Month: April 2026

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brock’s Blue wins accolade with remarkable performance

If you’re going to top someone who throws a perfect game in our in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column, you had better do something very special.

This rare occurrence took place last week when Brock sophomore shortstop Kayden Blue helped the Lady Eagles to a three-game bi-district series win over Levelland with a truly memorable performance. In the process, she edged Abilene High ace George Ferguson, who delivered a perfect game win over Cooper. 

With Brock sandwiching wins in Games 1 and 3 (5-1 and 5-2) around a 5-4 loss in Game 2, Blue was quite literally unstoppable, going 10-for-10 in the series with five runs scored (accounting for more than a third of BHS’ run tally. Yet it doesn’t stop there. She also posted a pair of walks (one intentional), making her a perfect 12 for 12 in reaching base throughout a difficult series against excellent competition. 

“Kayden showed all the characteristics of a great leader in all three games and was phenomenal in the leadoff spot for us”

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Brock rallies in Game 3 to eliminate Levelland in bi-district round (box scores included)

ABILENE — If it were possible for two high schools separated by 308 miles to become rivals, Brock and Levelland may have just achieved it. 

A year removed from a pair of one-run bi-district wins over the Loboettes, Brock eliminated Levelland yet again on Saturday, taking a 4A DII bi-district series with a come-from-behind 5-2 win in Game 3 at McMurry University’s Edwards Field. 

After falling to Levelland in a 5-4 Game 2 thriller on Saturday, the Lady Eagles regrouped behind backup pitcher Delanee Parsons and a mind-blowing performance from shortstop Kayden Blue to take Game 3 and advance to the area round. There, they will meet Fort Worth Eagle Mountain in a best-of-three series beginning next week. 

Parsons delivered four solid innings to earn the win with a save from ace pitcher Alison Coleman. Blue, in the meantime, capped a 10-for-10 batting tally for the series with a 2-for-2 effort in Game 3 with two runs scored to help Brock improve to 26-10 with the win. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clyde softball season comes to an end in stunning fashion

CLYDE — After spending a portion of the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the state, the Clyde softball team found itself with its back against the proverbial wall on Saturday at the Hanner Sports Complex in the Region I-3A Division I bi-district round against Ingram Moore.

With home field advantage in Game 1, the Lady Warriors took advantage of six Clyde errors in a 6-2 win, forcing the Lady Bulldogs into a situation of needing to take two games on their home field to keep their playoff run alive. The loss in the series opener was the Lady Bulldogs’ fifth in their previous six games.

Despite jumping on the Lady Warriors early, the Lady Bulldogs saw their season come to an end in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss. It was a season-ending conversation in the outfield that came too soon for Clyde coach Reagan Sewell as he completed his 30th year in coaching.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Snyder closes out bi-district series with 10-0 win over Glen Rose

EULA — The Snyder softball team left nothing to chance in its Region I-4A Division II bi-district series with Glen Rose, following a 7-0 win in Game 1 on Thursday with a 10-0 victory Saturday to clinch the best-of-three affair at the Eula softball field.

After using a four-run first to take control of the opener, coach Regina Cummings’ squad scored five in the second inning of Game 2, which was more than enough offense for starter Sydnee Gomez, who tossed six shutout innings for the second consecutive game.

Gomez allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out 13 to earn her second win of the young postseason, while Hannah Rangel closed out the game with a scoreless inning, just as she did in Game 1.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Colley’s gem helps Abilene High clinch share of first district title since 2015

The Abilene High baseball team locked up a share of its first district championship in more than a decade on Friday, shutting out Cooper 7-0 at Cougar Field to finish the District 4-5A season in a first-place tie with Wylie.

Led by junior starter Gavin Colley, who struck out 11 on his way to a two-hit shutout, the Eagles (21-9-1 overall) improved to 9-3 in league play to match Wylie (20-5-1, 9-3), which rallied for a 5-2 win over Wichita Falls Legacy on Friday to clinch its share of the district title.

In support of Colley,  who worked around a pair of walks and three errors to keep Cooper off the board, AHS scored one run in each of the first two innings before breaking the game open with a four-run third. That early production allowed the Eagles to coast to the season sweep of the Cougars, who fell to 11-20-1 overall and 3-9 in league play with the loss.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Brock stops Levelland, 5-1 in Region I-4A bi-district opener

ABILENE — In a rematch of last year’s thrilling Class 4A DII bi-district series, the Brock Lady Eagles posted a workmanlike 5-1 win over Levelland on Friday at McMurry University’s Edwards Field. 

