Baseball: Breaking down Iowa Park-Argyle; Windthorst's McQuerry taking one for team

Graham baseball coach Jim Bob Williams calls No. 1 Argyle one of those teams that comes around about once a generation.

The Eagles have 10 players committed to play Division I baseball at the next level. Their 37-1-1 record and postseason dominance speak for itself.

They’ll be the heavy favorite in the Region I-4A finals when they meet up with No. 5 Iowa Park at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Abilene Christian. But Williams believes the Hawks also have a shot.

Williams is as good a coach as any to offer insight on this matchup. His Steers lost twice to Iowa Park in district 10-0 and 8-2, then drew Argyle about two weeks later in the playoffs. Argyle knocked the Steers out with 2-1 and 15-0 victories the same day.

“The key for Iowa Park is to play relaxed, and I think they will,” said Williams, who also saw both teams play Game 1s last week in Abilene. “Their kids have a lot of confidence, they’ve played good competition. (Chris) Dickens and (Kaleb) Gafford, it’s a good combo to have. In one game, I think they have a chance to do it.”

Williams isn’t the first Class 4A coach to call Argyle’s talent level ridiculous. The Eagles’ No. 8 hitter Cade Merka is a Texas A&M commit, while their 9-hole Bo Hogeboom plans on playing his college ball at the University of Houston.

But as good as Argyle’s lineup is, Williams believes the Eagles are the best defensive team he’s witnessed since he started coaching decades ago.  

“You have small windows of opportunity for balls to fly in,” Williams said. “They’ve got to be in spots because they're so good defensively. It’s hard to get a ball through against him, hard to get a base hit.”

If that wasn’t enough, the pitcher Argyle will likely send to the mound is  UT-San Antonio signee Chad Ricker, who enters with a 10-0 record and 1.04 ERA in 69.1 innings. Ricker has thrown no-hitters his last two outings and hasn’t allowed a hit since the fifth frame of his Graham start, a streak of 13 innings.

“I know he’s thrown two straight no-hitters, but I do think Iowa Park has a chance to hit him,” Williams said. “We hit the ball kind of hard against him, and I think Iowa Park takes the same approach we do.”

Graham had six hits against Ricker, the last of which was Seth Shook’s single that put two runners on and no outs in the fifth inning of a 1-1 series opener. But Nolan Carroll lined out to right field and Shook was doubled off.

Those are the types of mistakes no one can afford to commit against Argyle, which is 17-0 against Class 4A teams, having outscored them 160-18.

It’s worth noting that Argyle’s three closest 4A matchups – Game 1 against Graham plus 2-1 and 2-0 decisions over district mate Decatur – featured lanky lefthanders in the Steers’ Luke Stone and Eagles’ Bodi Rascon.

None of Iowa Park’s primary pitchers are lefties, although Logan Kimbro did throw two innings of relief against Argyle in their first meeting, allowing three runs (one earned) and striking out four. That was also the last time Kimbro has thrown this season.

Williams said over the weekend he couldn’t wait to go watch the Argyle-Iowa Park rematch Wednesday after the Eagles won the non-district matchup 9-2, taking advantage of four Hawk errors in the process.

The Graham coach thinks highly of both teams, but said Argyle is in a league of its own as its state and national rankings suggest.

“Iowa Park is a really, really good team, but Argyle is one of those teams you get to see once in 20, 30 years,” Williams said. “I do think Iowa Park has the kids who can give them some trouble. Argyle hits ball well, but if you pitch well and play good defense, you can keep it close.”

Windthorst’s McQuerry taking one for team

If attending a Windthorst baseball game, you’ll know when Sam McQuerry gets hit by a pitch.

They’ll be more cheering than usual, and a number will be yelled out loud by a few of the Trojan faithful.

After getting beaned twice on Saturday against Bosqueville, McQuerry is up to 30 hit by pitches this year, which is a historic amount. He’s been hit three times in a single game this season against Quanah, Petrolia and Celeste.

“It doesn’t feel great, but it looks good,” McQuerry said. “I’m bruised but it’s alright. I’ve always been hit, but 30 is crazy. It’s insane.”

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations record books, the most hit by pitches in a single season was set last year by Hudson Hedges of Pioneer, Oklahoma with 39. 

By reaching 30, McQuerry moved into third all-time on the NFHS single-season list and has a chance to pass Jordan Spurlock of Inola, Oklahoma (31 in 2017) this week.

McQuerry crowds the plate and the catcher who also started at linebacker in the fall isn’t afraid of contact. He has more hit by pitches than hits (28), and every time he gets drilled, the crowd hoots and hollers. 

“I’m bruised up, but I’m so used to it half the time, it doesn’t even phase me,” McQuerry said. “They love it, they want me to get the record or close to it.”

Getting back to state

Two of the area’s most successful baseball programs, Iowa Park and Windthorst will look to end the area’s six-year state drought this week. Rider’s appearance in 2013 was the last time an area team won its region.

Iowa Park last made a state appearance in 2001 and has advanced to the regional finals in three of the past six years, having lost to Lubbock-Cooper in 2014 and Godley last year. Argyle has advanced to the regional finals in five of the past six seasons, winning state in 2015 and 2018.

Windthorst has been to the regional finals once since its 2010 title run. In 2013, the Trojans won the first game of the II-2A finals against Trenton but dropped the last two games.

That was the first time in five regional finals Windthorst has lost. The Trojans also went to state in 2002, 2003 and 2009. Valley Mills is making its first regional finals appearance since 2005.