4A Division I State Championship

For a year, the returning Calallen players have been thinking of turning last year’s State Runner-Up into a State Championship. Friday, they did just that beating Texarkana Pleasant Grove 5-3 to capture the 2025 4A Division I State Championship.

Pleasant Grove got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. Singles by Jarrett Halter and Spencer Browning and a Buck Anderson walk loaded the bases. Landon West singled up the middle that scored Halter and Browning to give Pleasant Grove a 2-0 lead.

Calallen responded with a run of their own in the top of the 2nd. With 2 outs, Wyatt Duke singled and then advanced to 2B on a wild pitch. Dallin Debellas laced a single to left centerfield and Duke scored from 2B. Pleasant Grove’s lead was cut to 2-1.

Calallen pick up another run in the top of the 4th. Drayson Gamez led off with an infield single and went to 2nd on a Chase Lynch sacrifice bunt. Blake Quinn singled moving Gamez to third base. Drayton Mitchell then singled in between 1st and 2nd to score Gamez. That tied the game at 2 runs apiece.

Calallen continued to get men on base and picked up another run in the top of the 5th. Lynch singled to right centerfield to score Jaydon Cruz to give Calallen their first lead of the game, 3-2.

Pleasant Grove responded quickly and tied the game up in the bottom of the 5th. Christian May was on 3rd base after an earlier single and scored on a passed ball. The game was tied again at 3-3. Calallen however picked up a run in the top of the 6th, the 3rd inning in a row they had put up a run. Duke doubled to lead off the inning and scored on an Aidan Flores single putting Calallen back in the lead, 4-3.

Cody Andrade came in to relieve with one out in the 6th and shut down a Pleasant Grove. No longer on the mound, Mitchell turned his full attention to his bat and hit an RBI double in the top of the 7th to give Calallen a 5-3 lead. Andrade came back out and struck out 3 of the 4 batters he faced to secure the win and the state championship for Calallen.

Drayton Mitchell was the winning pitcher going 5.1 innings giving up 3 runs, 2 earned, on 6 Ks and 2 BB. He also went 2-4 at the plate with 2 RBIs. He was named the Championship Game MVP.

“Ever since last year we knew we were going to do it,” Mitchell explained. “Sure enough we did. We worked every day and this was our goal. I couldn’t have done it today without my defense. They had my back. Hats off to them.”

Coach Steve Chapman commented, “These guys are a special group. They play really hard. They have a never-die attitude and they play the game the way it should be played. These kids have done well all year long. Drayton Mitchell pitched an awesome game and Cody came in and capped it off like a champ.”