Dripping Springs baseball team in all Austin-area regional final

The Tigers square off against Rouse and it's first time Dripping Springs has made it to the fifth round since the late 1990's.

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas - The Dripping Springs High School baseball team is now just one step away from state.

The Tigers are squaring off against Rouse in an all Austin-area regional final and it's the first time Dripping Springs has made it to the fifth round in more than two decades.

Junior pitcher Nicodemus Ruedas says, "Our motto all year has been gritty over pretty, since the fall, so that's just how we've rolled through this postseason, so that's been working out for us."

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Teammate Cameron O'Banan, a University of Texas Longhorns bound pitcher and center fielder, agrees with Ruedas and says he's thrilled to help his team.

"There's really no bad apples in the group, we banter back and forth, but we're definitely wanting the best for each other in the moment," O'Banan says.

The Tigers are hoping to equal or pass the program's deepest run, a state runner-up finish in 1997.

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"It would mean everything man, Coach has never had a group this special that has gone this far. As a player that has been here my whole life, seeing everything come full circle like this with the guys you've been closest around, it really would mean everything," O'Banan says.

Head coach Chris Payne adds, "I think it's really starting to sink in with them, probably after round three, that hey, you know what...we've got a shot."