Month: April 2024

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Explosive fourth inning helps Hermleigh take Game 1 win over Santa Anna

TUSCOLA — Into the fourth inning on Tuesday night, Hermleigh’s softball team had very few answers for Santa Anna pitcher Dayla Ray.

Leading 4-2 with one out in the fourth, Hallie Ellerbee reached base on a controversial infield single and it led to an eight-run inning as the Lady Cardinals bats came alive on their way to a 13-3 win in the first game of a Region I-1A quarterfinal series.

Ellerbee’s hit was one that brought the dugout to life and quickly gave confidence to the Lady Cardinal offense.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Scheets, hot bats lead Haskell to run-rule win over Coleman

CLYDE — The Haskell softball team scored early and often Tuesday, pounding out 18 hits in just four trips to the plate on their way to a 16-0 win over Coleman in a single-game Region I-2A playoff at the Hanner Sports Complex.

The Maidens got at least one hit from eight of their nine starters and had six players notch multi-hit games, while pitcher Paige Scheets was nothing short of dominant in a five-inning one-hitter.

The victory improved Haskell to 19-4 on the year and earned the Maidens a trip to the I-2A quarterfinals, where they’ll face off with the winner between Cisco and Miles next week.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Abilene High’s Neves, Carrillo and Paul headed to McMurry

A trio of Abilene High athletes announced their college decisions on Tuesday as Bryce Neves, Jadrian Carrillo and Beckham Paul made their commitments to McMurry University official during a Signing Day ceremony at the Chuck Moser Fieldhouse.

Neves and Carrillo, both linebackers, committed to play for the War Hawks football team, while Paul, a standout safety in the fall and center fielder in the spring, will continue his career in baseball.

The trio’s signing ceremony capped a strong athletic year for Abilene High, which had nine athletes sign letters of intent to compete collegiately in February.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Gordon’s track teams ready to finish off special year

It’s been a special year for Gordon’s athletics program.

The Longhorns captured their first state football title in more than two decades. The boys basketball team advanced to state, while both track programs won regional titles. Baseball has a chance to make a run, too. 

This Saturday potentially could be the cherry on top as the Longhorns will enter as the favorite at the Class 1A Meet, while the Lady Longhorns should also be in the mix thanks to their relays.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco hurler takes the top spot after remarkable turnaround

Coming off a subpar performance in Game 1 of last week’s 2A bi-district series with Hawley, Cisco pitcher Hannah Rogers did something few expected: a complete about-face. 

Rogers, who had been beaten up in an 11-4 loss on Friday afternoon that saw her allow 14 hits, quickly regained her form for Game 2 that evening. Limiting Hawley to seven hits, she led Cisco to a series-tying 5-2 win. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Reel’s non-stop work paying off for Jayton junior

Photos contributed by Bobby Brown 

Griff Reel didn’t want a break.

A couple days after helping Jayton win its first state basketball title, Reel turned his attention to track.

Motivated by a second-place state finish in the 400 last year, Reel was looking to carry his junior season success over to the next sport.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Bronte’s Jackson ready for busy state weekend 

Photos contributed by Amy Bohensky/Bronte Yearbook

Emily Jackson knows a thing or two about state track. 

The Bronte senior’s trip to Austin for Saturday’s Class 1A Meet will be her fourth and final appearance.

In every year, she’s increased her state event total. After participating in both hurdles and the long jump as a junior, it’s only fitting Jackson is a five-event qualifier in her last trip.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Abilene High rallies to eliminate Amarillo High; Wylie blasts Tascosa

Entering the second game of their respective Region I-5A bi-district series at Lubbock Cooper, the Abilene High softball team was hoping force a third game and Wylie was hoping to avoid one. Both accomplished their mission.

The Lady Eagles rebounded from Friday’s 5-0 loss to Amarillo High to sweep the Lady Sandies on Saturday, winning Game 2 by a 7-2 margin and taking the deciding third game 6-2, while the Lady Bulldogs backed up a 10-2 win over Amarillo Tascosa in Game 1 with a 18-4 win in Game 2 to cruise past the Lady Rebels.

With those results, both Abilene High and Wylie are headed to the area round, where the Lady Eagles will face off with El Paso Ysleta and the Lady Bulldogs will play Canutillo next week.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Cisco takes Game 3 to eliminate Hawley, advances to area round

CLYDE — A solid pitching performance and one big inning carried the Cisco softball team to a decisive 7-2 win over Hawley in Game 3 of a Region I-2A bi-district series on Saturday at the Hanner Sports Complex

Hannah Rogers scattered seven hits over seven innings of work with four strikeouts to lead the Lady Loboes (17-8-1), who now advance to face Miles in the area round. 

