Lions One Win From History After Beating Nazareth in State Semis

The Fayetteville high school baseball team is one win away from the school’s third state baseball title.

The Lions beat Nazareth 4-0 Wednesday afternoon in a state semifinal match at Dell Diamond. That set the stage for Thursday’s state title game at 9 a.m. against Kennard (14-5) back in Round Rock.

Freshman Reid Gross took the mound for the Lions Wednesday and pitched a complete game three-hit shutout along with launching a triple to drive in a run in the top of the third inning.

“Today, I think my pitching was definitely better than the hitting,” said Gross. “The triple was definitely a good one ... I’m happy what we did today.”

“That’s amazing, to throw a complete game in the state tournament against the No. 1-ranked team, and to shut them out,” Fayetteville head coach Cline Jaeger said of Gross’ performance. “He was throwing strikes and only threw 78 pitches. He was like Greg Maddux.”

The Lions (18-9) got all the offense they would need in the very first inning.

Fayetteville scored in the top of the first inning when sophomore Logan Fritsch hit a triple of his own to drive in Gross from first base who had walked.

“If you are visitors and can get on the board first it puts a lot of pressure on the other team,” Jaeger said. “Getting that run in the first inning, it eased it up some for us.”

Fayetteville really blew things open in the third inning.

Gross’ three bagger put the Lions up 2-0 by sending freshman Keagan Supak home. He had reached on a single to left field. Then Fritsch hit his second triple of the day to center field, which made Gross touch home yet again for a 3-0 lead.

Freshman Jake Kubala connected on a base hit to left field in the same inning to score Fritsch for Fayetteville’s fourth and final run.

“Getting those three runs in the third was big because then we weren’t on pins and needles every time they got a runner on,” Jaeger said.

And Gross didn’t let many runners on. Nazareth (which had only lost three games prior to Wednesday) only left five runners on base, and never had more than one baserunner in an inning.

The Lions were really playing great defense Wednesday.

After Fritsch threw out a runner trying to steal in the bottom of the third inning, sophomore shortstop Travis Gully continued the defensive energy and made a spectacular diving web gem catch by laying out and snagging a hard hit ball across the middle.

The Fayetteville outfield made eight catches.

“Our defense was pretty solid,” Jaeger said.

“We put in the work,” Gully said. “You’ve got to play team ball.”

Nazareth (22-4) only really threatened to score once throughout the game. That was in the bottom of the first inning when a triple was hit to put a runner on third with two outs. The next batter bunted towards first and Gross made the easy out with a toss to sophomore Parker Vitek to end the inning.

The final out of the game was caught by Fayetteville centerfielder Landon Urban, one of the team’s few seniors on an otherwise very young team.

“We only have three seniors. This is a young group, but I want to be part of starting a dynasty,” said Urban. “They had great pitchers, but we had seen great pitchers before. We got that first run and just kept rolling.”

After the final catch the Lions celebrated at midfield, but also seemed to remember there was more work to do.

“Coming into the season I had hope,” said Gully. “But I didn’t have this much hope.”

Four times Jaeger has led the Lions to the state baseball tournament, and he’s 4-0 in state semifinal games.

“There’s nothing special we just do what we do. Let them have fun so they aren’t worrying here and they can come out relaxed so they can play hard – let them be kids,” Jaeger said.

Despite the success in state semifinal games, the last two times Fayetteville made the state title game (in 2017 and 2018) they couldn’t win the championship game.

In 2018 they lost to Slocum 6-3 and in 2018 the Lions lost to Abbott 11-7.

“Feels good to be playing for another state championship. This time we need to go get it.”

In their way stands Kennard, which beat Hubbard 3-1 in the other semifinal. Kennard, unlike Fayetteville, has never been this far before.

One more win, and the 2021 Lions would join the 1997 and 2012 Fayetteville baseball teams as state champions.