Here, then, is VYPE’s look at the first-round matchups and playoff picture as teams from the Austin area begin their annual journey to Dell Diamond.
6A Division 1
25-6A #1 Cedar Ridge (19-10-2) vs. 26-6A #2 Bowie (20-8-1)
25-6A #2 Westwood (22-10-1) vs. 26-6A #1 Lake Travis (22-9-1)
29-6A #1 Buda Johnson (22-8-2) vs. 30-6A #2 Laredo United (14-14-1)
6A Division 2
25-6A #1 Vandegrift (19-12) vs. 26-6A #2 Westlake (15-19)
25-6A #2 Vista Ridge (19-11) vs. 26-6A #1 Dripping Springs (23-9-1)
29-6A #2 San Marcos (19-12-1) vs. 30-6A #1 Medina Valley (20-7)
This year’s District 25-6A race unfolded like a twisted game of musical chairs straight out of “Squid Games” (without the bloody violence). Five play-off worthy teams battled for just four spots right down to the final out of the season with Vandegrift, Cedar Ridge, Vista Ridge and Westwood surviving the cut. (Defending district champion Round Rock was the unfortunate odd team out.)
There wasn’t nearly as much drama in District 26-6A as the same four teams from the past several years – Lake Travis, Dripping Springs, Bowie and Westlake -- once again reached the post-season.
All of which sets up some intriguing matchups in this opening round. District 26-6A champion Lake Travis gets a chance for revenge against Westwood, who upset the Cavs when they last met in the 2024 post-season. Bowie, meanwhile, faces off against Cedar Ridge in the other evenly matched Division 1 series.
Vandegrift, fresh off their first-ever district title, will once again face Westlake, the team that’s eliminated the Vipers the last two times they’ve met in the postseason, in one Division 2 matchup. Dripping Springs, having none of that “rebuilding” talk, surged back into the playoffs against a stout Vista Ridge Rangers squad in the other D2 pairing.
Marooned in District 29-6A, so a little under the radar, Buda Johnson once again opens with Laredo Johnson in Division 1. San Marcos faces former 5A powerhouse Medina Valley in Division 2 play.
5A Division 1
23-5A #1 Hendrickson (19-8-2) vs. 24-5A #2 McCallum (17-8-4)
23-5A #2 East View (16-12-1) vs. 24-5A #1 Anderson (24-7)
25-5A #1 Rouse (27-3) vs. 26-5A #2 vs. Smithson Valley (21-9)
25-5A #2 Hays (19-10-1) vs. 26-5A #1 Boerne Champion (27-4-1)
5A Division 2
23-5A #1 Georgetown (30-3) vs. 24-5A #2 Bastrop (12-17-2)
23-5A #2 Weiss (21-8-1) vs. 24-5A #1 Austin LASA (16-13-1)
25-5A #1 Liberty Hill (20-9-1) vs. 26-5A #2 SA Pieper (17-11-1)
25-5A #2 Cedar Park (15-15-1) vs. 26-5A #1 Boerne (19-11)
As reflected in our weekly Power Rankings, many of the best teams in the Austin area come from the 5A ranks. Traditional powers Georgetown, Rouse and Anderson headline this list but overlook any postseason team at your peril.
Hendrickson faces McCallum while District 24-5A champion Anderson will once again pair up with East View in an exact duplicate of last year’s 23/24-5A Division 1 Bi-district matchups. The aforementioned Rouse Raiders, champions of the always tough District 25-5A, draws Smithson Valley while Hays’ reward for a solid season is a first-round matchup with the highly pedigreed Boerne Champion Chargers.
District 23-5A champion Georgetown paced all the Austin area teams with 30 wins this season and headlines 5A Division 2. The Eagles open up against a young Bastrop team that will benefit from the playoff experience. Weiss will face Austin LASA, a budding playoff contender, in the other 23/24-5A Division 2 pairing. Liberty Hill, another team with a long playoff resume, squares off with Pieper in a District 25/26 Division 2 battle of purple and gold. Meanwhile, improving Cedar Park, while likely relieved to avoid nemesis Boerne Champion in the first round, must instead deal with the OG Boerne Greyhounds.
4A Division 1
25-4A #1 Lago Vista (21-8-1) vs. 26-4A #2 Fredericksburg (18-11) LV up to D1
25-4A #2 Eastside Memorial (10-12) vs. 26-4A #1 Davenport (22-7-2) rematch
4A Division 2
25-4A #1 Legacy Ranch (17-10) vs. 26-4A #2 Canyon Lake (19-10-1)
25-4A #2 Manor New Tech (19-6) vs. 26-4A #1 Wimberley (17-7-1)
Lago Vista remains the class of the Austin area 4A field – although newcomer Legacy Ranch no doubt got the Vikings’ attention with a 7-0 shutout to open district play. The Vikings never lost in district play again and open the postseason against the Battlin’ Billies of Fredericksburg. Eastside Memorial faces a steep climb in SA Davenport in the other 4A Division 1 matchup.
For their part, Legacy Ranch didn’t quite reach the district title in their first year of varsity play, but they did reach the postseason with all freshmen and sophomores and will meet Canyon Lake in Division 2 play. It wasn’t that long ago that Manor New Tech was the new kid on the block. The Titans won’t slip under the radar against Wimberley.
First pitches are set for Thursday night (4/30), weather permitting. Play ball!
