Fayetteville Lions Roar to State Title

The third time was indeed the charm for the Fayetteville baseball team.

The past two seasons, the Lions seemed to have state baseball gold within their grasp, only to fall one run short in the title games of 2023 and 2024.

But led by a group of six seniors fueled by those nearmisses, the 2025 Fayetteville Lions roared to a state-title by beating Gordon 4-2 Saturday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

“Second place wasn’t for us this year,” said Fayetteville head coach Clint Jaeger. “That (the last two years) has been on their minds for a while. Every day in practice thinking about it. It feels so good to see them finally finish it out.”

It was the fourth-ever state baseball title for Fayetteville as these Lions joined the teams from 1997, 2012 and 2021 as state champs.

Fayetteville (19-4) never trailed in this game, but Gordon (23-6) got the tying runs on base and had the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh against senior Chance Konvicka.

Konvicka got clean-up hitter Evan Jackson to hit a high foul pop that just stayed in the park. Fayetteville freshman catcher Dylan Henneke tracked it down at the screen for the final out.

Henneke had been in the stands the last two years watching those Fayetteville title game near-misses. Now as a freshman he made the most of his opportunity “This is so much better than being in the stands,” Henneke said. “I love this team so much.”

The rest of the Lions ran towards Henneke and a championship dog-pile ensued.

With hugs and high-fives and tears of joys still going around, the Lions were hung with championship gold medals.

After Fayetteville senior shortstop Easton Jaeger was presented the title game MVP award, the team was presented with a huge state title trophy to take back to Fayetteville – where the party might still be going on in a town where the championship roots run deep.

This team included players Lawson Fritsch and Kole Schmitt, who had siblings on that 2021 title team.

Junior Jack Schley’s dad Daniel was on that 1997 team and his grandfather Emil Schley was the head coach of that team.

Jack was eager to join the family championship club, and he pitched like it. Schley was Saturday’s winning pitcher, throwing four innings of three-hit, one-run ball.

“Most of my family has gold medals so the pressure was put on me, and it feels

See great to finally get one,” Schley said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I’ve been a little boy. Falling short these past two years makes it feel that much better.”

After Schley’s four innings, Konvicka took over on the mound, throwing three innings of one-run ball to get the save.

“With those two guys, we’re pretty tough to beat when they are both on,” Clint Jaeger said of his pitchers.

“I had no nerves at all,” Konvicka said. “I knew I just had to be the best pitcher I could be in that moment ... We’ve been working for this since we were little kids.”

While Schley and Konvicka were stifling a Gordon offense that had scored in double digits in six playoff games, the Lions offense did their part too.

In the top of the first Jaeger and Schley both singled. Konvicka brought home Jaeger with a sacrifice fly and Schley scored when freshman Kandon Kaspar beat out an infield single.

It was a lead the Lions would never lose.

Gordon got one run back in the bottom of the first, but couldn’t score again until the seventh. The Longhorns may have cost themselves a big inning in the fourth when a batter was called for interference when Henneke tried to throw out a runner stealing third. The ball sailed into the outfield and for a moment Gordon got a second run, but the runner was sent back to second after the interference call. Later that runner tried stealing third again. The throw got away from third baseman Kaspar when the runner ran into him, but Jaeger, from his spot at shortstop, scooped up the ball and gunned down the runner at home, and the threat was over.

Meanwhile, Fayetteville tacked on a single run in the second when Lawson Fritsch reached on a fielders’ choice, stole second and then scored on a Jaeger single. Fayetteville made it 4-1 in the fourth when Jack Winford walked and then scored after back-to-back singles by Fritsch and Jaeger.

Despite being down by three going into that final inning, Gordon wasn’t going to quit. After all, this was a Gordon team that had won state six-man football and team track championships this year. They had also risen from the wreckage of a tornado that ravaged their town and school May 18.

Gordon scored once in the bottom of the seventh and got two runners on before Henneke made a game-ending catch that people will be talking about for a long time in Fayetteville.

“Greatest moment of my life,” Henneke said of that catch.