Texas high school baseball state championships: Class 5A finals; matchups, key players, stats, how they got here

Everything you need to know about the UIL Texas 5A state baseball championship games at Dell Diamond, including key players, game times, and full playoff breakdowns

Grapevine junior Lale Esquivel enters Friday's Class 5A Division II state championship game batting .420 and is 6-1 on the mound. / Robbie Rakestraw

The UIL’s new split-division format in Class 5A baseball will crown two champions for the first time Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

Grapevine, the defending 5A champion, faces Humble Kingwood Park at 4 p.m. in the Division II final. Smithson Valley and Aledo will meet at 7 p.m. for the Division I title. All four teams have navigated tough playoff paths to reach the season’s final day, and you can read about all four of their paths below.

The 2025 season marks the UIL’s first year of expanded brackets in Classes 2A through 6A, creating two divisions per class and doubling the number of state champions.

High School On SI – Texas will have state baseball coverage throughout the week, including game previews, live scoring and updates from all 11 championship matchups. We encourage you to check back often for more coverage and to share our stories with friends and on social media.

Below are full breakdowns of each 5A final, including key players, playoff summaries and what to watch for in Friday’s games.

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At Dell Diamond (Round Rock)

Class 5A Division I

Comal Smithson Valley (28-12) vs. Aledo (33-8)

Date: Fri., June 6

Time: 7 p.m.

About Smithson Valley

Playoff history: This is Smithson Valley’s fourth tournament appearance. They are chasing their first state championship.

Playoff record: 10-3

Key players: Blake Allen (SS, sr.) .306; Trey Morgan (OF, sr.) .326; Cooper Gibson (3B/P, soph.) .257 / 6-1; PK Moeller (OF, sr.) .293; Jake Furay (OF, jr.) .275; Luke Williams (P, jr.) 5-4; Aiden Verette (1B/P, jr.) .296 / 9-1; Jacob Kirk (P, jr.) 4-2; Bryce Wells (C, sr.) .394; Adam De Hoyos (3B/P, jr.) .300.

How they got here

With four games remaining in the regular season the Rangers were 14-9 and hardly on anyone’s state championship radar. But they won all four games and then continued finding ways to get it done this postseason. It’s been an impressive run that has featured blowouts, comebacks, three losses and a handful of nail-biting thrillers. … Things haven’t always been pretty. They began this postseason with a loss – 8-5 to Leander Rouse – but bounced back to beat Rouse 3-2 in Game 2 and 7-2 in Game 3 to advance. … After sweeping Seguin (7-1, 8-3) to win the area, the Rangers had their toughest series to date in this postseason against Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial. After splitting a pair of 2-1 nailbiters in the first two games of the series, the Rangers scored a run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win a dramatic 7-6 walk-off in Game 3. … They lost Game 1 of the region finals to Lajoya Palmview (7-0) and fought for their playoff lives with wins of 8-2 and 7-0 to reach the semifinals, where they swept Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill (4-0, 4-3).

Keys to watch

Two of Smithson Valley’s losses this postseason have come in the first game of a series. But in the finals, it’s a one-game, winner-take-all showdown. Seven innings stand between the Rangers and their first state championship, but they will need a good start against an Aledo team that can score runs in bunches. If the Rangers show up locked-in and focused, they’re as dangerous as anyone.

About Aledo

Playoff history: This is Aledo’s fourth trip to the state tournament and first since 2015. The program is in search of its second state championship after claiming its only title back in 2014.

Playoff record: 10-2

Key players: Nick Foster (SS/P, sr.) .342 / 1-2; Luke Trager (RF, sr.) .337; Blake Burdine (3B/OF, sr.) .316; Teryn Byrne (P/UTIL, jr.) 2-0; Landon Barnes (2B/SS, jr.) .375; Noah Graham (3B/P, sr.) .302; Lucas Nawrocki (DH/P, jr.) .506 / 3-0; Connor Whitmire (C, jr.) .455; Rhett Spiers (P/OF, sr.) .400; Luke Gladchuk (OF/P, soph.) .357; Jackson Loos (1B, jr.) .333; Dylan Duran (1B/3B, jr.) .291; Devin Miller (P/1B, sr.) 10-1; Grayson McKelvey (P/1B, sr.) 9-2; Luke Sandefur (P/INF, jr.) 5-0; Miller Hill (2B/UTIL, jr.) .750.

How they got here

After suffering half of their losses in the first 12 games of the season, the Bearcats went 15-2 to close out the second half and have been finding ways to advance in this postseason. Rolling into the playoffs with four straight wins, the Bearcats swapped 2-0 victories with North Richland Hills Birdville in the first two games of their bi-district series before storming back with a 6-0 win in Game 3. … They followed that series with consecutive sweeps of Forth Worth Arlington Heights (12-2, 5-1) and Amarillo (3-2, 15-2) before losing Game 1 of the regional finals to Colleyville Heritage, 3-1. They came back with decisive wins in the next two games (4-1, 13-2) and then blanked McKinney North (4-0, 6-0) in the semifinals.

