Bears set to tangle with Yellowjackets
By Chad Wilson Editor

Chad Wilson Photo With a presence on the mound similar to Randy Johnson's and a delivery like Nolan Ryan, BHS senior Keaton Parsell is an intimidating factor for the Bears.

Corsicana will be the site of the Brownsboro Bears first playoff game in four years. Brownsboro will face off against the Kemp Yellowjackets in the bi-district best of three playoff series Friday and Saturday.

The first game is scheduled to begin at 6pm Friday while game two is set for Saturday at 1pm. If a game three is needed it will be played 30 minutes after game two.

From Brownsboro travel HWY-31 through Corsicana. Pass Navarro College and turn right at the traffic light on 45th Street (HWY-2555). The baseball field is south of Corsicana High School.

Neither team has played at Corsicana this season which led to the reason the field was chosen over Athens or Mabank.

Brownsboro enters the game as the third place team from District 14-3A. The Bears finished district play with a 7-3 record and an overall record of 11-11.

After finishing second in a three team tournament to decide playoff seeding for District 13-3A Kemp enters the playoffs with an overall record of 17-8 and a district record of 6-4.

Kemp returns several players from last year's squad that advanced to Area competition before losing to Texarkana Pleasant Grove. The Jackets have seven seniors on the team.

The winner of this weekend's series will face Texarkana in the Area round of the playoffs scheduled to be played on or before May 10.

"We are excited to once again be playing in the state baseball playoffs. As far as the Pleasant Grove rematch, my kids know what is at stake this weekend against the Bears and realize looking past a tough competitive team would be an insult. My seniors are poised for their last post season chance and look forward to playing in a tough series this weekend," Kemp head coach Cody Ross said.

Texarkana won the District 16-3A title with a 7-1 record. The Hawks are 19-7 on the season and earned a first round bye in this year's playoffs. Last season the Hawks advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals.

Brownsboro last faced the Yellowjackets in the second game of the 2006 baseball season. The Bears won the contest 12-5 as Ryan Epperson nailed two homeruns. Brownsboro and Kemp defeated Chapel Hill and Athens this season.

Epperson and fellow seniors Keaton Parsell and Collin Wilson will be the backbone of the Bears playoff success.

Parsell dominated his last few appearances on the mound prior to the playoffs while Wilson returns from an injury. Parsell and Epperson are expected to take the mound for the Bears in the series with Kemp.

For the Jackets Nick Sallings and Mikie Scruggs are expected to pitch. Sallings was named to the All- District 13-3A first team last season as a pitcher.

Sallings has struggled with injuries this season and is still questionable for the playoffs. Coach Ross said Sallings would play in the series at third base but time on the mound was questionable.

Ross said the key for the Jackets would be to watch pitch selection and to put the ball in play with two outs.

Brownsboro head coach Joe Fleming last faced the Jackets while in Winnsboro. Then the Jackets were loaded with freshmen, talented freshmen that are now seniors.

"I am anticipating we will have to perform at a high level to beat them," Fleming said. "There are no gimmees in the playoffs. Everybody is hungry, especially in the first round. Not only is everybody hungry, every team is going to be quality."