Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 20 (top 25 per category).
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 20 (top 25 in each category).
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the standings for all softball districts involving Big Country schools through April 20:
Continue reading “Big Country Softball Standings (through April 20)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Early-Breckenridge baseball (70 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper-Wylie baseball (105 images)”
BRECKENRIDGE —It took nearly 3.5 hours and 11 innings to settle the issue. But the Breckenridge Buckaroos finally got what they desperately needed on Tuesday to keep their hopes for a No. 2 playoff seed alive.
Facing second-place Early and needing a win to force a tie in the standings, Breckenridge rallied from two separate deficits — the last of which came in extras to lift the Buckaroos to a thrilling 6-5 win in a classic Big Country matchup at O.D. Woodward Stadium.
Caiden Marin provided a game-winning single, Bryson Herring was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs and Marco Jaramillo got the win in relief to lift Breckenridge (10-13-1, 8-3 District 8-3A) which is now locked in a second-place tie with Early with three games to play.
Brady Clark turned in a solid start on the mound and delivered a three-run home run in the third inning to help the Wylie baseball team pull away for an important 9-4 win over Cooper on Tuesday at Bulldog Field.
The victory, which came despite four errors on a windy night at the ballpark, improved the Bulldogs (15-9 overall) to 9-5 in District 4-5A, keeping coach Grant Martin’s squad within a half-game of the lead in a wild playoff race.
The Bulldogs are now tied with Lubbock Coronado (18-10, 9-5) for second place — a half-game behind leader Lubbock Cooper (17-15, 10-5) and a half-game ahead of Abilene High (12-15, 9-6) and Lubbock Monterey (13-16, 9-6). Lubbock Cooper downed Lubbock High 15-2 and Monterey topped AHS 12-0 in Tuesday’s other league games, keeping five teams in the title race as the district season hits the stretch run.
Clyde’s Payton Phillips is no stranger to our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. She’s no stranger to gold medals either.
And for the third time since last year, the CHS senior has captured our weekly accolade — this time with an armful of hardware.
In her latest performance, Phillips won four separate district championships and took silver in a fifth at the District 6-3A track meet.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Stephenville-Brownwood softball (41 images)”
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Lubbock Coronado softball (58 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Cooper baseball (88 images)”
Abilene High junior Brady Bennett didn’t take his best stuff to the mound Friday against crosstown rival Cooper, but that didn’t stop the Eagles ace from pitching his team to yet another key win in its pursuit of the District 4-5A championship.
After struggling with his control during a four-run first inning, Bennett gutted his way through four more productive frames, and the AHS lineup found its stride in the middle innings to pull away for a 13-5 win at Cougar Field.
The victory, which came on the heels of a 10-4 home loss to Wylie on Tuesday, improved the Eagles (12-14 overall) to 9-5 in league play, keeping coach Brad Harman’s squad in a tie with Lubbock Cooper and Lubbock Coronado atop the standings in a wild District 4-5A race.
BROWNWOOD — Just three days after a 4-2 home-field loss to archrival Brownwood, the Stephenville Honey Bees came to BHS on Friday seeking a little payback in a District 6-4A rematch.
Mission accomplished.
Helped by a gritty pitching performance from Presley Gaitain and a three-run third inning, the Honey Bees (15-11, 3-3) held on for a 5-3 win, keeping them in solid contention for a No. 2 playoff seed.
Making multiple switches to her batting order, Stephenville coach Kady Crow threw caution to the wind prior to gametime and the gamble paid off.
About the only thing that didn’t go right for the Abilene High softball team on Friday night was when the Lady Eagles attempted to dump a water cooler over coach Jenna Bane’s head following the game.
Senior Devany Chacon hit a two-run home run as the Lady Eagles sent their five seniors (four players and a manager) out with a 13-0 win over Lubbock Coronado in their final home game wearing black and gold.
The win was also the 100th of Bane’s seven-year coaching career.
Continue reading “GAME STORY: AHS softball beats Coronado as Bane earns 100th career win”
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 13 (top 25 per category).
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 13 (top 25 in each category).
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hico-Cisco softball (47 images)”
Wall baseball coach Jason Schniers joins the show!
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Abilene High baseball (118 images)”
Taking over in the second inning with his team down 3-0, Wylie senior Sam Walker pitched six dominant innings to help fuel the Bulldogs to a 10-4 win over Abilene High on Tuesday at Blackburn Field.
Buoyed by a seven-run third that turned the early deficit into a comfortable four-run lead, the right-hander limited the red-hot Eagles to one unearned run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight in a much-needed victory for the Bulldogs.
The win, just Wylie’s second in its last six games, improved the Bulldogs (14-9-1 overall) to 8-5 in District 4-5A — pulling coach Grant Martin’s squad into a remarkable five-way tie for first thanks to Abilene Cooper’s 7-5 win over Lubbock Cooper and Lubbock Monterey’s 4-3 win over Lubbock Coronado on Tuesday.
CISCO — Two very likely playoff teams got a sneak preview of what postseason competition will be like in a nondistrict softball game on Tuesday.
Trailing 6-3 after three innings, the Hico Lady Tigers rallied for a 9-6 win at Cisco in a battle of two clubs who are both chasing potential district championships — Hico in District 12-2A and Cisco in District 8-2A.
