It’s not often St. Xavier High School can legitimately play the role of underdog in any sport, but Tigers baseball coach Andy Porta is running with the label this postseason.
Ranked No. 16 in the state in the final coaches’ Top 20, the Tigers will face a higher-rated squad for the third straight game when they meet No. 2 McCracken County at 6 p.m. Friday in the semifinals of the Rawlings/KHSAA State Tournament t Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington, Ky.
“We’ve embraced that underdog role,” Porta said. “There were all these 30-win teams in the top bracket, and here’s little ol’ St. X with our 25, 26, 27 wins. … If (others) aren’t buying us being the underdog, that’s fine. If the kids are buying it, go with whatever works.”
St. X (27-12) has faced a gantlet so far in the state tournament, beating No. 1 Greenup County 4-2 in the first round and No. 12 and defending champion West Jessamine 3-2 in the quarterfinals.
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McCracken County (37-5) may provide the stiffest test so far. The Mustangs have a 24-game winning streak and are 49-1 against Kentucky competition over the past two seasons. The only loss came to Highlands, 5-2, in the first round of last year’s state tournament.
“(Coach) Geno Miller is doing a heck of a job down there,” Porta said. “I like the fact that he does a lot of traveling and plays solid competition outside the region. … This is going to be a challenge for us.”
The Mustangs aren’t overloaded with talent, as senior shortstop Keegan Breese (Murray State signee) was the only player to be named to the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association’s All-State squad.
Porta and Miller said the key to the Mustangs’ success is a solid batting order that has no holes.
“We don’t have the big-name Division I players, but I feel like we have a talented team,” Miller said. “They believe in work ethic and have a blue-collar mentality. They understand every inning and every pitch in every game is not going to go your way. You have to deal with that.”
Junior right-hander Caleb Reinhardt (11-1, 0.95 ERA) will get the start on the mound for the Mustangs, Miller said. Reinhardt picked up the victory when the Mustangs beat the Tigers 4-1 on May 14 in Paducah, Ky. The Tigers have won 10 in a row since then.
Reinhardt tossed a five-hitter and struck out seven in an 8-3 victory over Elizabethtown in the first round of the state tournament.
“He throws three pitches (fastball, curveball, change-up) for strikes and works both sides of the plate,” Miller said. “He has that bulldog mentality. He doesn’t get rattled. He’s not a rah-rah guy, a very quiet kid. But get him on the mound and he goes about his business.”
Senior right-hander Daniel Fischer (6-2, 1.54) will get the start for the Tigers, Porta said. The University of Louisville signee allowed four hits and struck out five in the opening-round victory over Greenup County.
St. X is gunning for its second state title in three years and could be assuming a “Team of Destiny” role after Saturday’s victory over West Jessamine, when Sam Mudd hit a walk-off home run to seal the victory. It was Mudd’s first homer of the season.
Porta said his team has remained “down to earth” since the victory.
“They’re a very even-keeled bunch,” Porta said. “One of the guys noticed that we didn’t really dog-pile after (Mudd’s walk-off). We still know we have two more games and some work to do.”
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.