Keys to watch

While Aledo’s offense is dangerous, it’s not as prolific as some others in these Texas playoffs. That’s not to say the Bearcats don’t score plenty of runs, because most days they do. They’ve only been shut out once, scored fewer than three runs only seven times, and they have scored at least three runs 33 times. They’ve scored 10 or more runs 10 times this season. … Still, they rely more on pitching and good defense than most playoff teams in 2025. On paper, it’s hard to see this game ending in a blowout. The Bearcats have a deep pitching staff and should be positioned well on the mound should the game reach extra innings.  

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Class 5A Division II

Humble Kingwood Park (34-9-1) vs. Grapevine (35-3)

Date: Fri., June 6

Time: 4 p.m.

About Kingwood Park

Playoff history: Kingwood Park made its second trip to the state tournament in 2025 and is seeking its first state championship.

Playoff record:10-2

Key players: Tyler Brown (INF/P, jr.) .270 / 4-0; Kevin Rios (INF, sr.) .250; Landon Coburn (INF/P, jr.) .252 / 11-3; Blake Heckman (OF, sr.) .311; Griffin Resendez (DH/P, jr.) .324 / 2-0; Garrett Koshkin (P, jr.) 5-3; Trey Nichols (INF/P, soph) .346 / 0-1; Nicholas Slonaker (INF, sr.) .337; Aden Murray (DH/P, sr.) .274 / 8-2; Tanner Gillean (INF/P, sr.) .300 / 1-0; Logan Bear (OF/P, jr.) .307; Ethan Brain (INF, jr.) .265; Michael Segura (OF/P, jr.) .231 / 2-0; Luke Robbins (OF/P, sr.) .333; Nathan Eveler (C/P, jr.) .353.

How they got here

No matter Friday’s outcome, the Panthers will be finishing the year better than they started. Six games into the season, they were 2-3-1 and desperately needing a turnaround. They got it, winning five straight and 16 of their next 18 games. … In the playoffs they swept Brenham (6-3, 9-2) and Santa Fe (2-1, 5-4) in the first two rounds. After smacking Pflugerville Weiss 14-2 in Game 1 of the regional semifinals, they were shut out 1-0 in Game 2 before bouncing back with a 3-1 win in the series finale. … After sweeping Nederland (12-1, 8-1) to get to the semifinals, they lost Game 1 to Liberty Hill (3-2), then came back to win the next two games (6-0, 5-4) to reach the finals.

Keys to watch

About Grapevine

Playoff history: This is the Mustangs’ fourth trip to the state tournament. The defending Class 5A state champions are vying for their second consecutive title and third in program history – also winning in 2016.

Playoff record: 10-1

Key players: Luke Esquivel (P/OF, fr.) .429 / 11-1; Lale Esquivel (3B/P, jr.) .420 / 6-1; Benjamin Chen (P, sr.) 9-0; Conner McDermott (OF, sr.) .400; Gianni Corral (C, jr.) .378; Zack Goldstein (OF/P, jr.) .273 / 1-0; Thomas Powers (OF, sr.) .329; Colin Park (2B/3B, sr.) .341; Connor Ray (SS, soph.) .376; Jarrett Boswell (1B/P, sr.) .371 / 1-0; Sam DuRard (P, sr.) 3-0; Blaine Swartz (P, sr.) 2-1.

How they got here

One of the best teams in the country, Grapevine – the defending 5A state champions – returned in 2025 sporting many of the same cast that hoisted the trophy last year. The biggest difference now: they added another talented Esquivel to the mix – and he’s proven to be one of the best freshmen on the planet in southpaw Luke Esquivel. … Esquivel has been the ace of the staff in 2025, and he joins Benjamin Chen and Lale Esquivel in anchoring a group that has pitched 10 shutouts. Five of those shutouts have come in the playoffs, as they blanked Joshua (10-0), Abeline Wylie (5-0, 4-0), Lubbock-Cooper (4-0) and Lucas Lovejoy (2-0). … The Mustangs have lost three games by four combined runs. Their only losses in the regular season were to Midland (5-4) and Colleyville Heritage (3-2). … They swept their opening series against White Settlement Brewer (7-3, 8-7) before losing Game 1 of the area series to Joshua, 5-3. That loss only spurred the Mustangs, as they have since been on a tear – beating Joshua (10-0, 13-4), Abilene Wylie (5-0, 4-0), Lubbock-Cooper (4-0, 13-8) and 2024 state runner-up Lucas Lovejoy (2-0, 6-5).

Keys to watch

Will the Mustangs hand the ball to a freshman to start one of the biggest games in program history? So far, the stage hasn’t been too big for a budding young star like Luke Esquivel, who – along with Lale, and junior batterymate Gianni Corral – has given the Mustangs’ program reason to believe it will be competing for more titles in the years to come. Either way, that trio will be supported by a host of veteran seniors who have plenty of big-game experience. … The moment certainly won’t be too big for Grapevine’s veterans. Whether they hand the ball to the young Esquivel or go with a more experienced veteran, Grapevine’s experience advantage should play a factor.

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