Bangs southpaw Abby Wolf has thrown so many no-hitters this year, that the subject barely raises an eyebrow. But in consecutive district wins over Coleman and Christoval last week, the sophomore managed to create a stir.
Missing a perfect game by one hit batsman in a 7-0 win over Coleman, she followed that with three perfect innings in a 15-0 route of Christoval.
In other words, Wolf tossed nine complete hitless innings last week, along the way walking none and fanning 13.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Wylie baseball (57 images)”
For the better part of six innings, Friday night’s District 4-5A showdown between Abilene High and Wylie was a fan’s dream: intense, thrilling, competitive and headed down to the wire.
Enter Collin Bruning.
With the Bulldogs trailing 4-3 and down to their final four outs, Bruning came off the bench and had a pinch hit double that landed just inches fair to jumpstart a seven-run rally that propelled Wylie to a 10-4 win at Bulldog Field.
“Damarrius Walker is a very talented young man,” Sweetwater coach Brian Hodnett said. “There isn’t much in track and field that he can’t do!
“We as a staff are excited to see how far he can go this year.”
So is the rest of the area as our Big Country Preps Player of the Week collects the award after scoring 44 points individually at the Hamlin Pied Piper Relays last week.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Lubbock Monterey-Cooper baseball (30 images)”
Despite it being the end of spring break, the local baseball and softball teams were busy on the diamonds on Saturday, both in town and in Lubbock.
The six teams from Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie combined to go 3-3 in action.
You can read Daniel Youngblood’s story on Lubbock Monterey’s 6-2 win over Cooper in District 4-5A baseball here.
Meanwhile, Abilene High’s baseball and softball teams, along with Wylie baseball, picked up key District 4-5A wins. Wylie softball dropped a heartbreaker at Lubbock Monterey and the Cooper softball squad dropped a nondistrict game against Wolfforth Frenship.
The Cooper baseball could never solve Lubbock Monterey starter Hector Villegas on Saturday, tallying just two hits off the right-hander in a 6-2 loss to the Plainsmen at Cougar Field.
Villegas kept the Cougars off balance all game, pitching around four walks and two hit batsmen by drawing weak contact more often that not.
The Monterey starter struck out only three, but he drew nine groundouts and four pop outs in helping the Plainsmen (8-11 overall) improve to 4-1 in District 4-5A play. Cooper, which managed single runs in the first and fourth innings, fell to 10-6 on the year and 2-3 in league action.
You know you’re on a roll when you throw a no-hitter and it’s your second-best performance of the week.
That was the case for Hico junior pitcher Kiersten Fincannon, not only threw a no-hitter in a 24-0 win over Meridian, but also tossed a perfect game in a 22-0 rout of Itasca.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Cooper baseball (125 images)”
First-year Abilene High baseball coach Brad Harman admitted that he didn’t sleep much on Friday night with the excitement of his initiation into the Crosstown Showdown looming.
He may not get much sleep on Saturday night either.
Cooper used a six-run sixth inning to take the lead and held off the Eagles 12-8 on Saturday afternoon at Cougar Field in a District 4-5A matchup that also served as the conclusion of the Abilene ISD Invitational baseball tournament.
Not only did Thursday mark the opening game of the 2023 Abilene ISD Invitational, it also featured a District 4-5A matchup with the Southside Showdown between Cooper at Wylie at Bulldog Field.
Abilene High split a pair of games with schools from Wichita Falls ISD, while the Bulldogs picked up a 10-0 win over the Cougars to close out the day in a game played mainly in a heavy mist.
Softball tournaments can distort the significance of pitching accomplishments due to inning caps or time limits, rendering perfect games or no-hitters into half-versions of their true selves.
However, there is no denying that tournaments are work, especially for pitchers, and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Hamlin southpaw Zoe Moore, earned the accolade with a 4-0 record in the Wichita Falls Sunrise Optimist Tournament last week.
After recognizing the Big Country’s top pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders, we wrap up our baseball position rankings series with the area’s multi-position standouts.
For the final installment in our five-part series, we take a look at the top utility players, ranking our top-10 with others to watch in 2023.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these lists and are as excited as we are that baseball season is underway.
For the fourth installment of our five-part baseball position rankings series, we shift our focus from the infield dirt to the outfield grass.
After highlighting the Big Country’s top pitchers, catchers and infielders earlier this week, we now do the same with the area’s best outfielders, ranking our top 10 with others to watch in 2023.
We hope you enjoy our list.
After ranking the top pitchers and catchers on the Big Country baseball scene the past two nights, we now turn our attention to the infield.
For the third installment in our five-part position rankings series, we list our top-10 infielders in the area with a list of others to watch in 2023.
