Category: Baseball

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Lubbock Estacado rallies for pair of wins to slip past Brownwood in three games

ABILENE — Entering Day 2 of its best-of-three Region I-4A Division I bi-district series against Lubbock Estacado off a hard-fought 2-1 win on Friday, the Brownwood baseball team had a pair of chances to close out the Matadors on Saturday.

But after taking a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning of Game 2 and the sixth inning of Game 3, the Lions ended up on the wrong side of pair of one-run games at Abilene Cooper’s Cougar Field.

Estacado rallied for single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings in Saturday’s opener to grind out a 3-2 win and force a deciding third matchup, before using two-run rallies in the sixth and eighth innings to walk off with a 4-3 win in the clincher. Those outcomes spoiled an outstanding weekend of pitching for Brownwood, which allowed just four earned runs in 21.1 innings in seeing its season end at 13-18.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Anson outlasts Ballinger in thrilling three-game bi-district series

ABILENE — At the end of three thrilling at Abilene Christian School’s Hudson Wade Memorial Field, there wasn’t much separating the Anson Tigers and Ballinger Bearcats in the Region I-2A Division I bi-district series between the two squads.

In fact, none of the three contests had a larger gap than a single run at the completion of seven innings.

But after outlasting Ballinger for a 10-5 victory in a 10-inning marathon game on Friday, it was Anson that prevailed, rallying from a 6-5 Game 2 loss to clinch the series with a wild 9-8 win in Game 3.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie polishes off sweep of Plainview in convincing fashion

With an 8-2 victory on Saturday, the Wylie baseball team picked up its eighth consecutive win over Plainview as WHS completed a two-game sweep in a Region I-5A Division II bi-district series.

The win sends Wylie into the area round of the playoffs, where it will face off against El Paso Del Valle next week.

Wylie coach Grant Martin said after the game that playing in front of a home crowd on Saturday helped the team earn the win.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hawley takes care of business against Bangs, advances to area round with sweep

EULA — A day after getting a strong start from Alek Southerland and pounding out 11 hits in a 9-1 win over Bangs to kick off their playoff run, the Hawley Bearcats put together a similar performance Friday afternoon to close out a sweep of the Dragons and advance to the area round of the Region I-2A Division I playoffs.

With Keagan Ables taking the mound for Game 2 of the best-of-three bi-district series, coach Jamie Seago’s team collected 13 hits Friday, scoring four runs in each of the first two innings on their way to an 11-0 run-rule victory.

With the win, which saw Ables pitch around one hit and six walks in 4.1 shutout innings, the defending state finalist Bearcats (16-6-2) earned a date with either Forsan or Christoval next week. Those two teams will close out their bi-district series on Saturday after splitting the first two games.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hernandez pitches Stamford to 8-1 win over Coleman in series opener

EULA — Stamford answered a one-run top of the first by Coleman with three runs in the bottom of the frame, and Alek Hernandez took care of the rest, settling in to shut out the Bluecats after that in an 8-1 win Thursday in the opener of a best-of-three Region I-2A Division II bi-district series at the Eula baseball field.

Coleman outhit Stamford 5-4, but the Bulldogs took advantage of nine walks and a hit batter to follow its big first inning with another three-run outburst in the fifth, before tacking on two more runs in the sixth. That was more than enough offense for Hernandez, who pitched around five hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts in the complete-game gem.

With the playoff-opening victory in their pocket, the Bulldogs (19-3) will now try to go for the sweep when the series resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday at the same site.

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by Evan Ren

AREA BASEBALL STAT LEADERS (Final stat report for 2025)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through May 1.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

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

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brock’s Mylee Cedillo takes this week’s accolade with two doses of late-game heroics

If one is to play the role of hero, there’s not a better time to do it than in postseason play in your senior year. 

Brock’s Mylee Cedillo lived that experience — not once, but twice in last week’s uber-intense bi-district series with fifth-ranked Levelland that saw the Lady Eagles edge the Loboettes 2-1 and 7-6 in 13 innings. 

