The UIL baseball playoffs are set to kick off this week and a trio of local district champs enter the postseason with high hopes and riding winning streaks.
In Class 6A, Jesuit Dallas (24-7-2) has won 18 of its past 19 contests, including a perfect 14-0 mark en route to claiming the District 7-6A title.
The Rangers, ranked No. 3 in 6A in the area by The Dallas Morning News, will square off against Arlington Lamar in the bi-district round of the Division 2 bracket.
Game 1 is slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lamar with Game 2 returning to Wright Field at 7 p.m. Thursday. Game 3, if necessary, will take place at 4 p.m. Friday at Grand Prairie.
Jesuit has beaten an Arlington ISD opponent in the bi-district round in each of the past five seasons and will be hopeful of not only advancing to the area round, but to qualify for the regional semifinals for the first time since 2023.
In Class 5A, both Highland Park (22-8, 12-2 in 12-5A) and Dallas Hillcrest (26-3, 12-0 in 13-5A) claimed their respective district titles.
The Scots, who have qualified for the postseason in each of the 20 years head coach Travis Yoder has been with the program, have won nine consecutive games overall and are hoping to ride that momentum to a first-round win for the first time since 2021.
In each of the past three seasons, HP had a chance to clinch the district title only to slip up in their finale before suffering bi-district exits.
But that wasn’t the case in 2026 as HP closed with a win over Frisco Lone Star, 8-0, Friday.
“We’ve kind of slipped up in the last game the last few years and it’s really taken the wind out of our sails,” Yoder said. “Our goals always start with winning the district, and we were able to sweep Lone Star to get that done, and we’re hoping to ride that momentum.”
Yoder noted the team has remained focused despite graduation and other potential distractions approaching. He also believes HP’s balance will be strength.
“The kids are locked in and are unified in their goals,” he said. “We’ve been hitting and pitching well and what I really like about this team is that we’ve kind of had a different MVP every week.”
HP, listed as “others considered” in the Morning News 5A area rankings, will face Frisco Lebanon Trail in the bi-district round of the Division 1 playoffs with Game 1 slated for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Frisco’s Smotherman Field followed by Game 2 at home at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Game 3, if necessary, will take place at noon Saturday at Prosper Rock Hill.
The No. 9 team in the Morning News 5A area rankings is Hillcrest, who wrapped up their third consecutive district title in impressive fashion Friday with a three-run seventh inning to complete a sweep of Dallas Molina with a 5-2 victory.
Hillcrest will be seeking a bi-district win for the fifth time in the past six years after suffering a first-round exit last season.
Also qualifying for the postseason out of 13-5A is W.T. White.
Bi-district opponents, locations and game times for the bi-district round for Hillcrest and White are still to be determined depending on tiebreakers in 14-5A.
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