Category: Albany Lions

by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2026 Gym Rat Team: The hardest-working players in the Big Country!

Scoring and rebounding is only part of the story when it comes to basketball. Behind the scenes and beyond the view of the public, is where character is often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who exude the most of it. 

This team isn’t about who the best players are, though some of the area’s top players are on this list. 

The Gym Rat team is about effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches love above all else and that championship foundations are built upon.

It is for that reason that our Gym Rat team is selected entirely by area coaches, described in their own words. And Big Country Preps is absolutely honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2025-26 season.

Players are listed in no particular order. 

Enjoy.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Reynolds is the hands-down winner

In the pitcher’s circle, there are varying degrees of perfection. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that statement was fully illustrated on Friday in a 6-0 Clyde win over Merkel. 

Yes, CHS freshman Brynli Reynolds threw a perfect game. But this wasn’t your standard, every day, run-of-the-mill, garden variety perfecto. 

In fact, it may have been the most dominating performance by a baseball or softball pitcher the Big Country has seen in the last two decades. 

Aside from retiring 21 straight hitters from a very good Merkel team (19-2), Reynolds fanned the first 17 batters she faced and finished with 20 strikeouts. She also helped herself at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

It was the second time this season that the Clyde freshman has taken our weekly accolade.

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Hoops
by Evan Ren

FINAL Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders for 2026: Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 19.  With the end of the regular season, this will be the FINAL boys basketball leaders we post this year. 

This database has been continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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by Evan Ren

FINAL Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders for 2026 (Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks)

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 12. This will be our FINAL girls stat leaders for 2026.

This database has been continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: District title, playoff races continue to take shape as regular season nears its end

The boys basketball regular season is nearing its end, and district championship and playoff pictures across the area are coming into view.

Most leagues now have clear favorites in both their title and playoff races, but several remain unresolved with just two or three games left to play. 

With just a couple of weeks of games remaining, let’s dive in and take a look at this week’s biggest games and last week’s most significant developments.

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by Daniel Youngblood

UIL REALIGNMENT: Area football landscape experiences major changes in biennial district reshuffling

Surprised — and in some cases, stressed out — faces could be seen in abundance Monday morning at Abilene’s Region 14 Education Services Center, where coaches from throughout the area and beyond gathered to learn their new district homes as part of the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment.

In what can best be described as a seismic shift in the Big Country football landscape, a majority of area schools were placed in unfamiliar environs — be that a new district with new foes or even a new region entirely.

The now venerated process by which the UIL releases the packet containing the new district alignments for football, basketball and volleyball is frequently compared by coaches to waking up on Christmas morning to find what presents await under the three. And on this day, in particular, few found the gifts they were expecting.

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: Weather-truncated week sets up wild stretch run in several area districts

Last week’s winter storm made for a wild week of action, condensing a week’s worth of games into three day’s time. And the results were as unpredictable as you might expect given the circumstances.

We saw several district championship and playoff races shaken up by upsets and others take shape as the cream continued its rise to the top.

As we do here weekly, it’s time to take survey of the Big Country boys basketball landscape. We hope you enjoy this look at the biggest developments from last week and the biggest games this week’s slate has to offer.

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: Big games in full supply despite weather-related schedule changes

Mother Nature did her best to bring the high school basketball season to a standstill, sending a winter storm that put most Big Country teams on the shelf for a week. But the action around that unexpected break gives us plenty to talk about in this week’s look at the area boys basketball scene.

With a number of excellent (and meaningful) games last week and some big matchups slated for the next few days, the area district races remain as intriguing as ever.

Let’s go ahead now and take a look at the biggest games the area slate has to offer this week and some of the outcomes last week that helped shape the weeks to come.

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN GIRLS BASKETBALL: Chilly weather, schedule changes can’t cool red-hot district races

The winter storm that blew across most of the state over the weekend wreaked havoc on the area basketball schedule, forcing most of last Friday’s games to be pushed up a day and the bulk of this week’s early games to postponed all the way to Thursday. 

But icy weather — and the bevy of schedule changes that came with it — have done little to cool the area’s rapidly heating district races. 

We still had a number of thrilling and significant results last week and have a bunch of intriguing games to look forward to over the next few days. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the biggest of those in our weekly look at the Big Country girls basketball scene.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN’S 2025 TRUE GRIT TEAM: The toughest, hardest-working players in the Big Country!

Most high school football teams have that one player acknowledged by the coaching staff as the prime example of what a teammate should be. 

He’s the guy who seldom misses any practice time and is a regular in the weight room. He’s early to arrive. He’s late to leave and takes pride in being coachable, though he seldom needs direction. 

