Category: Baseball

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Fourth-ranked Jim Ned keeps perfect season rolling with 13-4 win over Sweetwater

SWEETWATER — While baseball superstition says that you don’t talk about perfect games or no-hitters in progress, it also says that you should celebrate lengthy winning streaks.

There’s plenty of reason to celebrate around the No. 4-ranked Jim Ned baseball team, which knocked off Sweetwater 13-4 on Tuesday evening at Sportsman Park to run its season-opening winning streak to 18 games while improving to 4-0 in District 6-3A play.

The Indians won nine of their first 17 games by at least 10 runs with only three games decided by three runs or less.

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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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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Gruben, Hutchings dominate on the mound as Hamlin sweeps doubleheader from Aspermont

HAMLIN — Saturday’s District 8-1A doubleheader between Hamlin and Aspermont featured something that Hamlin coach Lynn Turner hadn’t experienced in his career as a head coach, which is saying something after he notched his 400th career win the previous week.

Ian Gruben took a perfect game into the fifth inning of the Pied Pipers’ 10-0 win in the opening game at Rock Field before Isaiah Hutchings threw a no-hitter in the second game as Hamlin rolled to a 15-0 win.

The pair combined for 23 strikeouts while facing 29 batters in the two games, with Hutchings even notching a rare four-strikeout inning.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ferguson dominant again as Abilene High shuts out rival Cooper 7-0

George Ferguson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before “settling” for a two-hit shutout Friday to lead the Abilene High baseball team team to a 7-0 win over crosstown rival Cooper in a District 4-5A matchup at Cougar Field.

The standout right-hander tallied 12 strikeouts without issuing a walk, pitching around leadoff singles in the sixth and seventh innings to help the Eagles (13-5-1) wrap up the first of three trips through the league play at 4-0.

Behind its hard-throwing starter, AHS took control of the game early, following a one-run second inning with a two-run third to put the Cougars in a hole they had little hope of climbing out of against one of the top junior pitchers in the nation.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hernandez shines on the mound as Stamford routs Hawley

HAWLEY — Stamford pitcher Alek Hernandez and first baseman Carlos Vega constantly work on the hidden ball trick during practice, but they hadn’t tried it in a game.

Stamford baseball coach Steven Gould has preached to the duo the things that they had to do in order for it to be successful — including in Wednesday’s practice when Hernandez stepped on the mound without the ball.

Friday night, the pair ended a 15-4 win over Hawley in a District 8-2A game by perfectly executing the play for the final out as they caught Jesse Nieto after he had reached on a fielder’s choice.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie uses late offensive outburst to pull away from Cooper, tying Coogs for second in district

Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning at Bulldog Field on Tuesday night, the Cooper and Wylie baseball teams were locked in a 2-2 game that had seen a combined one hit to that point — a first-inning RBI double by Wylie’s Myles McCarty.

That’s when the Wylie offense came to life and propelled the Bulldogs to a 10-2 win as McCarty finished a home run shy of the cycle and drove in five runs while Hudson Tuley added three RBIs.

The win moved the Bulldogs into a tie with Cooper at 2-1 in District 4-5A play, a game behind Abilene High after the Eagles beat Wichita Falls Memorial 5-1 in Tuesday’s other league matchup.

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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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