WATCH: Wall's Skipper Speaks Ahead of State Semifinal Matchup Against Paradise

SAN ANGELO, TX — The No. 3 Wall Hawks look to continue their state title defense on Thursday night when they open up the state semifinals against No. 4 Paradise in Abilene.

Last time out, the Hawks swept Jacksboro to win the regional title.

Head coach Jeremy Gordon said his boys look ready and are excited to take the next step to make it back to Dell Diamond and the state championship game.

"They look good," Gordon said at practice on Wednesday morning. "We had a good practice on Monday, a better practice on Tuesday and, so far, it's been a really good practice today. So, it seems like they are really locked in. They are focused, they are hungry, they are eager and they've been here before."

Wall (29-8) makes its return to the state semifinals for the second straight year. Last season, Wall defeated Boyd in three games to advance to the Hawks' eventual state championship win over Thrall.

Paradise (34-4) dropped its first playoff game of the 2026 season when Bells forced a Game 3 in their regional final. The Panthers ended up claiming a 10-5 win in the final game of the series to advance to the state semifinals.

The Hawks should have their hands full with the Panthers this weekend. Paradise has several athletes on their roster with excellent team speed. What does this mean? The Panthers like to play "small ball." Paradise will bunt, and they will bunt often. The Panthers like to draw walks to get on base and then be extremely aggressive on the base paths. Bunts will help put runners in scoring position, and stolen bases will make it even easier for Paradise to get on the board.

How does Wall combat this? Solid, sound defense. The Hawks are known for a stout defense and will need to be at their best to keep Paradise off the board early. One of the Hawks' greatest strengths this season is their pitching, but if Paradise can take that away with small ball, Wall might be in trouble.

With that being said, small ball won't work nearly as well if the Hawks' offense shows up this weekend. Wall could use a big inning early to force Paradise to play Wall's game, not vice versa.

Paradise likes to shift the defense for specific batters to make it tough for opposing teams to get on base. As a counter, expect Wall to have a few tricks up its sleeve.

Wall faces off with Paradise at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene beginning on Thursday night.

• Game 1: 7 p.m. Thursday
• Game 2: 3 p.m. Friday
• Game 3 (if necessary): 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2

If Wall wins this matchup, the Hawks will advance to Dell Diamond for the state championship against either No. 1 Franklin or Jourdanton.