Survival of The Fittest

Rattlers make Regional Finals

 

 

Surviving is what humans do best—struggling against violent circumstances, resisting the diabolical urge to quit, experiencing the catharsis attached to success, all of it essential to our being. Now consider that, out of the seventy-plus high schools across the RGV, only two remain in the UIL State Baseball playoffs. The Sharyland Rattlers are one of those teams hoping to extend their baseball lives just one week longer as they vie for one of the heralded spots in the state tournament. They’ve outlasted and vanquished all their competition until now, three more games, one more round to achieve their first final four berth in school history.

 

“There’s always that one Valley team that makes a run. PSJA has done it the last couple of years. It just feels good that we finally got our chance this year. We’ve just been playing well, and the kids have been finding ways to win. Hopefully, we keep on with that success,” Rattlers’ head Coach Austin Bickerton said about his team’s postseason journey.

 

Last week, the Rattlers overcame a 3-2 Game 1 loss and subsequent 1-0 series deficit against the Liberty Hill Panthers in the 5A D2 Regional Semifinals, dominating consecutive games by final scores of 9-7 and 8-4. Now, the Rattlers are back in the Regional Finals of the UIL State Playoffs for the first time since 2019 and for only the third time in school history.

 

“We didn’t play our best ball Game 1, but we were confident with our pitching staff and the way we’ve been hitting the ball at the plate, coming into games two and three,” Bickerton said when describing the Rattlers’ series win.

 

After a crushing Game 1 defeat, in which the Rattlers uncharacteristically surrendered a 2-0 lead, they knew a renewed effort would be necessary for Games 2 and 3. Their lineup struggled at the plate against the Panthers’ quality ace Jordan Andrews, yet still mustered a staunch defensive effort behind the arm of senior Sergio “Cheko” Ibarra, who threw 7 strikeouts.

 

 

“We’ve been working for this for the past four years, so it’s really amazing to achieve it with these guys. It was a tough loss on Friday. I pitched that game, and it was tough, but the day after, I talked to the guys and told them that I knew they had my back and that they would come through, and they did,” Ibarra said about the Rattlers’ Regional Semifinals comeback.

 

In the series’ final games, the Rattlers exploded to score 17 total runs, their highest two-game output in nearly one month. The Rattlers’ excellent pitching depth sustained them as sophomore lefty Emliano Villarreal and junior Rabath Vargas netted championship-clinching wins. Luis Balderas, Edgar Quintanilla, and senior Nic Valdez (7-for-12, .583 AVG, .615 OBP) stood out as powerful forces inside the Rattlers’ incendiary lineup for the entire series.

 

“We lost the first game, but we regrouped, refocused, and we got the dub. When we need it most, we put our bodies on the line, and we get on base. We just find a way to make it happen. I’ve never been this far in the playoffs, so now my senior year, it’s like everything I got, everything on the line and playing every game like it’s my last,” Valdez said about his efforts this postseason.

 

The Rattlers will now move on to the Regional Finals to face the Cedar Park Timberwolves (24-16-1, 9-5). In their previous Regional Final appearances, the Rattlers fell to the Calallen Wildcats in the 2002/2003 4A Region IV Final and to the Pioneer Diamondbacks in the 2019 5A D2 Regional Final. The Rattlers are aware of that history, but don’t feel the burdens of trying to exceed the accomplishments of the Rattlers from years past—every ounce of focus is expended on the next pitch and the next out.

 

“We’re just taking it inning by inning, pitch by pitch. That’s how we’ve been all year,” Bickerton said about his team’s focus.

 

The 15-1 (34-4 overall) Rattlers are now two wins away from their first-ever berth in the 5A State Semifinals. Their senior leadership has claimed 104 total victories, three district and bi-district championships, and two area championships over the last four years, in addition to this year’s Regional Finals appearance. Among those nine seniors are standouts like Ibarra, Valdez, and Santiago Balderas, and the catcher/captain Luis ‘Bicho’ Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos is batting .398 this year and leads the Rattlers in fielding percentage.

 

“It’s an honor to represent Sharyland. I’m happy to be here. I’m excited. We just try to keep the same mentality, attack the opponents, and never give up, just go get it and have fun,” Cienfuegos said about how the seniors lead underclassmen.

 

The Rattlers’ journey to this point has been a testament to the wealth of support off the field and to the quality coaching that guides them on the field. The Rattlers have melded into a quality baseball program thanks to the collective efforts of coaches Andrew Arteaga, Enrique Rubio, Luis Flores, Andy Garza, and Rudy Youngblood.

 

 

Even Bickerton’s father and ex- Rattlers’ Head Coach, Barton, frequents the Rattlers’ games alongside a host of family, friends, former players, community bigwigs, and a squad of deafening baseball moms in retro cherry-red varsity jackets. The younger Bickerton is thankful for the support and for his father’s transition to being a full-time fan and confidant.

 

“It’s been very special doing this all at Sharyland High School. It’s where I graduated from. I’ve been on this baseball field since I was born. My dad brought me out to all the practices. I’ve seen all the good wins, but also all the heartbreaking losses. [Now] he gets a little stressed out at the games and I look over at him every now and then to see if he can give me advice, but I think he’s just kind of letting me do my thing. He trusts the staff here and knows we’ll make the right decisions,” the younger Bickerton said with a wide grin.

 

The Rattlers baseball success isn’t a secret. Everyone across the state knows. All that’s left is to make the folks in Austin feel it.

 

“We’re just gonna play our game. We’re gonna play a little small-ball if we can’t hit, but I’m fully confident that we’re gonna come out and hit the ball well against them. I have great assistant coaches who have my back. They’re gonna help me make the right decisions and adjustments throughout the series like they did this past series. We’re gonna be ready to go, and so will the kids. The hay’s already in the barn,” Bickerton said with a calm demeanor.

 

Game 1 of this best-of-three series between the Rattlers and the Timberwolves was played yesterday at 5 pm. Game 2 is scheduled to be played today at 5 pm and Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled to be played tomorrow at 3 pm. All three games are being played at Gregory-Portland High School.