Lake Belton baseball headed to playoffs to face Red Oak

May 1, 2025

By Clay Whittington

Last season, the Broncos followed a flawless district performance with a first-round loss in the playoffs. Beginning tonight, Lake Belton will attempt to avoid a similar fate.

On the heels of capturing another league championship with a perfect 10-0 record in District 16-5A, the Broncos begin their trek toward a state title at 7 p.m., when the first pitch of their opening-round series against Red Oak is thrown.

Game 1 of the best-ofthree Division I encounter will be played at Red Oak with the series shifting to Lake Belton for a 7 p.m. start Friday. If necessary, a deciding Game 3 will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. at Glen Rose.

Should the Broncos advance, they would face either North Mesquite or Molina in the second round.

One year ago, after earning the program’s fourth consecutive district championship, Lake Belton’s season came to an end in the first round, falling to Magnolia West in two consecutive one-run contests (3-2 and 5-4).

Once again, advancing will not be easy, but the Broncos have momentum entering the playoffs.

Lake Belton (22-5-2) concluded district competition Friday, when they hosted Waco University and earned a 5-0 a. It was the Broncos’ seventh shutout in league play.

Then, after celebrating a fifth district title, Lake Belton played a pair of games to warm up for its postseason run.

The Broncos began by disposing of Leander Rouse 7-0 on the road, but their 12-game winning streak was snapped in the following encounter as Waco Midway defeated Lake Belton 6-4 on Monday. It was the Broncos’ first loss since March 21, when they lost 3-1 at College Station.

The Hawks enter the playoffs as the fourth seed from District 15, producing an overall record of 16-13.

Red Oak was 8-6 in district to reach the postseason, where it was eliminated in the opening round last year.

The Hawks bring a three-game winning streak into the series after defeating Crandall twice by a combined score of 12-0 to set up a play-in game versus Ennis. Red Oak won 10-8.

With seven returning starters, including three seniors, the Hawks have the potential to be a threat to Lake Belton, but the Broncos will be prepared.

Among the team’s six returning starters are senior standouts Bryce Davis, a second baseman, outfielder Cameron Bartz, first baseman Kaden Ward and pitcher Brandon Holley. All four players were all-district first-team selections last year.