It’s hard to imagine a baseball season without Liberty Hill and Rouse at each other’s throats for district supremacy but that will be the case next year. With Rouse moving up to 6A and joining all the Leander ISD schools but Glenn in a newly reconfigured District 24-6A and Liberty Hill awkwardly shoved into a gerrymandered district featuring schools from New Braunfels and San Antonio(!), this week’s series between the Panthers and the Raiders marks at least a disruption, if not the end, of an era.
And both teams are coming in hot.
Rouse (2-0 in District 25-5A; 14-2 overall) enters this series at the top of our VYPE Baseball Power Rankings following an unusual sweep over Glenn. The Raiders run-ruled the Grizzlies 10-0 in Game 1 but only edged their LISD rivals 2-1 in the rematch. Head Coach Chad Krempin is in his 10th season at the helm of a Raiders squad that nearly always makes a deep playoff run. Last season was an exception as Rouse fell in the first round after yet another 20+ win regular season.
Senior second baseman Christian Caro, 2nd Team All-State last year, headlines a roster stacked with four returning 1st Team and three 2nd Team All-District players looking to prove that last year’s early exit was an aberration.
Liberty Hill approaches this clash from a different perspective. The Panthers (2-0, 12-3) blasted a decent Leander squad in two run-ruled games to open district play, but the similarities end there. Liberty Hill dropped a crushing 1-run Game 3 to Kingwood Park in the State Semifinals last year to just miss the state title game. And unlike the veteran Kempin, Stephen Johnson in his first year as a head coach leads Liberty Hill.
While the Panthers don’t have as many notable players back, the ones they have are special. Senior catcher/pitcher Carson Sharp was 1st Team All-State in 2025, joined by senior pitcher/first baseman Jordan Andrews, an All-State Honorable Mention tab. Both were District Co-MVPs and the Panthers have four other All-District honorees back as starters as well.
Thanks to Spring Break, this series will be played in the middle of the day when many parents and fans can’t make it to the ballpark. And that’s a shame. Because while this final district clash between Liberty Hill and Rouse won’t by itself determine the district champion -- there’s too much baseball still to be played against too many dangerous teams -- a sweep by either squad would definitely give them the inside track to the District 25-5A title.
And bragging rights that will last at least two years.
What: Liberty Hill vs. Rouse
When: Tuesday 3/17, 12:50 pregame; Wednesday, 3/18, 12:50 pregame
Where: Tues. @ Rouse; Wed. @ Panther Field, Liberty Hill
Who: Colton Borger (filling in for Bryan Reed)
Watch: Broadcast Lineup on https://www.vype.com/
