The Collinsville Pirates baseball team sailed to Dell Diamond and left with the championship crown for the second year in a row, defeating the Overton Mustangs, 12-0, and becoming the 22nd team in state history to win back-to-back.
The Pirates took their second state title in as many years, using a strong defensive performance to corral the Mustangs’ offense and boat racing their way to a double-digit margin victory.
“We started off really, really strong, and then we went cold for a while,” Collinsville head baseball coach Derrick Jenkins said. “We couldn't figure out how to score from a run, but the first inning is exactly what we talked about all week. If we got the first guy on, we knew we could do some things early and put some pressure on them.”
First baseman Cash Morgan got the Pirates' scoring barrage going with a line drive single to right field that drove in two runs, putting Collinsville up 2-0.
Collinsville added two more runs in the top of the first inning when designated hitter Noah Cantu laid down a bunt that led to an error by Overton’s defense, extending the Pirates’ lead to 4-0.
Despite the Pirates’ fast start, the two teams traded outs until the final inning, with Collinsville holding on to its 4-0 lead.
Collinsville pulled away with an eight-run scoring salvo in the seventh inning sparked by a two-RBI double to left field hit by catcher Peyton Davidson.
The Mustangs gave the Pirates three runs when their pitchers Landon Hill and Bryce Still walked multiple Collinsville batters with the bases loaded.
Pirates’ shortstop Paxton Davidson kept Collinsville’s scoring run going with a line drive single to center field, driving in one run, followed by a line drive single to center field hit by Jaxon Jenkins that drove in two runs, sealing the Pirates’ 12-0.
Garrett Trevino and Caysen Schafer led the Pirates from the mound, combining to allow four hits and no runs and collecting two strikeouts.
Jaxon was named the championship game’s MVP, with multiple big plays from third base and pacing the Pirates with three hits and 2 RBIs.
Jaxon, whose older brother Logan Jenkins helped lead the Pirates to last year’s title, said the moment felt surreal.
“I never thought I would be in that position,” he said. “My brother and I always have a bit of a competition with each other, so having that one up on him with the MVP feels like it helps me in that race, but, ultimately, it just feels great to help my team as much as possible.”
Derrick said the experience the Pirates gained from last year’s championship paid dividends this season.
“It says a lot about the program that we’ve built,” he said. “We’ve created a program that everybody here [in Collinsville] can be proud of here; we want it to continue, and last week we got over the hump. This year was a little weird at first because we knew what to do. It was so much fun to walk in with such a seasoned group of kids that were young [but] knew exactly what the atmosphere was going to look like, and that was probably the big difference.”
Derrick made sure to thank the Collinsville administration, parents and community for the love and support they provided the team this season.
“The biggest thing is that they let us as coaches do what we do,” he said. “The parents trust us with their kids and let us have a chance to work hard every day. Number two, our administration here has been awesome. They’ve been supporting us from the get-go, and when we showed up four years ago, it didn't quite look like this. The new coaching staff got everything started, and as things have unfolded, it's been unreal what our administration has helped us do.”