Along the way, seven Hawley baserunners were stranded, including three in the first inning when Rogers escaped a bases-loaded jam. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Stephenville evens series with Sweetwater, forces do-or-die Game 3

ABILENE — With their backs against the wall after dropping Game 1 of their best-of-three bi-district series to Sweetwater, the Stephenville Honeybees kept their season alive Friday with a 9-4 win at Abilene Cooper’s Cougar Diamond.

Batting to start the do-or-die Game 2, Stephenville put up two runs in each of the first two innings to build an early lead and answered any attempts at a Sweetwater comeback to pull away in the latter innings and force a deciding third game at 6 p.m. Saturday at he same site.

Mattie-Lynn Dunnam and Presley Gaitan combined to limit the Lady Mustangs to just five hits and got a big game from their lineup, which supplemented seven hits with three walks, two hit batsmen and four Sweetwater errors.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Cisco, Hawley split Games 1 and 2, will meet for bi-district softball title on Saturday in Clyde

CLYDE — Carrying a huge amount of confidence after an 11-4 win in Game 1 of a Region I-2A bi-district series with Cisco on Friday, the Hawley Lady Cats seemed poised to close things out in Game 2 later that evening.

There was just one problem: Cisco never got the memo. And in a stunning reversal of momentum, the Lady Loboes captured Game 2 at the Hanner Sports Complex, 5-2, to force a decisive Game 3 on Saturday. 

That will get underway at 3 p.m. at the same venue. The victor will take home a bi-district title, then advance to next week’s area round where either Ozona or Miles will provide the opposition. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Wylie routs Tascosa in series opener; Amarillo High too much for Abilene High

Opening the playoffs on opposite ends of their district’s seeding spectrum, the Wylie and Abilene High softball teams found opposite results in their respective postseason openers on Friday at Lubbock Cooper.

Wylie, District 4-5A’s No. 1 seed, had little trouble with Amarillo Tascosa in a 10-2 victory in Game 1 of a best-of-three bi-district series, while fourth-seeded Abilene High ran into a buzzsaw in a 5-0 loss to Amarillo High.

Both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Eagles will conclude their first-round series on Saturday back at the Lubbock Cooper softball field for Games 2 and 3, if necessary.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Snyder opens series with 11-1 victory over Brownwood

ABILENE — With a .911 winning percentage on the season, the No. 10-ranked Snyder softball team entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak heading into its Region I-4A bi-district series with Brownwood.

The Lady Tigers also owned 9-0 and 7-1 wins over the Lady Lions during nondistrict play.

Friday afternoon at Cooper’s Cougar Diamond, Snyder made it 3 for 3 against Brownwood with an 11-1 win to take a 1-0 series lead.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ashley, Sweetwater best Stephenville in Game 1 of bi-district series

ABILENE — The Sweetwater Lady Mustangs struck the first blow in their best-of-three bi-district series against Stephenville on Thursday, topping the Honeybees 5-3 at Abilene Cooper’s Cougar Diamond to pull within a win of advancing to the Region I-4A area round.

Sweetwater, District 5-4A’s No. 3 seed, scored two runs in the top of the first to take a lead it would hold the rest of the way, adding a single run in the fifth and two in the seventh to go up 5-1 before Stephenville tried to mount a rally in its final at-bat.

Pitcher Mikayla Ashley was strong in the circle, allowing just one earned run in a complete-game effort to best her counterpart Presley Gaitan and give the Lady Mustangs a chance to close out the series when it resumes at 7 p.m. Friday at the same site.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Bangs, Coahoma open postseason with run-rule wins

SAN ANGELO — The Bangs Lady Dragons and Coahoma Bulldogettes both opened their playoff runs with comfortable wins Thursday afternoon, easily dispatching of their opponents in lopsided fashion.

Opening the doubleheader of one-game bi-district playoffs, the Lady Dragons wasted no time in burying McCamey 22-1 win in the day’s early action. And as an encore, the Bulldogettes saw Mia Clemmer hit two home runs, including a walk-off grand slam, as Coahoma hammered Ingram Moore 17-0.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Long balls launch Wall to undefeated district championship

WALL — There was a time this season where first-year Wall coach Jeremy Gordon used the designated hitter in his lineup to keep second baseman Matthew Steen on the bench.

After having worked his way back into the lineup, Thursday night Steen had a massive breakout game as the Hawks completed an undefeated run through District 6-3A with a 12-3 win over Jim Ned.

Steen, a senior, had two of the Hawks’ season-high five home runs as Wall claimed its first outright district championship since 2019.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Wylie shuts out Coronado; Abilene High falls in finale to Lubbock Cooper

After storms in and around Abilene wreaked havoc on Tuesday’s District 4-5A baseball slate, clearer weather prevailed Wednesday, allowing Wylie, Abilene High and Cooper to complete games that were suspended due to lightning.

