CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — London baseball is making their third consecutive UIL 3A state tournament appearance. An impressive accomplishment for the defending state champions, and the Pirates that have been part of the entire journey.
The Pirates’ most recent regional final victory sent Santa Gertrudis Academy walking the plank, and London back to Round Rock.
"I mean making it back to state obviously against a very good district opponent was very, very special to us," Blayne Lyne, London junior pitcher, said. "We've gone to state three times in-a-row, so I think we know what it takes to get there but at the same time we had someone in our way. We just wanted to knock them out."
London's junior class of 11 players has advanced to the state tournament all three years of their high school career. Most of them started playing together in seventh grade.
"We're one big family, and you know our coaches say all the time we could probably make one team with the juniors and still be successful like we are with this team," Blake Watters, London junior pitcher and infielder, said.
Pirates' shortstop Mason Jacob moved to London from Louisiana in eighth grade.
"We know each other like really well," Jacob said. "I know like me and R.J. up the middle we kind of know what each other is going to do before the play happens, and Blake at third. He knows that I got him back if he misses something."
Sophomore second baseman R.J. Olivares and his brother and freshman catcher Christian have learned a lot from the juniors.
"I mean they really took me in and we never took anything for granted and that's how we won it last year," R.J. Olivares said.
The best part for the brothers is getting to play at state together.
"We have that connection where he'll always tell me like what to do or how to get through something," Christian Oliveres said. "Last year I was watching. You know, I was just hoping like next year we could do the same exact thing."
Now London has a chance to become the fifth Coastal Bend baseball program to win back-to-back titles.
"We're here for one reason and one reason only, and that's to win," Watters said. "Especially for our community and our athletic program."
The UIL 3A baseball state semifinals between London and Wall start on Friday at noon at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The Parking Lot Pirates will start grilling at 6 a.m. before the game.