He always sets the right example for younger players. He doesn’t complain and, above all else, he’s tough enough to make all the aforementioned traits consistently possible. 

Know someone like that? Here is where they are honored. 

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by Evan Ren

2025 BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top underclassmen in the Big Country

Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team — an honor reserved for the area’s top freshman and sophomore football players. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Albany sweeps Hawley as Lady Lions pull off an upset

The Albany basketball teams pulled off a clean sweep of Hawley on Tuesday night in District 10-2A action at Lion Gymnasium as the girls squad won 37-27 before the Lions claimed a 60-42 win in the nightcap.

It marked the 16th win in a row for the Albany boys, who entered the state rankings at No. 25 this week, while the Lady Lions took advantage of other upsets in the district to move into a tie for fourth place and find themselves squarely in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Both teams will face Stamford in their next action with the Bearcats and Bulldogs set for a Friday matchup (weather permitting) before Albany heads to Stamford on Tuesday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: District races taking shape as title, playoff favorites begin to emerge

District races are heating up throughout the Big Country and the cream is quickly rising to the top in our area leagues.

Last week and helped provide some clarity in a number of district’s throughout the BCP coverage area, and this week will, no doubt, do the same.

Without further ado, let’s go ahead and dive into this week’s column and take a look at the biggest games on this week’s slate and some of the top results last week had to offer.

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by Evan Ren

THIS WEEK IN GIRLS BASKETBALL: This week’s top games, last week’s top results and our biggest surprise

As we arrive in mid-January, this year’s playoff picture is beginning to take shape with multiple games throughout the area have a direct impact on seeding. 

Tonight we take a look at some of those matchups, along with the top results from last week and the area’s biggest surprise. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: Several games on the docket with district title implications

With district play either underway or starting this week for all area boys basketball teams, it’s time to start taking a closer look at how our Big Country hoops races are shaping up.

And as we’ve done in the past, we’ll break down our top upcoming matchups, the top results from the previous week and the area’s biggest surprise right here each Sunday, starting with this column.

We hope you enjoy a look at this week in area boys basketball.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Abilene High’s Henry takes award after record-setting performance

You have to love a great all-around performance and in the case of Brayden Henry, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, his effort in last week’s 84-25 bi-district win over El Paso Bel Air was a record-setter.

Aside from going 6 of 7 through the air or 56 yards and one TD, he also rushed five times for 137 yards and three more scores.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A Div. II WEEK 11 REPORT: Albany, Roscoe, Cross Plains score wins in Week 11


Albany 33, Hamlin 0
Clay Chapman threw for 172 yards, rushed for 72 and accounted for two TDs as Albany clinched the district title. Albany’s defense was nothing short of dominant, holding Hamlin to only 28 yards in total offense.
The Lions improved to 8-0 and 5-0 with the win.  Hamlin fell to 8-2 and 

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 10 REPORT: Hamlin, Albany, Miles notch wins as regular season end approaches.

Hamlin 43, Cross Plains 18 — Luke White rushed for 171 yards and one TD and Isaiah Hutchings rushed for 62 yards and three TDs as Hamlin dominated Cross Plains. 

The Buffaloes were led by Landry Savell, who rushed for 57 yards and one score. 

Hamlin improved to 8-1 and 4-0 with the win; Cross Plains fell to 3-6 and 1-3.  

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 9 REPORT: Roscoe, Hamlin, Albany all earn wins in Week 9

Roscoe 42, Winters 0 — The Plowboys (2-6, 2-1) pounded out 208 yards as a team and limited Winters to 38 yards in total offense to score a district win.

Jace Arnwine topped the stat sheet with 64 yards passing and 72 yards rushing.

Winters, which fell to 2-6 and 0-3, was limited to only six yards rushing as a team.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS NOTEBOOK: Who will get to Arlington? Let’s look at it as a horserace

It’s mid-October, the weather is cooling, we have a pretty good idea of what our top football teams are and as tradition would have it, now is the time when we start talking about everyone’s postseason chances. 

Having covered the Big Country since 2006, I’ve been through seasons when we’ve sent five or more teams to state championship games. And in general, we almost always send at least two, so championship chat around the water cooler isn’t unrealistic at this point. 

That said, it’s time to take a quick peek at those teams that I believe have the best chance of playing for a state title in December at AT&T Stadium.

We’ll break it down into three categories: Favorites (those I expect to see in Arlington), contenders (those who might get there) and longshots (those who can get there if things line up just right). 