We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.
After opening our baseball position rankings series with the pitchers on Thursday, it’s time to shift our attention to their battery mates.
For the second installment in our five-part series, we celebrate the Big Country’s top catchers, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch in 2023.
We hope you enjoy our list.
After kicking off the spring sports season with our softball position rankings last week, it’s time to turn our attention to the the baseball field and the players you’ll be reading about throughout the 2023 campaign.
For the first installment in a five-part series that will cover all position groups on the area baseball scene, we’ll be taking a look at the Big Country’s best pitchers, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this fall.
We hope you enjoy reading through our list.
Wylie seniors Reese Borho and Jadyn Fernandez waited seven extra days to celebrate their college signings due to the winter storm that blew through Texas last week, but the two finally got to do so Wednesday during a Signing Day ceremony at the Wylie Performing Arts Center.
Surrounded by friends, family, coaches and teammates, Borho formally announced his signing to play baseball at Abilene Christian University, while Fernandez made her commitment to play softball for Wayland Baptist University official.
It was a special day for both players, ending a stressful recruiting process in time for each to focus on their final seasons in purple in gold.
With Signing Day 2023 in the books, the Big Country will be placing several of its athletes on college campuses across the country, including multiple Division I signees.
Headlining this year’s group are Jim Ned lineman Gage Stanaland, who has inked a Letter of Intent with Oklahoma State University and Breckenridge defensive lineman-fullback Jerry Lawson, who will be playing football right here in the Big Country with Abilene Christian University. Lawson is one of three Breckenridge athletes who will be heading to DI institutions, the others being Sean Cooksey and Chase Lehr.
Stanaland, a 6-foot-5, 290-pounder, originally committed to Navy and received offers from UTEP, New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. Texas A&M and Baylor were showing interest but never offered. However, Oklahoma State suddenly entered the pursuit late in the game and convinced him to become a Cowboy.
BEST OF BCP’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCASTS: Stephenville coach Justin Swenson talks SHS baseball (Originally aired in May of 2022)
OTHER 2022 ALL-BIG COUNTRY PREPS TEAMS
Character, grit and work ethic aren’t seen in a box score. And it is with our Big Country Preps All-Hustle Team that we wish to honor those players (male and female) who exemplify those qualities.
The All-Hustle team isn’t about who the best baseball and softball players were. It honors the best teammates.
It is here where effort, discipline and coachability — traits that coaches wish they had in every player and upon which championships are built — are honored.
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 2022 baseball and softball seasons.
The players below are listed in no particular order.
Here are our superlative award winners for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2022 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams.
Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.
For the rest of this year’s girls basketball selections, please click the links at the bottom of the next page.
Due to UIL regulations, photo sales from state championship events are not permitted.
Due to UIL regulations, photo sales from state championship events are not permitted.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Diboll baseball state semifinal (96 images)”
ROUND ROCK — A second seventh-inning rally in as many days was just too much for Brock to ask for, as the Eagles saw their bid for the Class 3A state championship come up a few runs short in a 16-13 loss to Corpus Christi London on Saturday at Dell Diamond.
BHS, which scored two seventh-inning runs to claim a 7-6 walk-off win over Diboll in the state semifinals on Friday, rallied from a six-run deficit to pull within two (15-13) after 5½ innings Saturday. But after London tacked on an insurance with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles could manage only a walk in their final trip to the plate, seeing their season end with loss to the Pirates for the second straight year.
Brock, which scored four in the first inning and five in the second, led 9-4 after 1½ innings and maintained a 9-7 advantage until the bottom of the fourth. But the Pirates scored five runs in that inning to take their first lead at 12-9 and tacked on three more in the fifth to increase their lead to six heading into the sixth inning.
Those two rallies concluded a stretch of 11 unanswered runs for London, which was able to hold from there to win the highest scoring state championship game in UIL history.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: FCA baseball and softball all-star games (71 images)”
ROUND ROCK — On a day when virtually any ball hit in the air to the right side was an adventure, the Brock baseball team was both the beneficiary and victim of some high-sun wackiness in its Class 3A state semifinal matchup with Diboll on Friday at Dell Diamond.
But with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles caught the biggest and final break when what appeared to be routine fly ball off the bat resulted in a two-run, walk-off error and a dramatic 7-6 win over the Lumberjacks.
With his team down to its final out after watching Diboll rally from a 5-4 deficit in the top of the inning, Brock catcher Gavin Boedeker stepped the plate as the Eagles’ last hope. The junior sent the first pitch he saw off reliever Gabe Smith in the air to medium deep right field, but after fighting the sun and drifting to the spot, DHS outfielder Riley Sarmiento had the ball bounce off the heel of his glove and out, allowing Peyton Shaffer and Cam Harris to score the tying and winning runs, respectively.