It scarcely resembled what occurred a year ago, when Brock escaped with a pair of one-run victories — 2-1 in Game 1 and 7-6 in 13 innings in Game 2. This time around, the Lady Eagles (25-9) took control of Game 1 early and never relinquished it behind the pitching of Alison Coleman. 

Kayden Blue was 4-for-4 with four singles and one run scored and Sloan Booth was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead Brock, which coasted behind a one-hitter from Coleman. The Lady Eagles can end the series with a win in Game 2 on Saturday at noon at McMurry. 

Game 3 (if needed) will follow 30 minutes after Game 2. 

“I thought our girls came out and (played) hard with a lot of first-game jitters,” Brock coach Gregory Connors said. “We have six freshman starting and it was their first time in a playoff atmosphere. But we started off in that first inning with our bats the way we needed to and it carried us throughout the game.” 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Snyder rides big first inning to 7-0 win in playoff, series opener against Glen Rose

EULA — The Snyder Lady Tigers opened their postseason with a shutout win Thursday night, using a four-run first inning to set the tone for a 7-0 victory over Glen Rose in the opener of a best-of-three Region I-4A Division II bi-district series at the Eula softball field.

Coming off an undefeated run to the District 5-4A championship, SHS controlled the game from start to finish, thanks to the early offensive explosion and a strong start in the circle by Sydnee Gomez.

Coach Regina Cummings’ Lady Tigers, who reached the state semifinals a year ago, will now have a chance to close out the series when it resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday back in Eula.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Prentice’s big night at the plate sends Mineral Wells to epic bi-district win

After singling in the first inning, Mineral Wells first baseman Kimber Prentice, a freshman, put together a career night as the Lady Rams claimed a 23-8 win over Frenship Memorial in a Region I-4A Division I bi-district game on Thursday night at Abilene Christian University’s Poly Wells Field.

Prentice tripled in her next three at-bats and drove in six runs in the game as the Lady Rams advanced to face either Decatur or Fort Worth Western Hills next week.

Entering the playoffs, Prentice was hitting .311 on the season with three triples. With a season-high five hits, she raised her batting average by 36 points to .347. The monster night came after she was forced to miss Mineral Wells’ regular-season finale after sustaining a concussion on April 14 against Stephenville.

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Baseball stat leaders
by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through April 23)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 23.

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. 

If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

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Area Softball Stat Leaders
by Evan Ren

FINAL Area Softball Stat Leaders for 2026

Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 23. With the regular season now concluded, this will be our final softball stat report for 2026.

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. 

If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his or her email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wall outlasts Jim Ned for 2-1 win in thrilling end to regular season

TUSCOLA — The District 6-3A race saw a fierce battle between No. 4 Wall and No. 5 Jim Ned all season long and it came down to the final night of the regular season between the two heavy hitters on Wednesday night.

After being postponed by 24 hours due to the storms that came through the Big Country on Monday night, the Hawks won a 2-1 thriller in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Indian Field.

It was a much different outcome than Wall’s 10-5 win over the Indians on Friday — a game that gave Jim Ned its first loss of the season as it had entered that game ranked No. 1 in the state.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ferguson’s perfect game fuels Abilene High to 5-0 Senior Night win over Cooper

During a junior season that might best be described as “otherworldly,” Abilene High ace George Ferguson has flirted with perfection on several occasions.

On Tuesday, against crosstown rival Cooper, the 6-foot-4 flamethrower finally achieved it.

Pitching in front of a packed Senior Night crowd at Blackburn Field, Ferguson retired all 21 batters he faced to lead the Eagles to a 5-0 win over the Cougars. The University of Texas commit needed just 82 pitches to complete his first career perfect game, notching 16 strikeouts in the process.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hawley claims third district title since 2015 with win over Albany

HAWLEY — The Hawley baseball team ended its run in the current itineration of District 8-2A on Tuesday night the same way that it started it during the 2014-15 school year: as district champions.

The Bearcats claimed their third district championship in that span — matching the effort of the 2015 and 2019 squads — with an 11-4 win over Albany.

