Category: Baseball

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF WEEK: Jayton’s Stanaland takes this week’s spotlight

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week earned the accolade on the state’s biggest stage. 

Jayton senior guard Sean Stanaland was a big contributor in several areas for the Jaybirds in a surprisingly easy 78-45 win over Kennard in the Class 1A Division II state title game. This began with the 28 points he scored to help JHS to its third straight championship.

He also pulled down 15 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals as Jayton capped its season with a victory in San Antonio’s Alamodome.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie bounces back from loss to Abilene High with run-rule win over WF Memorial

The Wylie baseball team bounced back from Friday’s 5-0 loss to Abilene High in a major way Saturday afternoon, pounding out 12 hits — seven for extra bases — in a 14-2 home win over Wichita Falls Memorial.

With a turnaround of less than 24 hours between Friday’s District 4-5A opener and Saturday’s matchup with the Mavericks, the Bulldogs weren’t afforded any time to dwell on the loss to the Eagles or the two-hit shutout they faced at the hands of flamethrowing right-hander George Ferguson.

But the immediate return to the field proved beneficial, as Wylie pounded out five first-inning runs on its way to the run-rule victory. Coach Grant Martin’s team would tack on seven more runs in the fourth, making an easy winner of Dylan Regala, who took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, before surrendering pair of runs on a couple of hits and two walks.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clutch hitting, Ferguson’s gem lift Abilene High to win over Wylie

With temperatures approaching 90 degrees on Friday afternoon, Abilene High and Wylie took to the field for their hottest baseball games of the season in a District 4-5A tilt at Blackburn Field.

The Eagles saw junior pitcher George Ferguson throw a complete game two-hitter on a season-high 110 pitches as they improved to 2-0 in district play with a 5-0 win over the Bulldogs, who fell to 0-1 in district.

Ferguson battled through cramps on the hot day as he struck out 14 in an effort that coach Brad Harman simply called gutsy.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: And yet another Gaylor takes our weekly accolade

A week after Lipan’s Court Gaylor took our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award, yet another Lipan player has done the same thing. 

And by sheer coincidence, her last name is Gaylor as well. 

This time around it is freshman guard Sydni Gaylor, Court’s Younger sister, who has taken the accolade after leading the LHS girls to a Class 2A Division II state title in San Antonio on Thursday. 

Helping the Lady Indians to a 42-35 over perennial power Martin’s Mill, Sydni finished with 23 points and was voted by attending media as the game’s MVP. 

And the good news (at least for Lipan) is, this kid is only a freshman. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lipan PG Gaylor nabs honor with pair of strong playoff performances

Entering the week at 35-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, the Lipan Indians have won 33 straight games since suffering their only loss of the year to Class 4A Dallas Roosevelt in mid-November.

At the heart of that success has been standout point guard Court Gaylor, who performed at a high enough level in LHS’ first two playoff games to claim our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Baseball Position Rankings: Utility Players

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 2026. 

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these lists and are as excited as we are that baseball season is underway.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Baseball Position Rankings: Outfielders

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 2026.

We hope you enjoy our list.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Baseball Position Rankings: Infielders

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 2026.

We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Baseball Position Rankings: Catchers

After opening our baseball position rankings series with the pitchers on Monday, 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 2026.

We hope you enjoy our list.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco junior earns this week’s award

When Cisco junior guard Carter Toof is on his game, there is little one can do to stop him. He’s going to get his point, whether you like it or not. 

That was the case last week when Toof helped Cisco to a win over Abilene TLCA with 43 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. He followed that with 20 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals in a playoff warmup loss to Benjamin. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Baseball Position Rankings: Pitchers

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 2026 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.

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by Evan Ren

SIGNING DAY: Gordon seniors headline area signees for 2025-26

Of all the Big Country area collegiate signees in the 2025-26 school year, what would the odds be for two of them to be from a tiny school from the six-man ranks? And what would the odds be that both would sign to participate in two sports?

What are the odds that they would have the same last name yet be of no relation? And what would the odds be that both would play in the prestigeous Military Appreciation Bowl in Frisco on Dec. 21 (featuring several of the top players in the country)?

