By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor

Hey, all you Longhorn baseball fans: Already missing the bunts, the sacrifices and the squeeze plays that have propelled the University of Texas to yet another College World Series?

Well, make the short drive to Dell Diamond to get your fix of small ball at its best.

Westlake does not quite play Augie-ball, but the Chaps’ blend of steady pitching, sturdy glove work and devotion to moving runners one bag at a time offers a spot-on impression. Call it Jim-ball, and it’s helped the Chaps reach the state tournament for the first time since 1999.

Westlake’s stirring playoff run has offered plenty of validation for Chap coach Jim Darilek and his preferred style of play. His team doesn’t rip the leather off the ball; the Chaps had just 10 home runs in 30 regular-season games, and they don’t have a single dinger in 10 playoff contests. 

Instead, the Chaps make contact (a .314 team batting average); get on base (a .436 on-base percentage) and run like a deer crossing Bee Cave Road (71 stolen bases entering the playoffs).

And they play extraordinary defense behind a pitching staff anchored by southpaw starters Holt McNair and James Ferguson that has tallied a collective 2.52 earned run average.

That style may not draw hordes of scouts or generate a hive of media buzz, but it doesn’t disappear against good pitching. The Chaps reached the state tournament despite averaging 3.9 runs a game in the playoffs. They’ve topped eight runs just once in the past 21 games.

Of course, Westlake has gone 17-4 in that span. Jim-ball offers a predictable formula for wins, and the coach wouldn’t have it any other way.

“If you rely just on offense to win, you’ll be disappointed,” he said. “There are too many variables. If you’re hoping to score a bunch of runs, that’s all you’re doing; you’re hoping.

“I know that we’re gonna pitch and play defense. Good pitching is always better than good hitting.”

This state tournament will test that theory. El Paso Socorro, the top-seeded team and tournament favorite based on its top-10 ranking throughout the season, scored at least 10 runs 22 times this season. Outfielder Corey Falvey has seven more homers than the entire Westlake team.

Second-seeded Pearland has averaged eight runs a game in its 13 playoff games and has 119 hits in that span.

Third-seeded Lufkin, another set of small-ball devotees, and fourth-seeded Westlake must feel almost like little league squads when comparing offensive numbers.

But there’s nothing little league about the Chaps’ ability to deliver in the clutch. Westlake has won all five of its playoff games determined by two runs or less, and Darilek believes that ability to make plays in the most tense of moments defines his team.

“A lot of the top-ranked teams went out because of inconsistencies in close games,” he said, referring to playoff losses by Coppell and Houston Bellaire, the two top-ranked teams in the state entering the playoffs. “You have to win close games. That’s what it’s about at this level.” 

Spoken like another coach in Austin, isn’t it?