Having spent the past dozen years competing against the likes of Albany, Stamford and Anson, among others, the Bearcats will find themselves in a new look District 8-2A starting next year with Albany, Abilene TLCA, Bangs, Coleman and Cross Plains. After Tuesday’s game, Bearcats coach Jamie Seago took time to recognize the competition that the current version of the district has given his squad.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ferguson’s heartbreak sufficient for this week’s award

There are varying degrees of “no-hitter” in both high school baseball and softball. This is especially true when the mercy rule is concerned, with pitchers holding the opposition hitless through five innings (in a 10-run rule game) and in the case of the 15-run rule, through only three frames. 

Whether those should be called actual no-hitters, depends on who you speak to. 

There was, however, nothing arguable about the potential no-no delivered by Abilene junior pitcher George Ferguson in last week’s 2-0 win over Wichita Falls Memorial.  To begin with, Ferguson held Memorial hitless through 8.2 innings before finally giving up an infield single in the ninth.  In the process, he walked only one batter and fanned 17. 

It was nothing short of a brilliant performance against a Memorial team that had won eight straight games. If ever one deserved credit for a no-hitter without actually throwing one, it’s Ferguson. 

“George did a great job on the mound from start to finish and that included a 45-minute weather delay,” coach Brad Harman said.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Jim Ned girls run the District 6-3A table, capped by 3-2 nailbiter at Wall (box score included)

WALL — It was the polar opposite of a 13-10 Jim Ned win in the District 6-3A opener with Wall way back on March 6. Friday’s rematch at WHS saw the Lady Indians top Wall yet again. But this time, the product was a well-pitched, cleanly played, 3-2 defensive struggle. 

Halle Nielson was 4-for-4 with the game-winning RBI and Hadley Sanders was 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead 13th-ranked Jim Ned (25-4, 12-0) which concluded a perfect run through district play with the win.  Seventh-ranked Wall dropped to 24-5 overall and 9-3. 

Trailing 2-1 heading into the final inning, Jim Ned rallied with two runs in the top of the seventh then held Wall scoreless in the bottom of the frame to seal the win. 

“Our philosophy all year has been if you have a chip and a chair, you’re in the game,” said Jim Ned coach Erica Jones, using poker terminology to describe the Lady Indians’ comeback win. “I never doubted. I knew we were going to (come back). … We just had to be a little more disciplined and find some gaps.” 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Walker, Garrett shine as Wylie offense explodes for 11-1 run-rule win over Cooper

Needing a win over Cooper and an Abilene High loss to Wichita Falls Memorial to move back into position to control its own destiny in the District 4-5A championship race, the Wylie baseball team got both Friday.

The Bulldogs did their part with an 11-1 home win over the Cougars, while Memorial rallied past AHS for a 7-5 win on the other side of town to create a logjam atop the league standings, where Wylie (18-5-1, 7-3), Abilene High (19-9-1, 7-3) and Memorial (15-14, 8-4) all remain in contention for the district title.

The rule-rule victory — and the offensive explosion that helped facilitate it — were both welcome sights for Wylie coach Grant Martin, whose team was coming off a 2-0 win over Cooper on Tuesday and had averaged just four runs per game over its last five contests. And with Friday’s results, the Bulldogs can now clinch at least a share of the district championship with a sweep of last-place Wichita Falls Legacy in its final district series next week.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wichita Falls Memorial rallies past Abilene High on night former coach is honored

April 16 is slowly turning into Jim Reese Day on the campus of Abilene High.

Five years to the day after Reese was honored with a retirement ceremony as he neared the end of his career leading the AHS softball team, the Abilene High baseball team honored the man that led that program from 1995-1999 prior to their District 4-5A matchup with Wichita Falls Memorial at Blackburn Field on Thursday.

Under Reese’s leadership, the Eagles reached the third round of the playoffs in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The final two years were as the District 4-5A champion while the first run came after AHS finished in third place in district.

Coming off a 1-0 win in nine innings over the Mavericks on Tuesday, the Eagles saw several missed opportunities early in the game come back to cost them late as Memorial rallied for a 7-5 win to spoil the night’s festivities that saw former AHS coaches Derran Lackey and Ryan Lewis in attendance, along with a number players whose lives have been touched by Reese.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: What’s that blip on the radar? Perhaps one of the best Jim Ned softball teams ever

TUSCOLA — While it may be a bit early to start talking about the best Jim Ned softball teams of all time, one thing can be backed up with facts: the Lady Indians have clinched their first district title in nearly two decades and coach Erica Jones believes it’s about time The Tribe received a little recognition.  

