The No. 5-ranked Platte County baseball team is two wins away from a return to the Class 5 state final four.
The Pirates haven’t returned to the MSHSAA State Championships at Ozark Baseball Complex since claiming the title in 2022. But after capturing the Class 5 District 8 title last week, the path is now clear for another deep postseason run.
Platte County’s district campaign began May 21 at Creekside Baseball Complex with a 10-0 win over Van Horn. The Pirates followed that with an 8-2 semifinal victory over Kearney — the team that eliminated them in the district championship a year ago — before sealing the title with a 5-1 win over St. Pius X on Saturday, May 24, at Winnetonka High School.
“This one meant a lot,” Pirates head coach John Sipes said. “Especially with the win over Kearney in the semifinal round. This team has been winning in everything that they have ever done, from little league to summer ball, to a state title in football to a great 2025 baseball season.”
The Pirates have carried a confident swagger all season, blending fearlessness with coachability and a strong work ethic, according to Sipes. That mindset showed during the district tournament, where Platte County relied on strong pitching and timely hitting.
Junior Brennan McLaughlin delivered a standout performance in the title game, striking out 12 batters on 98 pitches in a complete-game effort. He came within three outs of a no-hitter before allowing a solo home run in the seventh but regrouped to finish the job.
Brennan McLaughlin fielding a play at third base against Van Horn on May 21 at Creekside Baseball Complex.
“Brennan was on a different level on Saturday,” Sipes said. “Brennan was in total command of all of his pitches. When pitching in high school, if you can locate just two of your pitches, you can be pretty dominant, but when you are commanding all four pitches, you have a chance to do what Brennan did on Saturday.”
Brooks Hall and Wes Chiddix combined to shut out Van Horn in the five-inning district opener. McLaughlin started against Kearney before turning the ball over to the bullpen as Hall and Evan Magnuson closed out the final innings.
Up next is a new state tournament format: a best-of-three quarterfinal series instead of the traditional single-elimination round. Platte County will travel to face Webb City beginning Friday, May 30, at 5 p.m. Game two is set for Saturday at 11 a.m., with game three to follow if necessary.
With much of the baseball roster also part of the Pirates’ Class 5 football state championship team in December, Sipes believes his team’s experience has helped them handle postseason pressure.
“We have been training our pitchers for this for about the last month now and we feel that this plays in our favor with our system of pitching,” Sipes said. “There will be some slight changes to our approach, but nothing major. We have 100% confidence in all of our boys to execute our plan.”