Continue reading “BIG COUNTRY PREPS NOTEBOOK: Who will get to Arlington? Let’s look at it as a horserace” →

by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 8 REPORT: Hamlin, Cross Plains, Albany victorious

Hamlin 21, Roscoe 14 (OT) — Hamlin rushed for 239 yards via committee in a tough overtime win on the road. Reece Rainey led the Pied Pipers (6-1, 2-0) with 85 yards rushing on four carries and one TD.

It was the sixth straight win for Hamlin since a season-opening loss to Anson. 

Roscoe (1-6, 1-1) was led by Jace Arnwine, who threw for 136 yards, rushed for 19 and accounted for two scores. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cooper’s Carillo takes this week’s award

Slowly but surely, the Cooper Cougars have emerged as one of the most explosive teams in the Big Country. And in its latest exploit, CHS rolled up 517 yards in total offense in a 66-16 win over Lubbock Cooper. 

At the top of the stat sheet: Cooper quarterback Jaden Carrillo, who hit 18 of 27 throws for 263 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 80 yards and another score to help the Cougars improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in District 2-5A DII. 

His six TD passes tied a school record held by Zac Allen and Clayton Nicholas. 

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 7 REPORT: Hamlin, Roscoe, Albany take district openers

Hamlin 49, Winters 0 — Javier Ramos threw for 117 yards and two scores while Isaiah Hutchings and Cade Jones both added rushing TDs to lead Hamlin (5-1) to its fifth straight win since a season-opening loss to Anson. 

Winters, which had won two of its last three starts, fell to 2-4. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hawley sweeps Albany in hard-fought 6-2A volleyball match

ALBANY — Even after losing in straight sets, Albany volleyball coach MJ Reneau was encouraged by how her team performed against No. 7 Hawley at home on Tuesday night.

Hawley claimed a 25-17, 25-23, 25-19 win in the District 6-2A matchup to move to 2-0 in district play while the Lady Lions fell to 1-1.

After the match, Reneau said the final score didn’t indicate how close the two squads are, especially the opening set, which saw Hawley go on a 12-3 run.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 5 REPORT: Pied Pipers chalk up fourth straight win; Cross Plains, Winters also victorious

Hamlin 36, Quanah 6 — Javier Ramos threw for 313 yards and two scores and Hudson Smith rushed for 105 yards and two more TDs to lift Hamlin to a lopsided win over Quanah. 

It was the fourth-straight win for Hamlin (4-1) since a season-opening loss to still-unbeaten Anson. 

Quanah dropped to 3-2 with the loss. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Anson remains unbeaten behind defense, St. John

ANSON — Friday’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week was expected to be a street fight of sorts, pairing off Albany and Anson —two of the more physical small school teams in the area. 

It didn’t disappoint. 

Anson (5-0), behind a top-notch defensive effort and a big night from Malachi St. John, shut down an Albany rally attempt in a 20-6 win to remain unbeaten. 

Led by Shawn Keen’s 60 yards rushing and one score, Albany slipped to 3-2.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Anson plays host to Albany in 2A showdown

LAST WEEK: 38-10, .791
SEASON TOTAL: 199-56, .780

ALBANY (3-1) AT ANSON (4-0)

Nothing stirs my interest early in the football season more than having a surprise team square off with an established powerhouse. 

So when selecting our Big Country Preps Game of the Week for Sept. 26, Albany’s visit to Anson (4-0) was a big blip on the area radar screen. 

Albany (3-1) a perennial power coming off a loss to unbeaten Coahoma, will now face an Anson club that some believe is the biggest surprise in the Big Country thus far. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Albany opens District 6-2A play with win over Abilene TLCA

Albany coach MJ Reneau said before Tuesday night’s District 6-2A opener that she was hoping to see her team snap out of a funk that had seen them lose nine of 13 matches and 12 of their last 14 sets.

While the Lady Lions struggled, including six service errors in the final set, Albany still began district play with a 25-16, 25-10, 25-19 win over Abilene TLCA at Eagle Gymnasium.

The win pushed Albany to 10-10 overall while the Lady Eagles are now 2-10.

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 4 REPORT: Hamlin carries district torch in an otherwise tough week

Hamlin 48, Munday 14 — The Pied Pipers improved to 3-1 with a convincing win over Munday. 

Isaiah Hutchings threw for 222 yards and two scores to lead Hamlin. Reece Rainey led Hamlin on the ground with 116 yards and two scores on only eight carries. 

The Moguls fell to 3-1.

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Albany coach Denney Faith
by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 3 REPORT: Albany, Winters and Hamlin notch Week 3 wins

Albany 69, Seymour 6 — The Lions rushed or 399 yards as a team, led by Bennett Neece’s 155 yards and three TDs on only six carries. 