And, after having endured a 22-minute butt chewing from Jones (I timed it) on Wednesday, I certainly wouldn’t disagree. 

Entering today’s matchup with seventh-ranked Wall, the Lady Indians are 24-4 overall (despite a very difficult schedule) and 11-0 in District 3-3A. They are ranked 13th in the state and are coming off an impressive 7-3 win over 15th-ranked Clyde on Tuesday night — a victory that locked up the district title and one I missed to cover an area baseball game. 

That didn’t go over too well, which is understandable. 

The Lady Indians, regardless of the outcome against Wall today, will have the district’s top seed heading into the playoffs — something we haven’t seen from Jim Ned softball since the George W. Bush Administration. That’s a long time ago. So long ago, that it predates the birth dates of any current Jim Ned player.

Continue reading “EVAN REN: What’s that blip on the radar? Perhaps one of the best Jim Ned softball teams ever” →

Baseball stat leaders
by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through April 16)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 16.

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. 

If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

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Area Softball Stat Leaders
by Evan Ren

Area Softball Stat Leaders (through April 16)

Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 16.

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. 

If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his or her email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High clinches outright district title, spoils Wylie’s Senior Night with 18-2 win

When the Abilene High and Wylie softball teams have met in recent years, the result has typically been a thrilling, low-margin pitcher’s duel, where scoring opportunities are rare and every run feels like a small victory.

Heading into Tuesday’s matchup between the teams at Bulldog Field, the last five regular-season meetings had been decided by two or fewer runs with just 14 combined runs being scored in those games.

Tuesday’s game was … well … different. After a scoreless first inning seemed to foreshadow another tight, low-scoring affair, the Lady Eagles exploded for five runs in the second. And the hits and runs continued from there for AHS, which pounded out an 18-2 victory to spoil Wylie’s Senior Night and complete its second consecutive perfect run through District 4-5A play.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

DISTRICT 4-5A BASEBALL: Fletcher, McCarty combine for shutout as Wylie takes thriller over Cooper; Ferguson dominant in AHS win

While the Cooper and Wylie baseball teams will be headed to the postseason in different playoff brackets, there was still a lot on the line for both sides when they met at Cougar Field on Tuesday in a key District 4-5A matchup.

Cooper entered the Southtown Showdown trailing Abilene High by three games in the standings in the race for the top seed in the Division I bracket with four games to play — including a pair with the Eagles next week. The Cougars entered the game knowing that they would probably have to go 4-0 over the next two weeks against their crosstown foes to improve their playoff positioning.

Wylie, on the other hand, trailed Wichita Falls Memorial by one game for the top seed in the Division II bracket — with the Mavericks holding the head-to-head tiebreaker after taking two of three district contests from the Bulldogs. Wylie was in better shape, knowing that Memorial closes out its regular season this week against AHS and the Bulldogs would potentially be in control of their own seeding destiny with a win on Tuesday.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Stamford takes advantage of eight Anson miscues to score mercy rule win

ANSON — For Stamford it was a game that solidified its position in the District 8-2A standings. For Anson, it became one of those games that a team would just as soon forget about. 

For the record, Stamford took Tuesday’s contest at AHS, 13-3 via the mercy rule in five innings. What relegated it to Anson’s spam file, however, was the fact that the Bulldogs achieved this with only six hits. The gaps between those hits were filled with multiple Tiger miscues (eight in all), along with five walks and two hit batsmen.   

It made the job of Stamford southpaw knuckleballer Carlos Vega much easier than one may have expected. Vega worked all five innings to get the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He also helped himself at the plate with a 2-for-4 effort that included a three-run homer. 

Stamford improved to 14-6 overall and 6-3 in district play. Anson fell to 8-8 and 4-5.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville senior takes our weekly award

In a week that featured at least a half dozen athletes who could have taken our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, we finally settled on a Stephenville senior for our weekly award. 

Willis Jackson, one of the premiere speedsters in the Big Country, took four district titles in the District 6-4A meet last week

This included individual gold medals in the 100 meters (10.66), long jump (22-8.5) and Triple jump (43-8.5). He also collected gold with the 800 relay team (1:28.53), along with a silver with the 400 relay (42.45). 

“Willis is headed to the area track meet in five events,” coach Kolt Kittley said. “He comes to workouts every day with a big smile and a great attitude.

“He was huge in helping us win the district track meet this year.”

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