It might sound strange to say that a team that is 33-6 and a back to back Region 1 Champion has over come adversity. But starting from the very beginning of this year, overcoming adversity is what this 2018 Carroll Dragon team has done. When one of your top slated pitchers is lost for the year most teams would say "Oh woe is me" and pack it in for the summer. That is not what this group has done. Instead they have run through most of this season as if they were reading from a pre-determined script. And yet they are exactly where they expected to be. Headed back to the UIL State Tournament for the 8th time in school history. And this is the 2nd consecutive year which is the first time that has happened since the early 90's.

In fact the Region 1 Championship series against fellow 5-6A competitor Flower Mound Marcus ended up being a one sided weekend as the Dragons out scored the Marauders 20-3 over the course of two games.

Senior Nicco Cole picked up his 12th win in the 6 inning complete game striking out six Marcus hitters while scattering seven hits. When your team gives you a 4-0 lead after a 1/2 inning it makes the drama of potentially advancing to your 2nd consecutive State Tournament a lot easier to handle. Nicco wasn't threatened all night as much as he was annoyed when twice Marcus extended the game by scoring multiple runs in the 4th and 5th innings.

The Dragon offense kept pouring on the runs against a Marcus starter who entered the game with a 10-0 record himself. Matty Werner was the offensive star of the night as he collected three hits and four RBIs and five RBIs over the course of the series. The Carroll offense pounded out 12 RBIs over the course of this marathon at Globe Life. The ever patient Dragon group saw 149 Marcus pitches cross home plate from five different Marauders compared to Cole's 92 all by himself.

All this did was place the Dragons back in the place they knew they would be. State Tournament seedings will be released Sunday. SLC will play at either 4 or 7pm on Friday, June 8th according to the UIL's tentative schedule. The two games still in front of them are the most important but the Dragon baseball family stays together another week.