Llano baseball begins the playoffs against Clyde in bi-district series

CAPTION: Llano junior pitcher Kreese Whitson and the Jackets are looking to add more to the trophy case. That starts with the bi-district series against Clyde. Photo by Briley Mitchell/Dust Devil Diver Photography

The Llano High School baseball team will meet Clyde in a bi-district best-of-three series at Howard Payne University in Brownwood.

Game one starts at 4 p.m. Friday, May 5, while game two is at noon Saturday. Game three, if necessary, will be played at the conclusion of game two.

“Clyde is a lot like us,” Llano head coach Todd Doucet said. “They’re a baseball town, they’re well coached, they do things right. And they don’t beat themselves. They have a couple of good pitchers and hit the ball around. They’re similar to how we play the game.”

The Bulldogs (15-11, 10-4) are led by sophomore Ethan Guzman, who has a .424 batting average with 25 hits and 24 RBIs. Senior Creede Jamison has a .364 ERA with 12 hits and 10 RBIs. Sophomore Will Hagan has a .288 ERA with 21 hits and 19 RBIs.

The pitching staff is led by sophomore Aiden Spurlock (6-1), who has a 1.86 ERA and has allowed 13 earned runs of 28 hits and struck out 54 in 49 innings. Junior Trip Anchetta (4-3) has allowed 9 earned runs off 18 hits and struck out 52 in 27 innings.

“I think they have a couple of kids who will keep you in check,” Doucet said. “They throw strikes. (Spurlock) throws it hard enough to keep you moving. He throws the curveball to keep you honest.”

The Yellow Jackets have their own staff that’s been consistently good all season. It features senior Caden Bauman (5-2), who has a 2.98 ERA with 17 earned runs off 35 hits and 36 strikeouts, junior Kreese Whitson (4-0), who has a 4.33 ERA with 20 earned runs off 25 hits and 42 strikeouts, and senior Jackson Dillard (3-1, 3 saves), who has a 1.77 ERA with 7 earned runs off 21 hits and 28 strikeouts.

“We have to throw strikes and make them hit it,” Doucet said. “There’s nothing worse than walking people and then one hit turns into four runs. When a team throws strikes, you have a chance to win.”

Doucet believes the Jackets’ pre-season schedule where they played opponents with larger enrollments has prepared them for the third part of their season. The players have to play well to find success.

“When you start playing 3A competition, you’ve already been climatized a little bit,” he said. “When the chips are down, we have a chance if we can put the ball in play. We never think we’re completely out of a game.”

The Jackets have enjoyed several days of rest after crushing Brady 13-1 April 28. The athletes have finished their commitments to golf and track and field.

“This week we’ve focused on baseball,” the coach said.

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