Would the planets have to be aligned for both of them to be among the top academic athletes in the Big Country? Or for them both to sign with separate military academies to participate as two-sport athletes at the DI level? 

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Wylie trio, Abilene High pair make their college decisions official at local ceremonies

Five local athletes put pen to paper at local Signing Day ceremonies on Wednesday, making their college decisions official in front of friends, family and the coaches who helped make their special day possible.

At Wylie, baseball players Colby Garrett and Hudson Tuley signed with Ranger College and McLennan Community College, respectively, while softball player Olivia Volz signed to continue her athletic and academic career at Cisco College.

And over at Abilene High, softball pitcher Avah Reyes gave her signature to Odessa College, while soccer player Rheauna De La Garza signed to play at Seminole State College in Seminole, Okla.

Continue reading “SIGNING DAY: Wylie trio, Abilene High pair make their college decisions official at local ceremonies” →

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 Evan Ren

2025 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Superlative Award Winners

Here are our superlative award winners 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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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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by Daniel Youngblood

2025 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-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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by Evan Ren

2025 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Baseball Team

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2025 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 baseball selections, please click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Fayetteville holds off late rally to knock off Gordon 4-2 in Class 1A title game

ROUND ROCK — A shaky start and several missed opportunities at the plate spoiled a storybook ending for the Gordon baseball team, which saw its first trip to state end with a 4-2 loss to Fayetteville in the Class 1A championship game on Saturday at Dell Diamond.

In a game that was well-pitched and cleanly played by both teams for the most part, the Longhorns fell behind 3-1 after two innings and could never get closer than that despite getting runners to scoring position in five of the seven innings.

That included a seventh-inning rally that saw Gordon plate a run to pull within two and advance the tying to run to second base with two outs, before a foul out by Evan Jackson ended the threat and the Longhorns’ best campaign in program history at 23-6.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wall blasts Thrall 14-2 to claim program’s second state championship

ROUND ROCK — In 2023, with a number of their current upperclassmen filling contributing roles, the Wall Hawks reached the Class 3A state title game only to watch another team (Boyd) leave with the championship trophy.

Last year, with a loaded roster and expectations of a Round Rock return, WHS saw its season end in a shocking area-round loss to Iowa Park. 

On Thursday, with both of those experiences serving as competitive fuel, coach Jeremy Gordon’s squad left nothing to chance against Thrall, using a four-run first inning to set a tone it would maintain for five dominant innings on its way to a 14-2 win in the Class 3A Division II state championship game at Dell Diamond.

The victory capped a brilliant 31-6 campaign for the Hawks, who claimed their second state title in their fourth state trip, joining the 2019 squad as the only other Wall team to leave Round Rock with state gold around its neck.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Gordon rallies past Hamlin in Game to complete sweep, earn first trip to Round Rock

ABILENE — After routing Hamlin 14-1 in the opener of its Class 1A state semifinal series on Thursday in Graham, the Gordon baseball team faced a much stiffer test from the Pied Pipers on Saturday at Abilene Christian University’s Bullock Brothers Ballpark.

But despite trailing 6-3 after 3½ innings in Game 2, the Longhorns proved up to the challenge, rallying for a 9-6 win to complete a series sweep and lock up their first state championship game appearance in program history.

GHS, which saw a five-run Hamlin second erase an early 2-0 lead, plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to pull within a run at 6-5, before exploding for four runs in the fifth for what proved to be the game-winning rally.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Boyd uses big sixth inning to pull away from Wall in Game 2, force do-or-die Game 3

STEPHENVILLE — Hoping to close out Boyd with a sweep after downing the Yellowjackets 6-1 in the opener of its Class 3A Division II state semifinals series on Thursday, the Wall baseball team saw one bad inning eliminate that possibility in Friday’s Game 2 at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.

Trailing just 4-3 after 5½ innings with the top of their lineup due up in the seventh, the Hawks surrendered five runs in the bottom of the sixth, turning a game that was nip and tuck to that point into a 9-3 loss.

