The PSJA Bears baseball team is heading back to familiar territory with another postseason showdown against Austin Westlake in the regional semifinals.

Last season, PSJA defeated Westlake in a best-of-three series in this very round to punch its ticket to the regional final. The Bears swept the Chaparrals with games played in both Austin and Pharr.

This year, however, the playoff series looks a little different.

Game 1 of the series will be played in Corpus Christi at Cabaniss Field, while Game 2 (and Game 3, if necessary) will take place in San Antonio at North East Sports Complex.

PSJA enters the series with momentum after a decisive Game 3 victory over Schertz Clemens 7-2 in the previous series. Meanwhile, Westlake advanced after sweeping O’Connor in the area round.

“We’ve got to stay together and not fall when we’re down,” said junior pitcher JT Reyna. “If they score first, we can’t come down. We’ve got to stay up. Teamwork really that’s all it is to beat a team. You’ve got to work together.”

Head coach Marco Guajardo believes last season’s playoff experience has prepared his team for another deep postseason run.

“The experience from last year’s run has really helped us this year,” Coach Guajardo said. “I think we just need to stay focused, block everything out the names and everything and just play between the lines and see what happens.”