WHS completed a shutout of Lubbock Coronado, tacking on five runs Wednesday to earn a 7-0 win, while the AHS saw a late rally come up just short in a 5-4 loss to Lubbock Cooper and Abilene Cooper downed Lubbock High 4-0.

It was the final home game for all three local teams, and the final regular season altogether for Abilene High, which has clinched the district’s No. 3 playoff spot. Wylie, meanwhile, will play at Lubbock Cooper on Friday for the 4-5A championship, while Cooper will close out its season Friday at Coronado after being eliminated from playoff contention Monday with a 12-2 loss at Lubbock Monterey.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Freshman Munoz, junior Goodney ready to power potent C-City squad into playoffs

There’s a test that probably everyone who has watched a baseball or softball game on television will ace. It has but one question, the answer to which will come without the need for research — or even much thought. It goes like this: 

A batter hits the ball in the air to the outfield. The announcer says, “Going … Going …” 

What is the next word he/she is most likely to utter?”

If you bellowed “GONE!,” pat yourself on the back. You just completed the phrase most often associated with a batter hitting a home run. And every time you hear those first two words — when your team is at the plate — you can’t wait to hear the third, because that means you’re about to be happy.

For those keeping score at home, Colorado City’s dynamic duo of Bryanna Munoz and AJ Goodney has made Wolves’ fans VERY happy this spring. VERY often.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Snyder edges Big Spring, clinches District 5-4A title

SNYDER — It wasn’t a flawless performance, by any stretch, but at the end of the day, it didn’t have to be. 

Snyder’s gutsy 5-4 win over Big Spring at Moffett Field on Tuesday night was more about battling through enough tough situations to earn its second straight District 5-4A championship.

Kyler Groves delivered six solid innings on the mound and Anthony Luna was 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead Snyder (13-12-1, 7-2), which grabbed an early 3-0 lead and held off a Big Spring rally to get the win. 

Big Spring (14-13-1, 6-3) was led by RJ Gomez, who was 1 for 2 with a solo homer and two walks. 

“Kyler is a story this year,” coach Shane Stewart said. “He has pitched so well for us. He ran through every team in our district and is 5-0 in district.  He competed for us. It wasn’t always pretty, but he always gave us a chance. 

“He’s thrown so many strikes and has been ahead of the hitters.  They got to him a little bit and hit him (tonight) a couple of times, but we were able to weather the storm.” 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Wolf, Bangs eyeing another deep playoff run 

There’s not a coach in Bangs’ girls athletic program that doesn’t get excited about the junior class.

Leading the charge on the softball diamond is Abby Wolf, who’s shaken off an early-season knee injury and helped the Lady Dragons to a district title.

Bangs (19-8) begins its postseason journey this week with high expectations as the Lady Dragons are looking to build off last season’s regional semifinal appearance.

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by Daniel Youngblood

REGION I-3A TRACK MEET: Brock boys claim fourth straight team title; area athletes show well

ABILENE — The Brock boys track team claimed its fourth consecutive region title Monday, headlining a strong showing by area athletes at the rain-altered Region I-3A meet at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium. 

Led by Dylan Foster, who claimed gold medals in both hurdle events, earned bronze in the long jump and ran a leg on Brock’s gold medal-winning sprint relay team, the Eagles finished with 99 points, edging runner-up Holliday by 13 points and topping third-place Wall by 44 points.

The Brock boys scored in 10 events and claimed nine medals on their way to the team championship, capping a meet that saw athletes from the Big Country Preps coverage area combined to earn 32 medals and claim 23 automatic berths to the Class 3A state meet May 2 in Austin.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

BREAKING: After four years as head coach, Price leaving Early for East Texas

Coaching changes are often prevalent in years in which the University Interscholastic League announces changes to the district and classification alignments, and that has certainly been true of the Big Country, which has seen 11 changes this offseason between the 11-man and six-man ranks.

Monday, that number grew again as Daniel Price announced that he is leaving Early to take over as the offensive coordinator at Palestine.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eula’s Cauthen takes our weekly award through three sports

There is very little that Eula’s Halie Cauthen isn’t good at athletically. Already an Honorable Mention All-Big Country Preps basketball player, the EHS junior showed her full range of versatility last week with three big performances in three different sports.

To begin with, Cauthen opened the week by qualifying for the 1A state golf tournament as an individual at the regional tournament, closing with rounds of 103 and 105.

Then, after playing 54 holes of golf in three days, Cauthen rushed back to compete for the district championship in softball against Cross Plains. 

With a game time of 7:30 p.m., she arrived from the golf tournament at 7:25 and went 4 for 4 with three triples, three RBIs and four runs scored to help Eula clinch the district title in a 10-1 victory.

