinburg IDEA College Prep went undefeated in 31-3A action to earn a district title and a first-round playoff matchup against Progreso. Joey Longoria and Aidan Rodriguez have led the Edinburg IDEA Eagles offensively.
LYFORD VS. MONTE ALTO
Lyford (18-8, 7-2) finished as the No. 2 seed in 32-3A and will take on Monte Alto in a one-game playoff Friday in Lyford. Gael Silva has been dominant at the plate with a .500 batting average and 37 RBIs, and Isaias Gonzalez and Aiden Olivas-Romo have both scored 40 runs this season.
SANTA ROSA VS. EDINBURG IDEA QUEST
District 32-2A No. 3 seed Santa Rosa faces off against 31-3A runner-up Edinburg IDEA Quest in a one-game playoff Friday in Santa Rosa. It’s a rematch of last year’s bi-district round in which Edinburg IDEA Quest defeated Santa Rosa 17-7.