Pleasant Grove to Send Hawks to State Baseball Tournament
The Pleasant Grove Hawk fans will gather Tuesday to give a big sendoff to the boys' baseball team as they head to Austin to play in the state semi-final on Wednesday.
The Hawk sendoff will be Tuesday morning at 7:30AM at the Pleasant Grove High School. The baseball team will be playing at the University of Texas baseball field Wednesday afternoon against Abilene Wylie in the Class 4A State Semi-final. If the Hawks win that game they will play in the State Championship game Thursday evening in Austin against the winner of the Robinson vs. Salado other semi-final contest.
Pleasant Grove made it back to Austin for the first time since its 2013 trip by beating Argyle 8-1 in a one game regional final played this past Saturday in McKinney.
The Hawks used their winning formula of outstanding pitching, air tight defense and timely relentless hitting in avenging playoff losses the last two years to Argyle.
Head Coach Riley Fincher says the Hawks did a good job of jumping on Argyle early and not letting up. Preaching baseball fundamentals, Fincher says the team was prepared as they have been all season to do what it takes as a team to get the job done. Coach Fincher describes the players as "unselfish and team-oriented focused on achieving their goal."
Pitching Coach Paul Phillips said his hurlers did a great job in the playoffs, as they have all season, of being mentally tough, and focused on the mound. Phillips says pitchers Joe Pearlman, Caleb Bolden, and Will Hlavinka do a good job of pitching the games he calls from the dugout and hitting their spots and being bulldogs out there on the mound and of getting the job done.
As for what happens in Austin, time will tell. But Hawk Nation and Texarkana as a whole should be proud of what this team, coaches and players have already accomplished. They all know the work is not finished and two more victories are needed to achieve their final goal.
We wish the Hawks a safe trip and success in the tournament and hope they win that championship. If you get a chance, go by the PG High School Tuesday morning and give them a proper send off and let them know you're behind them all the way.