While the 2025 season ended earlier than hoped for West Platte, one thing is clear: the Blue Jays are once again a team to watch.
Their campaign came to a close in a 9-0 loss to Holden in the Class 3 state quarterfinals on May 29. Early on, it was a tight pitching duel, but Holden broke things open with a five-run fifth inning, followed by four more in the sixth. West Platte couldn’t recover.
“When you see tears in that dugout, that means we’ve all done our job,” head coach Brian Faulkner said. “These guys are proud to be Blue Jays and the community is proud of them.”
Though the loss stung, it capped a season that will be remembered in Weston for years to come. In their first season competing at the Class 3 level, the Blue Jays posted a 21-5 record — the most wins for the program in a single season since 2013.
“Those seniors are fighters,” Faulkner said. “I’m so proud of their leadership and what they were able to do. All those guys stepped up when you needed them. They are as much of a success as what we saw this year.”
When West Platte’s defense and pitching were clicking, the team was nearly unbeatable. But like many high school squads, their offense sometimes struggled to keep pace — a factor that ultimately proved costly in the postseason.
Still, the Blue Jays delivered in pressure moments, most notably in their final win of the season: a gritty 5-3 victory over Lawson in the state sectional on May 27.
A four-run second inning gave West Platte a 4-0 lead, but Lawson broke through and threatened to take the lead with two runners in scoring position in the sixth. With just one out, sophomore Blaze Masoner was called to the mound to clean things up — and he delivered.
“I had a lot of pressure on me,” Masoner said. “I think I just relaxed my mind while I was up there and let the defense work.”
Masoner shut the door with a flyout and a strikeout, then returned in the seventh to close the game after the Blue Jays tacked on an insurance run.
“Our coaching staff keeps us up and going,” Masoner added. “We are just like a family. That’s what we do. We work together and find a way to make things roll.”
Blaze Masoner and Jaxon Turner celebrate West Platte’s sectional victory against Lawson on May 27.
After enduring six losing seasons in a seven-year stretch from 2017 to 2023, West Platte has flipped the script. The Blue Jays have gone 36-13 over the past two years and made a deep playoff push that signals a return to form for a program that had previously enjoyed its fair share of postseason baseball.
“We’re going to be tough,” Faulkner said of prospects for next year. “We lost some contributors, but that’s what happens. These guys come up and go. Next season starts tomorrow, so we’re looking forward to it.”
West Platte junior Matthew Cook on May 29 against Holden.