HASTINGS, Neb. - The state champion Texarkana Bulldogs will compete for a regional title that begins today with a 10 a.m. game against Coweta, Oklahoma.
The American Legion Post 25 Bulldogs (33-7-1) earned a trip to the Mid-South regional baseball tournament with a win over League City for the Texas state title.
Head coach Kevin Sutton brings his talented group, who has won numerous tournaments this year, into the regional tournament battle.
"All of the kids are well rested from the state tournament and everyone is healthy," Sutton said. "The key is going to be to score early. All of these teams are good, and we have a tendency to play from behind and come back. I don't know if we will have an opportunity to come back against these teams.
"I want to start fast. I want to make sure that we are aggressive on the bases and play some small ball. We are going to do whatever we can to put runs on the board."
Other teams in the tournament include Bryant, Arkansas; Emporia, Kansas; Sedalia, Missouri; Festus, Missouri; Fremont, Nebraska; and host Hastings, Nebraska.
Dakota Frachiseur will get the start on the mound. Starting at catcher will be Keaton Russo from Pleasant Grove, and first baseman will be TJ Krause from Hooks.
Zane Cox from Dierks starts at second base, Bryson Rhodes of Nevada County High School gets the nod at third, and Chris Sutton of Texas High starts at short.
Marzavin Riles, a graduate of Liberty-Eylau, starts in left field, Chris Lyles of Texas High is in center, and either Hunter Allen, Cooper Perry, Kris Shumaker, Aaron Prince or Connor Allen in right field.
"The Oklahoma team has a lot of junior college players," Coach Sutton said. "They have good pitching, including a 6-foot-5 guy that throws hard."
Coweta, Oklahoma goes into today's game with a record of 27-6. The tournament will run through Sunday.
Texarkana's game today will be live streamed at tourneymachine.com.
The regional champion will advance to play in the World Series on Aug. 15-20 in Shelby, North Carolina. The World Series will be broadcast on ESPN3.