The outcome, which forces a deciding third game at 4 p.m. Saturday back at Tarleton State University, spoiled a strong start from junior left-hander Kellan Oliver, who went toe-to-toe with Boyd ace Will McIntire for five innings before handing the game over to the bullpen in the sixth. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME REPORT: Brock’s season ends with Game 2 loss to Longview Spring Hill

DALLAS — One night after seeing a 5-2 lead slip away in a Game 1, 7-6 loss in eight innings, the Brock Eagles suffered another heartbreaker at the hands of Longview Spring Hill, falling 2-0 in Game 2 of a 4A DII state semifinal on Friday at Dallas Baptist University. 

Landon Bartell tossed a complete-game two-hit shutout and Cayson Wilkins was 2-for-2 with an RBI and one run scored to lead Spring Hill (33-7), which now advances to the state championship game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wall overcomes shaky start to take Game 1 from Boyd, moves within win of trip to Round Rock

ABILENE — Before this week, the last memory any Wall baseball player had of playing Boyd was watching the Yellowjackets celebrate a 6-4 win over their team in the 2023 Class 3A state championship game.

On Thursday, the Hawks took a big step toward replacing that memory with a more pleasant one, downing BHS 6-1 in the opener of a best-of-three Class 3A Division II state semifinals series at Abilene Christian University’s Bullock Brothers Ballpark.

Playing for an opportunity to return to Dell Diamond in Round Rock for the fourth time in program history — all since 2017 — Wall overcame a slow start, answering a one-run top of the first by Boyd with two runs in the home half of the inning. And junior ace Gage Reichenau handled the rest, shutting the Yellowjackets out the rest of the way to put his team in position to close out the series when it resumes at 7 p.m. Friday at Tarleton State University in Stephenville.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Wall completes sweep of Jacksboro with 2-0 win at Brownwood

BROWNWOOD — The game was sufficiently well-pitched that there were no extra base hits and a combined 19 strikeouts between the two starting hurlers.  

So after the Wall Hawks managed to scratch home a pair of runs in Game 2 of the Region I-3A DII title series on Saturday, a 2-0 lead looked a lot bigger in person than it did on paper.  In fact, it held up for a series-clinching 2-0 win for the Hawks to push them into the 3A DII state semifinals. 

Reid Ballard scattered six Jacksboro singles over six innings with 11 Ks and Kellan Oliver picked up a save on the hill after going 1 for 2 at the plate with a run scored to lead Wall (28-5) which will face Boyd in the state semis with a chance to advance to the title game. 

Jacksboro (24-6) was led by southpaw starter Cannon Valenzuela, who allowed two runs (both earned) with five walks and eight strikeouts. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Historic season for Mineral Wells ends with Game 3 loss to Seminole

GRAHAM — A magical season for the Mineral Wells baseball team has drawn to a close.

After going 7-17-1 in Jacob Clay’s first year as head coach, the Rams finished Year 2 at 20-14-1, beating Seminole 7-2 in Game 2 of their Region I-4A Division I championship series, before getting no-hit into the fifth inning in a 5-0 loss in Game 3 on Saturday at the Graham High School Baseball Field.

The 2025 season marked the first time that Mineral Wells advanced to a region final since 1958.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Reichenau’s gem, late offensive flurry fuels Wall past Jacksboro in series opener

GRAHAM — Locked in a pitcher’s duel that could have gone either way for six innings, the Wall baseball team finally broke through in the seventh Friday, scoring five runs off Jacksboro starter Wyatt Gavit to pull away for a 6-1 win in the opener of its best-of-three Region I-3A Division II championship series against the Tigers.

The Hawks, who trailed 1-0 after four innings at the Graham High School Baseball Field, had five of their 13 hits during the late scoring barrage, giving ace Gage Reichenau the run support needed to finish off a complete-game two-hitter with a win.

The victory puts Wall one victory away from advancing to the state semifinals with the series set to resume at 3 p.m. Saturday in Brownwood.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

FEATURE: Baseball helps begin the healing process for Gordon in wake of EF-1 tornado

STEPHENVILLE — While the National Weather Service has classified the tornado that struck Gordon on Sunday evening as an EF-1, Longhorn athletic director Mike Reed says the devastation to the community of 489 people was far worse.

