Pleasant Grove veteran head baseball coach Craig Jones believes his team controls its own destiny—and he believes the Hawks will win the Class 3A state championship Thursday.

“I’ve had high expectations for teams in the past,” said Jones, who will lead PG against top-ranked Castroville Medina Valley Wednesday in the state semifinals. “I knew this was possible; you’ve got to be good, you’ve got to play the game right but also got to be a little lucky. All the guys who’ve been there will tell you that.

“But you make your own luck—if you do things right, you hustle and are...