The last time any Clifton sport was this deep in the state playoffs, the United States was putting a man on the moon.
Still, Clifton's Cubs will play Kirbyville Thursday in Tyler and the first team to win two games of the series will punch their tickets to Austin and UIL state.
Like most coaches, Brian Slater loves talking about his team's toughness. Only, with this group, there are numbers to back his case up.
"We are 6-0 in elimination games this postseason up to this point," shared Slater.
That kind of determination mixed with cliché is characteristic of this Cubs team. Just listen to second baseman Jackson Phillips's keys to getting to Austin.
"I believe it all starts with practice. We just got to keep coming out here, practicing, and having fun. That's what we've been doing all year."
If only it were that simple, right? Then maybe Clifton would be talking about a small step for the school instead of the giant athletics leap this baseball team is providing.
Still, outsiders can be surprised at this team's success, but if you were paying close attention you might've had a hint this was coming.
"We brought back all nine starters from last year," shared outfielder Brandon Ernst, "We knew we had a really good shot at going deep [in the playoffs]."
Now, just two wins and a talented Kirbyville team stand in the way of their known success.
First pitch for game one is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Tyler with game two set for Friday afternoon at 12:30.
Copyright 2018 KXXV. All rights reserved.
