PORT NECHES — Port Neches-Groves is the returning 5A state baseball champion, the team others are trying to supplant.

Yet, the championship the Indians won came in 2017.

“We’re not really defending anything,” fifth-year PNG coach Scott Carter said. “Nobody’s coming after that state championship. That 2017 senior class graduated and is gone. There are a few players returning who remember what that felt like, but this is a completely different team.”

Among the 2018 seniors, Josh Hranicky and Austin Bost have an idea of the target the Indians proverbially carry on their backs.

“Everybody’s coming out looking to beat us,” said Bost, the third baseman and the Indians’ leadoff hitter. “We’ve got a target on our back. We’re going to come out and play hard like we do every single day.”

That target is the same one the Indians (18-9-3, 12-2 in 22-5A) have carried around on their way to finishing second in the district to Nederland after winning it three straight years.

“We live with it and own it,” Hranicky said of the target. “Everyone knows what our name is and giving their best effort toward us.”

Good thing for the Indians that they’ve beaten their first playoff opponent this year.

PNG downed Porter 4-3 on March 8 in Lufkin. The game was time-limited, but PNG had come from behind to win.

The Indians did not see the Spartans’ ace or No. 2 pitcher, Carter said, but that was then. Porter (21-8-1, 14-1 in 22-5A) had won 11 straight before losing 4-3 to Kingwood Park on Saturday to take the third seed from 21-5A.

“We know they’re a quality baseball team,” he added. “We know they play extremely well. They play sound baseball. They’re well-coached.”

Carter is certain the Spartans haven’t forgotten being eliminated by PNG in the 2016 5A bi-districts.

“They’re going to come after us with the best they’ve got.”

PNG gets to enjoy some home-field advanage in the bi-district series that begins Thursday at Porter. The Reservation will host Friday’s Game 2, and if necessary, Game 3 will be Saturday in Port Neches.

The last time PNG played at home, Hranicky threw his first no-hitter since making his varsity debut as a freshman against Beaumont Central.

“Not only was it just me having 15 Ks, but I had a great defense behind me that when they did touch the ball, I could trust them to get them out and end it,” Hranicky said. He was just a walk away from a perfect game in last Tuesday’s 9-0 senior night win.

That and timely hitting in a deep lineup starting with Bost (.434 batting, .645 slugging) and including sophomore standout Carson Roccaforte (six home runs, .393 batting, .764 slugging) have been hallmarks for the Indians in 2018.

Those players, particularly, remember well the experience of a state championship almost 11 months ago. There were other key figures like 5A state tournament MVP Brandon Morse and Nathan Vidrine ruling the mound, for example.

Hranicky did the same and was named the Texas Sports Writers Association’s 5A MVP. This year, the .375 hitter has three home runs along with a 6-3 record and 1.31 ERA to his name.

Still, the 2018 championship is up for grabs, and PNG is chasing it.

“This is a completely different team [from 2017],” Carter said. “Maybe, perception by a lot of people [is that] people will be bringing their A-game. We’re Port Neches-Groves, and we see a lot of people’s A-game. We’re not expecting an easy road. We’re not expecting anything to be given to us. You’re going to have to show up and play extremely well.

“It’s what we like. We like good competitive baseball.”

•

I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews