Rattlers square off with familiar foe in playoffs

San Marcos will meet up with a familiar foe in the area round in the UIL Baseball Playoffs as the Rattlers square off with the Lake Travis Cavaliers.

Being a former district rival, Head Coach Bryan Webb knows what the Rattlers are up against.

“They are good,” Webb said. “We know we have our hands full. Having played them over the last four years, they are a quality baseball team. They are coached well and they do all the little things right. We are going to have to play well.”

But despite facing one of the stronger baseball programs in the area, Webb also knows that San Marcos is not afraid of going up against a literal Goliath.

“They have some solid arms and they hit the ball well,” Webb said. “There is a reason they go three to five rounds deep in the playoffs. But that’s why you go and play the game. You don’t win it on paper so we are going to see what they are made of and they are going to see what we are made of.”

One of the key battles over the weekend will be the high-powered Lake Travis offense against the solid San Marcos defense in a showdown–the irresistible force vs the immovable object.

“We are not afraid of anybody,” Webb said. “We know what they got and they have some great hitters on top of having a great approach. But we think we have just as great pitching as anywhere in the state. Our pitchers have shown week in and week out, even if they don’t show their best stuff, that they are able to pitch to our defense. We know who their guys are, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and we are not afraid. We are going to go right at them.”

Lake Travis comes into the matchup as the No. 8 team in the state, competing in District 26 with a 25-6-2 record.

The Cavaliers were tied for second in the district winning a tiebreaker game against Austin Bowie to advance to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed.

In the Bi-District round, Lake Travis won their one game playoff with Round Rock Westwood, defeating the Warriors in a dominant 7-0 win.

In contrast, San Marcos defeated San Antonio Churchill in the three game series, defeating the Chargers in a thrilling 5-2 win in Game 3.

Both Lake Travis and San Marcos’ most common opponent during the regular season was Dripping Springs, who was placed in District 26 after the Tigers were bumped from 5A to 6A over the past realignment.

The Rattlers fell to Dripping Springs 1-0 in the Comal Tournament in their only meeting with the Tigers.

Lake Travis swept Dripping Springs in the district series with the Cavaliers taking Game 1 7-5 and then winning Game 2 1-0.

One of the leaders on offense for the Cavaliers is first baseman Cole Johnson.

Named to the All State Team last year, Johnson is currently committed to play for Oklahoma State.

Leading Lake Travis on the mound is senior pitcher Jackson Baker who is currently committed to Alabama.

Both San Marcos and Lake Travis have a history with one another, as the two teams were paired in the same district during the last realignment cycle.

In the last two meetings, the Cavaliers took both games in district play with Lake Travis winning Game 1 2-0 and Game 2 10-0.

Game 1 of the three game series starts tonight with Game 2 to be played on Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by Game 3, which will be played 30 minutes after the completion of Game 2 if needed, with all games being played at Dripping Springs.

Game 1 first pitch is at 8 p.m.

Due to the inclement weather that is supposed to take place over the weekend, there is a possibility of game time changes.

Follow the San Marcos Daily Record for the latest updates on potential game changes.

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc