Cedar Ridge High School baseball is making history, and their coach is rocking the proof—literally. After promising to dye his hair bleached blonde if his team advanced to the third round of the UIL playoffs, Coach Daryl Reeves kept his word. Now, after a dominant 2-0 victory over Johnson on Friday at Vandegrift, the Raiders have swept the Class 6A Division I regional semifinal series and punched their ticket to the regional final for the first time ever. That bold look isn't going anywhere just yet.
"We usually do temporary tattoos in the first round, but we knew we had something special this year," said senior outfielder Kai Rice. "So as a group, we decided to make the commitment." That commitment paid off in a big way, as Cedar Ridge leaned on a stellar pitching performance to shut down a tough Johnson squad.
Luke Irwin and Bryson Batton combined for a shutout, with Irwin scattering four hits and striking out four over five innings while walking just one batter. "Everything was working tonight," Irwin said. "I've been really confident the last few outings and just threw in the zone and let my defense work." After an explosive 12-3 win in Game 1 on Thursday, Game 2 turned into a classic pitchers' duel—Johnson's starter Kason Hullum tossed a complete game with 11 strikeouts, but it wasn't enough to slow down the Raiders' momentum.
The game's defining moment came early. In the top of the first inning, Christian Olivas stepped to the plate with two strikes and delivered a clutch two-run single to right field, scoring Kasen Langerhans and Matt Mabry. That was all the offense Cedar Ridge would need. "I got down two strikes, and I was just like, 'Let's go be a dawg,'" Olivas said. "I just battled and was tough, and it ended up being good for me."
Johnson (26-9-2) refused to go quietly, putting two runners on in the sixth and loading the bases in the seventh. But Batton, who joined the team late after basketball season, worked out of both jams with strikeouts to end each inning. For a squad that's peaking at the perfect time, this playoff run is about more than just wins—it's about chemistry, confidence, and a little bit of bleach. As the Raiders head to the regional final, they're proving that sometimes, a bold promise leads to an even bolder result.