But Cauthen wasn’t finished quite yet.

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by Evan Ren

CLASS 2A/1A REGIONAL TRACK RECAP: Big Country sending multiple athletes to Austin

Big Country athletes are no strangers to the state track meet, carrying long tradition of success at Mike Myers Stadium in Austin.

The area’s small schools have been particularly successful and 2024 will again offer an abundance of Big Country talent shooting for the medal stand in Austin, courtesy of several regional wins over the weekend. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

REGION I-4A TRACK RECAP: Stephenville boys win team title to headline successful meet for area

LUBBOCK — Big Country athletes made a strong showing at the Region I-4A track meet Friday and Saturday at Lowrey Field, combining to earn 19 medals and 12 automatic bids to the state meet May 2 in Austin. 

Between the boys and girls competitions, area entries accounted for eight gold medals, four silvers and seven bronzes, while the Stephenville boys did enough to edge Canyon by two points for the team title.

The Yellow Jackets finished with 59 points, headlined by double gold medalist Creece Brister, who won both throwing events. Brownwood, meanwhile, had the highest girls finish, taking third with 48 points, led by gold medals from Kaya Phillips in the 200 and its 800-meter relay team.

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by Daniel Youngblood

REGION I-5A TRACK RECAP: Cooper long jumper Hatcher, AHS boys sprint relay earn trip to state meet

LUBBOCK — Cooper girls long jumper Jazlyn Hatcher and the Abilene High boys sprint relay team of Bryson Perez, Jaden Jackson, Brayden Henry and Ryland Bradford both earned trips to the state track meet May 3 in Austin with strong performances at the Region I-5A meet on Friday at Saturday at Lowrey Field.

Hatcher won gold in the long jump, leaping 19 feet, 3¼ inches to edge Justin Northwest’s Levariya Pinder (19-0), while AHS’ 400-meter relay ran a silver medal time of 42.17 seconds to finish behind only Mansfield Timberview (41.94).

Those efforts headlined a solid showing by Abilene’s three largest public schools, which combined to earn points in 11 events.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Wylie softball clinches share of district title, top playoff seed with 6-2 win at Lubbock Cooper

WOODROW — The Wylie softball team clinched a share of the District 4-5A title and locked up the league’s No. 1 playoff seed Friday night with a 6-2 road win over Lubbock Cooper.

The Lady Bulldogs, who closed district play on a five-game winning streak, scored the final five runs of the game to pull away for the win after the Lady Pirates had taken a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The victory improved Wylie (24-8 overall) to 9-3 in 4-5A play, setting up a three-way tie atop the standings between itself, Lubbock Cooper (17-13, 9-3) and Lubbock Monterey (20-12-2, 9-3). But the Lady Bulldogs earned the top playoff seed by virtue of a 3-1 record against those two squads.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Hico star Fincannon looking to close legendary senior season with deep playoff run

As the Hico softball team has been attempting to cap an unbeaten run in District 12-2A play this week, Lady Tigers pitcher Kiersten Fincannon has been laying the foundation on something even more remarkable: becoming a local legend.

Lest you doubt the veracity of that statement, consider how Fincannon’s 2024 season has gone so far. The last two words need to be added because Hico will begin postseason play next week as the top seed from the district, and the best may be yet to come.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Wylie softball riding an offensive surge into district finale, the postseason

Just under three weeks ago, the Wylie softball team entered its open date off a three-game losing streak that culminated in the Lady Bulldogs being no-hit in a 2-0 loss to Abilene High.

At the time, coach Heather Collier had a simple message for her squad. “Softball … can be a rollercoaster ride,” she said, adding that the key was to “hang on for it” and remain confident in the process that had helped WHS open District 4-5A play at 4-0.

If there was any question about that message or whether it was received, the Lady Bulldogs have answered it emphatically since, averaging an eye-popping 13.8 runs in their last four games — all wins. 

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by Evan Ren

FINAL Big Country Regular Season Softball Statistical leaders for 2024 (through April 18)

Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 18.

With the end of the regular season, this will be our FINAL softball leaders posting for 2024. 

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. 

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Clyde’s Trip Ancheta fights through Tommy John surgery to reclaim effectiveness

CLYDE — By his junior year, Clyde right-hander Trip Ancheta was pegging the radar gun between 88-90 mph.  His future in baseball looked bright, and it was only a matter of time before someone at the collegiate level snagged him. 

Then it happened. 

Three weeks into Clyde’s district schedule last spring, Ancheta injured the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, requiring a reconstructive procedure widely known as Tommy John Surgery. 

It would mean the end of his junior season, followed by a long, mentally taxing rehabilitation process and finally, throwing a baseball with the hopes of regaining his former skill levels. 

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