“The state didn’t declare that we lost enough homes to receive aid, but 90 percent of our town was affected because the school was hit,” he said. “If this would have been in the Metroplex, one school wouldn’t have as much effect, but being in a rural town, it affects a huge percentage of us. They may call it an EF-1 based on the damage, but we watched it on the security cameras at the football field before everything went out. It was pretty devastating.”

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Brock downs district mate Graham 7-0 in one-game region final to earn state semis bid

STEPHENVILLE — Facing off with a familiar opponent in a one-game playoff for the Region I-4A Division II championship and trip to the state semifinals, Brock coach Koby Page was a bundle of nerves heading into Thursday’s matchup with Graham at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.

If his Eagles shared that nervousness, they didn’t show it, using a three-run third inning to take a lead that ace Evan O’Connor would protect the rest of the way in a 7-0 victory over their District 6-4A rival.

The win, which was punctuated by a second three-run outburst in the top of the seventh, earns Brock another week of baseball against the winner of the Region II-4A Div. II championship series between Carthage and Longview Spring Hill.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Resilient Gordon Longhorns roll to 13-2 win over Perrin-Whitt in series opener

STEPHENVILLE — After spending all week cleaning up from a devastating EF-1 tornado that hit town on Sunday, it would have been easy for the Gordon baseball team to just go on cruise control in the opening game of its best-of-three Region II-1A championship series against Perrin-Whitt on Thursday night.

Instead, the Longhorns showed the same focus, drive and determination that has been on display all week, riding a nine-run first inning to a 13-2 win at Stephenville High School.

It was an effort that got to Longhorn coach Ligon West.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Botos homer, patient offense, pitching staff help Hamlin rally to oust Ira

EULA — When Hamlin senior first baseman Jantz Botos stepped to the plate just before 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, he didn’t know that with one swing of the bat he would trigger another five hours of baseball at Pirate Field.

With two outs in the fifth inning, the left-handed Botos, who had never homered in his career, was trying to hit a ball into the gap with the Pied Pipers trailing Ira 2-1 in Game 2 of their Region I-1A semifinal.

The senior swatted a 1-2 pitch from Brandt Cox for a three-run home run to left, propelling Hamlin to an 8-4 win in Game 2 before the Pipers outlasted Ira 15-11 in eight innings in Game 3.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Rams top West Plains to reach first regional final since 1958

COLORADO CITY — After winning the flip a few days prior to the Region I-4A DI semifinal series with Canyon West Plains, Mineral Wells elected to go with a one-game, winner-take-all format and rely on Texas Tech-bound righthander Holden Hering. 

It paid off with a thrilling 3-1 win for the Rams — but not exactly as it was planned. The normally efficient Hering reached his pitch count of 110 in the top of the sixth and was switched to the outfield.

He did, however, continue his heroic effort with a massive two-run homer to dead center in the bottom of the sixth to supply the winning runs. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie baseball season comes to close with 4-0 loss to Grapevine in Game 2

GRAHAM — The Wylie baseball team saw its season come to an end Friday, falling for the second time in as many days to Grapevine in a Region I-5A Division II semifinal series at the Graham High School baseball field.

After dropping the opener 5-0 on Thursday, the Bulldogs were shut out again Friday, falling 4-0 in Game 2 to close their fifth consecutive campaign in the region semifinals.

The loss moved Wylie’s record for the year to 23-7-1, capping another successful season with a frustrating couple of days of baseball.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ira rallies in seventh to take Game 1 from Hamlin, 5-1

EULA — Leading Ira 1-0 with one out in the top of the seventh, the Hamlin Pied Pipers found themselves in position to grab a leg up on the defending state champs in the opener of their best-of-three Region I-1A semifinals series on Thursday.

But the Bulldogs turned a rare Hamlin error into a five-run rally against Ian Gruben, spoiling a stellar start for the Pied Piper right-hander in a 5-1 win.

The rally made a winner out of Ira ace Jeren Pena, who spun a gem himself, and put coach Toby Goodwin’s squad (24-1) in position to play for a sweep when the series resumes at 1 p.m. Saturday back at the Eula baseball field.

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