TROY, Texas (KXXV) — The UIL is adding more sports to its roster — including the expansion of 4A and 3A baseball playoffs.
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Starting next school year, all rounds will consist of a three-game series unless both coaches agree to a winner-take-all, one-game series.
"The coaches have have been wanting this for a while, especially the coaches of the teams that have depth and the thing you always want is you just want the best teams to be able to advance deeper in the playoffs," China Spring baseball head coach Cory Beckham said.
"The atmosphere, you know, you get in the playoffs, there's nothing better. I think when you can have that atmosphere for a three-game series, I think it creates a lot of excitement," Troy baseball head coach Steve Sebesta said.
5A and 6A were first to use this method last season. Now other classes are getting in on the action. There's not just a change in the postseason, but a change in strategy.
"You have to create depth throughout the course of a season, right? And if you know that going in then that's gonna benefit you and your organization and your planning and you kind of developing a roster. I'll be honest too, at that point of the year I'd rather play games than practice," Sebesta said.
"When we're scouting our opponents and we're trying to figure out who we're playing. We're always, you know, wondering that question are they gonna want one, are they gonna want two out of three or we're gonna have to flip a coin. Now that's over with, you know that if you want a series you're gonna get a series and that's something here at China Spring that that most of the time we're gonna want," Beckham said.
With changes comes concerns and scheduling is one that takes center stage.
"Some of the concerns would just be, you know, on weekends that the weather hits that it would be an issue, even like this last year deeper into the playoffs you've got graduation and you've got semester exams," Beckham said.
"Those are some obstacles that are gonna get in the way and you really gotta have good planning and, you know, prior planning before the week of hoping that you win and and kind of get things in place," he said.
A big change in the playoff picture as we will see it in action next season.