It was a wild ending to an intensely competitive affair, sending the Eagles to their first state championship game since 2006.
First-year Brock baseball coach Tim Arden wasn’t coaching the Eagles when they fell in the Class 3A state semifinals to Corpus Christi London last June, but he knows the impact that loss had on his returning players.
Back in the same round one year later, with a semifinal matchup against Diboll set for noon Friday at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond, this year’s BHS team is determined to avoid the same fate suffered in 2021.
Whether it’s a rematch with London (24-13) or a date with Gunter (36-1), the Eagles want to be playing for their second state title when the championship game begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday. But having seen each of their last four state trips end in the semifinals, they know well the challenge that lies ahead.
BROCK — While it may sound clichéd to say that pitching and defense wins championships, one is hard-pressed to find teams in this year’s state baseball tournament that run contrary to the axiom.
And Brock (the lone representative in the Big Country Preps coverage area still that is still alive) fits the old saying as well as any other.
The Eagles (35-3) will face Diboll (38-4) in the Class 3A state semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The winner will advance to face either Gunter (36-1) or Corpus Christi London (24-13) at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the kids,” first-year coach Brock coach Tim Arden said. “When I walked in, one of the first things I did was a defensive drill on pickoffs and rundowns.
“And the way they executed pickoffs and rundowns without me saying a word, I knew I had a lot (of ability) to work with. These kids know how to play baseball and they’ve got the fundamentals down. … It’s by far the best defensive team I’ve ever coached.”
CAPITAL FARM CREDIT WEDNESDAY NIGHT PODCAST: Brock coach Tim Arden joins the show. Evan and Dan talk baseball/softball playoffs.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
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: Albany-New Home baseball region championship Game 1 (85 images)”
WEATHERFORD — In drawing five walks and three hit batsmen, the Stephenville baseball team did what it could to make Argyle’s pitchers work in Game 2 of the Region I-4A championship series Friday at Weatherford College. But any pressure applied ended on the base paths due to the Yellow Jackets’ inability to add a few clutch hits to their disciplined approach at the plate.
Eagles starter Trevor Duck pitched with runners in scoring position in four of his five innings on the mound, but he and reliever Hudson Emeterio combined to shut out the Jackets, limiting coach Justin Swenson’s squad to one hit while collecting 14 combined strikeouts in a 4-0 win.
The victory pushes Argyle through to the Class 4A state tournament, while Stephenville saw its season end one round shy of a second consecutive trip to Austin.
WEATHERFORD — The Argyle baseball team got a strong pitching performance from Evan Brandt and took advantage of four Stephenville errors to down the Yellow Jackets 8-1 in Game 1 of the Region I-4A championship series Thursday night at Weatherford College.
The Eagles scored three runs in the third and two each in the fourth and sixth innings to take a 7-0 lead, and the two teams traded runs in the final frame as Argyle put Stephenville on the ropes heading into Friday’s Game 2.
Of the Eagles’ eight runs, only four were earned. But even that was more support than needed for Brandt, who limited Stephenville to just one run on two hits and three walks over 6.1 strong innings.
Continue reading “GAME RECAP: Argyle too much for Stephenville, scores 8-1 win in series opener”
COPPELL — It took two extra innings Thursday, but the Brock baseball team finally got to the Bowie pitching staff, scoring three ninth-inning runs to break a 1-all tie for a 4-1 win in Game 2 of the Region I-3A championship series.
The victory clinched a series sweep for the Eagles, who punched their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament for the second consecutive year.
Ian Fuchs and Dusty Baker were dominant on the mound, allowing one run on six combined hits and two walks over nine stellar innings, and the Brock offense found its groove late against reliever Kynan Demoss to outlast the Jackrabbits and improve to 35-3 on the year.
SNYDER — Scoring runs in each of the first two innings, the Albany baseball team got off to exactly the type of start it was hoping for in Game 1 of the Region I-2A championship series against New Home. But the Leopards used a three-run third to shift the momentum in their favor and led the rest of the way in a 5-3 win Thursday at Moffett Field.
Lions ace Cole Chapman was sharp for most of the game, putting up zeros in three of the five innings he pitched. But the junior right-hander temporarily lost his control in the third, and New Home took advantage, scoring three runs on two singles and four walks to erase the early 2-0 deficit.
The Leopards added two unearned runs in the fifth to go up 5-2, and the Lions could get only one of those runs back in their final three trips to the plate, falling behind in a series for the first time in their playoff run.