Kiersten Fincannon was 4-for-4 with a double, a homer and six RBIs to lead Hico (14-8), which outscored Cisco 6-0 over the final four innings to get the win. Fincannon also went the distance in the circle, scattering eight Cisco hits and overcoming five errors committed behind her to get the win.
Abilene ISD didn’t have to look far to find Bryan Conover’s replacement as the Cooper boys basketball coach.
Tuesday morning, first-year AISD Athletic Director Jim Garfield introduced Michael Bacon as the Cougars new coach, tabbing one of Conover’s assistants for the position.
The popularity of the hire was evident at his introductory press conference in AISD’s administration building as former players of Bacon’s from previous head coaching jobs were in attendance, one driving in from Lubbock, as were ACU coach Brette Tanner and McMurry coach Zach Pickelman.
It’s difficult to trump a no-hitter, though Snyder’s Ava Aviles came close last week.
Aviles, who threw back-to-back two-hitters for Snyder softball, is our first runner-up to her classmate, Player of the Week Ty Davis and his first career no-hitter.
Davis earned a 13-2 five-inning win over Levelland last week, holding LHS hitless in the mercy rule win, finishing with five strikeouts.
“Ty has continued to improve on the mound and has given us some excellent innings this season, none bigger than last Tuesday with his no-hit performance,” Snyder coach Shane Stewart said. ” I am proud of him and looking forward to watching him mature as a pitcher and a young man.”
Coleman cousins Ryland Gentry and David Navarro are nearing the end of their time as Bluecat teammates, but the two are set to continue to their playing careers together at the collegiate level.
Both made their commitment to Hardin-Simmons official at a signing day ceremony on March 30, pledging to spend the next several years as football teammates at the north Abilene university.
That decision continues a football journey that began at the youth level in the third grade.
Roughly 24 hours after blowing a 6-1 seventh-inning lead in a 7-6 loss to Lubbock Coronado, the Abilene High baseball team found itself on the verge of another gut-wrenching defeat Thursday against Lubbock Cooper.
But after allowing three runs in the top of the seventh to fall behind 5-4 to the Pirates, the Eagles got the last laugh this time.
Down to its final two outs after Rylan Stokes grounded out to lead off the home half of the seventh inning, AHS got a rally-starting single from Danian Martinez, followed by a hit batsman to put two runners on base. Saul Vazquez then roped a game-tying single to right, and after pitcher Brady Bennett was intentionally walked to load the bases, Beckham Paul laid down a picture perfect squeeze bunt to score Diego Flores and lift the Eagles to a dramatic 6-5 win.
The red-hot Abilene High softball team found itself a strike away from knocking off first-place Lubbock Monterey on Thursday at the AHS softball field. But an 0-2 single by Makayla Perez extended the game for Rylee O’Brien, who sent the first pitch she saw over the fence in left to lift the Lady Plainsmen to an improbable 4-2 victory over the Lady Eagles.
Perez’s home run spoiled what had otherwise been a remarkable performance for Abilene High starter Diana Silva, who shut out Monterey (24-4-1 overall, 9-0 in District 4-5A) through the first five innings and allowed just three hits through the first six.
The gut-wrenching loss dropped AHS to 22-5 on the year and 6-3 in District 4-5A action, pushing them a half-game behind Wylie () for third in the league standings.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 6 (top 25 per category).
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 6 (top 25 in each category).
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Hawley-Anson baseball (58 images)”
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper-Abilene High softball (76 images)”
Evan and Dan take time to thank everyone who assisted in BCP reaching its company goal of 2,000 active subscribers! They also answer some frequently asked questions!
ANSON — With combined totals of six errors, nine walks and five hit batsmen, it didn’t require Casey Stengal to assess that neither Hawley or Anson brought their “A” game to Tuesday’s District 6-2A matchup at AHS.
But after nearly three hours of battling for a higher spot on the league ladder, Hawley emerged as the victor, topping the Tigers 14-9.
Already trailing crosstown rival Cooper 2-0 and staring at a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the top of second inning, Abilene High pitcher Avah Reyes found herself in quite a jam Tuesday evening at the AHS softball field.
Entering the night tied with idle Wylie for second place in the District 4-5A standings, the Lady Eagles needed the freshman to dig deep and keep them in the game until their bats could come around.
With her back against the wall, Reyes did exactly that, following her third of 10 strikeouts with back-to-back comeback grounders to escape the inning unscathed, allowing her lineup to score eight unanswered runs in a 9-5 win. The victory — the fifth in a row for the 22-4 Lady Eagles — improved AHS to 6-2 in league play heading into big matchup with first-place Lubbock Monterey on Thursday.
It’s not often that a Big Country baseball team charts two no-hitters in the same week. But when two pitchers with the same last name are charting the no-nos it’s about as common as the planets aligning.
That was the case last week with the Albany Lions, who in sweeping Haskell (15-0) and Stamford (11-1) saw Cole and Tyler Chapman (non-siblings) post back-to-back no-hitters.
Cole, a senior, blanked Haskell in four innings of work in a mercy rule win, fanning six. Three days later, Tyler got into the act in a five-inning run-rule win with 12 Ks.
They now share our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award — another rarity.
“We were very proud of our pitchers last week,” Albany coach David Fairchild said. “Both pitchers were in control and in command of their pitches.”
She’s not faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Still …
Given the way the 2022-23 athletic season has transpired for Clyde’s Payton Phillips, it is fair to spice an analysis of her collective endeavors with pretty much any of your preferred “superlatives.”
