North Platte junior catcher Colton Kirkham has been a key piece in the Panthers program turning around in the last two year, most recently clinching the top seed in the Class 2 District 15 Tournament.
The regular season has wrapped up this spring for the North Platte (15-6) and West Platte (8-10) baseball teams with seedings locked in for the Class 2 District 15 Tournament.
For the first time in a long time, North Platte is in a position to make a run in the postseason. The Panthers earned the top-seed in the tournament, warranting a first-round bye.
West Platte is the No. 3 seed and has a promising matchup with Carrollton (3-14) – who hasn’t won a game this year away from its home turf – in the opening round on May 12. With a win, the Blue Jays would advance to play second-seeded Plattsburg (15-11) on May 15; West Platte lost a tight one, 9-7, to the Tigers back on April 13.
There is a possibility that North Platte and West Platte could meet in the district championship based on where the rivals are placed in the bracket. North Platte would play the winner of Polo (7-12) versus Bishop LeBlond (3-14) in the district semifinals on May 15 and the Panthers would advance to the championship if they avoided being eliminated.
North Platte has turned a new leaf, finishing well over .500, which isn’t something the program is accustomed to. Last year, the Panthers won one more game than they lost to give them their first winning record in well over a decade.
This season, North Platte started off sluggish with four losses in its opening six contests but a prominent come-from-behind 7-6 win over West Platte on April 6 changed the trajectory of the spring. The Panthers have lacked any deep runs or even decent records in quite some time but have now strung together 26 wins opposed to 16 losses from the start of 2022 to now.
North Platte hasn’t won a postseason game in half a decade, but that may change this go-around. Coincidently enough, West Platte was the last team that the Panthers have beaten in districts, occurring back on May 10, 2018.
The Blue Jays have lost their last two postseason games and ended the regular season with a tough 6-5 loss to Penney (4-13) on May 3. Districts will be played at Perkins Park in Plattsburg, with the championship concluding the tournament on May 17.