COPPELL — Tristan Boedeker was nothing short of dominant on Wednesday, collecting 10 strikeouts during a two-hit shutout to lift the Brock baseball team to a 3-0 win over Bowie in Game 1 of the Region I-3A championship series.
The senior right-hander needed just 98 pitches to dispatch the Jackrabbits, throwing 64 of those for strikes. He walked just two to go with his two hits allowed, never allowing a Bowie baserunner to reach scoring position.
The Eagle lineup, meanwhile, gave its starter all the run support he would need during a two-run first inning, spoiling an otherwise strong outing for Bowie starter Carson Sanders.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
It took three months, but the Anson baseball team finally met its match, falling in three games to New Home to end a noteworthy season in the Region I-2A semifinals.
Coming off an 11-6 defeat in Friday’s series opener — the Tigers’ first loss since March 12 and just their second of the season to that point — AHS bounced back with a 4-2 win in Game 2 to force a deciding third game. But coach Scotty Nichols team couldn’t quite complete a doubleheader sweep Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field, dropping a 13-12 decision in the rubber match to close its campaign at 26-3-1.
The Tigers, who rallied from a 7-0 deficit after 1½ innings to pull within a run in the sixth, had ample opportunities in the clincher, but they left 12 runners stranded, including nine in scoring position. Anson got the tying run to second in the bottom of the seventh, but New Home reliever Owen Morris got Stryker Dillard to fly out to shallow right field and Dylyn Pyle to foul out to catcher Ryan Bundy to end the Tigers’ playoff run.
Following his team’s Game 1 win over Snyder on Thursday, Stephenville baseball coach Justin Swenson said his Yellow Jackets would need to come ready to play Saturday because the Tigers wouldn’t go down easy.
He was right.
Despite racing out to a 6-1 lead after 2½ innings, the Jackets found themselves in a one-run game heading into the sixth in Game 2. And even after putting up six runs in the top of the seventh to build a seven-run cushion, Swenson’s squad had to hold off one final Snyder rally before it could finally celebrate a 12-8 win and a sweep of its Region I-4A semifinal series at Hardin-Simmons University’s Hunter Field.
ABILENE — If someone had told you that the Coahoma softball team would see its top four hitters held to one combined RBI on a day that the team committed seven errors against defending regional champion Holliday, would you have guessed a win or a loss for CHS?
Set logic aside.
Not only did the Bulldoggettes rally to eliminate Holliday with a 7-4 win in Game 2 of their Region I-3A championship series at Abilene Christian University, but they did it with the bottom half of their lineup.
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Aledo baseball region semifinal Game 2 (108 images)”
Wylie ace Brooks Gay kept his team in the game as long as he could Friday, but the Bulldogs could never solve Aledo starter Hunter Rudel in a season-ending 8-0 loss at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field.
WHS, which fell 2-1 in Game 1 of the Region I-5A semifinals series on Thursday, trailed 1-0 after five innings and 2-0 heading into the seventh Friday, but the Bearcats roughed up four Bulldogs pitchers for six runs in the final inning to pull away and secure the series sweep.
For the game, Gay allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and three walks, using eight big strikeouts to pitch out of any major trouble. But he was outdueled by Rudel, who limited the Bulldogs to two hits and three walks with five strikeouts in a complete-game shutout as Aledo eliminated the Bulldogs for the second consecutive season.
At the Class 2A level, pitching quality and depth is a luxury not all coaches can boast. So the fact that Anson baseball coach Scotty Nichols has four pitchers he feels confident throwing in any situation and three others who can give him innings when he needs them makes him unique among his peers.
That blessing has not been lost on Nichols, whose staff has posted a 1.61 team ERA and 1.033 WHIP heading into its Region I-2A semifinals series against New Home.
Behind that staff, Anson has gone 25-1-1 this season. And thanks in large part to what its members provide on a game-to-game basis, the Tigers, who missed state by a single game last year, have their sights set on earning their first state tournament appearance 2014.
Thursday’s Region I-4A semifinals series opener between Stephenville and Snyder was evenly played in a lot of ways. In the end, it came down to one simple factor: The Yellow Jackets made the most of their scoring opportunities and the Tigers didn’t.
A glance at the scoreboard at the end of the game would show each team with eight hits and two errors. But Snyder left 12 runners on base, including nine in scoring position, resulting in the biggest and most significant difference in the final linescore — a 6-2 Stephenville advantage in the runs column.
The victory, secured in front of a boisterous crowd at Abilene Christian University’s Crutcher Scott Field, moved the Yellow Jackets (23-10-1) one win away from their second consecutive trip to region finals. But to achieve that, they’ll have to put away a scrappy Tigers squad on Saturday, when the series moves to Hardin-Simmons’ Hunter Field for Game 2 and Game 3, if necessary.