Lyle Wheeler led the Lion passing game with 101 yards and three scores to help push Albany to 3-0. 

Trailing 62-0 with seven minutes to play, Seymour notched its only score of the evening on a 45-yard rushing TD by Slade Tucker. 

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by Evan Ren

DISTRICT 7-2A DIV. II WEEK 2 REPORT: Hamlin, Coahoma, Cross Plains, Miles and Albany all chalk up wins in Week 2

Hamlin 35, Seymour 21 — Isaiah Hutchings threw for 190 yards and two scores and rushed for 127 yards to lead the Pied Pipers (1-1) to their first win of the year.

Kyson McGee rushed for 107 yards and one TD and Reece Rainey rushed for 68 yards and another score to bolster the Hamlin offense. 

The Pied Pipers will travel to Crosbyton next Friday; Seymour (1-1) will play host to Albany (2-0) on the same evening. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Albany Lions take down Hawley as 2A powerhouses clash

ALBANY — If it’s raining in the Big Country during football season, two things are a virtual guarantee: the West Texas Fair & Rodeo is in Abilene and Albany is scheduled to play Hawley.

For the first time in four meetings, the Lions and Bearcats were able to play at their scheduled location as Albany took a 21-7 win on Friday night at Faith Field at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium. The previous three seasons had seen the game played twice at Hardin-Simmons University’s Shelton Stadium and once at Wylie’s Hugh Sandifer Stadium.

The latest matchup was a defensive slugfest that saw the Lions knock off Hawley for the second time in three years despite the fact that the Bearcats have dominated the series since 2018.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: Top games worth traveling for during the 2025 football season

Got the truck started yet?

Ready to jump on one of those farm-to-market roads to watch high school football into the late hours on a Friday night?

You’re not alone.

And, as tradition would have it, I tip my cap to those of you who will be hitting the trails each week in search of pigskin. My method: a preseason menu of sorts.

Each week for the next 11 weeks, Big Country Preps will be searching for its Game of the Week, and we’re already looking ahead. We now present our preliminary list of Big Country Games worth traveling for, but keep in mind: the following list is subject to change as surprises and disappointments emerge.

And as we all know … surprises and disappointments always emerge.

So, without further delay, here is our list of Big Country games worth traveling for in 2025.

I’ll see you on the road.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: It’s business as usual for Albany’s Denney Faith

Denney Faith

ALBANY — While Denney Faith could be called an Albany icon, we’re actually well beyond that point now. As the dean of Big Country football coaches and one the most successful mentors the area has ever seen, he’s really more of a Big Country icon than anything else. 

Because of that, area football fans are now witnessing a truly unique time — one where the accomplishments of an area legend are becoming more and more appreciated late in his career.

The question it spawns comes at Faith on a nearly daily basis: “So coach, how much longer are you going to keep working?” And to that his answer is generally the same: “As long as I’m feeling well and still enjoying it.” 

In other words, nobody, including Faith, really knows the answer. 

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by Evan Ren

2025 ALBANY FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Depth and experience will be Albany advantages

ALBANY — In terms of overall talent and depth, the Albany Lions could be on the high end, even by their perennially tough standards. 

Entering this season with seven offensive and nine defensive starters among 20 lettermen from last year’s 9-3 team, the Lions will get an added boost from players promoted from an 8-2 JV squad. 

Their keys to success: settling on a quarterback, a running back and simply staying healthy through a tough non-district slate. 

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by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2025 Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team (the hardest-working baseball and softball players in the area)

OTHER 2025 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS

  • ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL Superlative Awards (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc)
  • ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL: First-Team Selections
  • ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS BASEBALL: Second-Team Selections (plus honorable mention)
  • ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: Superlative Awards (Pitcher of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, etc)
  • ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: First-Team Selections
  • ALL BIG COUNTRY PREPS SOFTBALL: Second-Team Selections (plus honorable mention)

Our All-Big Country Preps Softball and Baseball Teams, released Saturday and Sunday, respectively, are in place to honor those who achieved the most on-field success in 2025. It is off the field, however, where character, grit, and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players, male and female, who were (simply put) the hardest-working, best teammates in the area this spring. 

This team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were.

The All-Hustle team honors effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built.

It is for that reason that this team is largely selected by area coaches and described in their own words.

Big Country Preps is now honored to present these individuals to you — the best team players (boys and girls) that the Big Country had to offer during the 2025 season.

The players below are listed in no particular order. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

2025 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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