It all began Friday night in Game 1, with Levelland pitcher Aubrey Rivas carrying a no-hitter and a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning. Cedillo responded to the pressure with an RBI double to drive home both Lily Springstead (who walked) and courtesy runner Emily Faddis (running for Ali Coleman who reached on an error) to give Brock a 2-1 win. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Cooper outlasts Abilene High for 2-0 win to take season series, top playoff seed

After grinding out a gritty 3-1 win over Abilene High on Tuesday to kick off its final home-and-home series of the District 4-5A season, the Cooper baseball team won another pitcher’s duel over its crosstown rival Friday, edging the Eagles 2-0 at Blackburn Field.

Playing AHS with the season series and their district’s top Division I playoff seed on the line, the Cougars broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning, and the pitching duo of Brady Henderson and Alejandro made those hold up with a combined four-hit shutout.

Henderson pitched the first five innings for Cooper, allowing just two hits and two walks with six strikeouts, before handing the game over the Ibarra, who navigated the final two frames for the save.

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by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through April 24)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 24.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

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

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Pitching, defense key Cooper to 3-1 win over crosstown rival Abilene High

The Cooper baseball team didn’t generate a lot of offense Tuesday night at Cougar Field, but it was enough to hand crosstown rival Abilene High a 3-1 loss thanks to a strong pitching performance by Jeron Flores and Johnathon Rico and some excellent defense played behind them.

The two CHS pitchers combined to limit the Eagles to just two hits, putting out what few fires they encountered to keep the Cougars in the hunt for District 4-5A’s No. 1 playoff seed in the large school division.

The Coogs, who improved to 18-8 overall and 5-6 in district play with Tuesday’s win, will meet up with Abilene High (17-9-1, 6-5) again on Friday at Blackburn Field with the season series between the two teams on the line. The winner will take the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A Division I playoffs while the loser will take the No. 2 seed.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s Jones holds down the top spot yet again

At Big Country Preps, we pride ourselves on sharing the love as much as possible. But Wall senior Briggs Jones has been so spectacular of late, that he’s making that difficult. 

Jones has not only taken our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for a second straight time, but for a third time this year and a fourth time in his athletic career. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Big first inning, strong start by Gay help Wylie to 5-1 win over Cooper

A three-run first inning provided Wylie’s Brady Gay all the run support he would need Thursday in a 5-1 win over crosstown rival Cooper at Cougar Field.

Taking the mound with a healthy early lead, the senior right-hander delivered a gem and took advantage of some excellent defense behind him to help the Bulldogs lock up at least a share of the District 4-5A championship with the victory.

Gay allowed one run over 5.1 strong innings, allowing four hits and striking out six in the win, which improved WHS (17-4-1 overall) to 8-2 in league play with two games remaining. The Bulldogs hold a two-game edge in the loss column on both Abilene High (17-8-1, 6-4) and Wichita Falls Memorial (16-10, 8-4), putting them in position to clinch the outright district title with a single win in their final home-and-home series against last-place Wichita Falls Legacy.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: Big first inning, strong start by Gay help Wylie to 5-1 win over Cooper” →

by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through April 17)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 17.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

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

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Brock shuts out Mineral Wells behind masterpiece from Evan O’Connor

MINERAL WELLS — With a raucous Mineral Wells crowd aiming a wide variety of noise makers (including duck calls) at him, Brock’s Evan O’Connor had an effective countermeasure: pure heat. 

With first place in District 6-4A DI in the balance, O’Connor unleashed one of the most dominant performances the Big Country Preps coverage area has seen this year with a one-hit, 6-0 victory at Pratt Field. 

Consistently hitting the radar gun at 91 mph and pegging it at 92, the junior southpaw fanned 16 Mineral Wells hitters against only two walks and limited the Rams to a second-inning infield hit by Curry Crouch. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Two diving catches help lead Wylie to comeback win over Cooper

Tuesday night’s Southtown Showdown at Bulldog Field saw Cooper jump out to an early lead before the Wylie offense erupted in the fourth inning for a 6-3 win in District 4-5A action.

Diving catches by Wylie’s Tye Briscoe (fourth inning) and Jace Tomlin (sixth inning) provided the two biggest momentum swings in Wylie’s favor to help sophomore Dylan Regala earn his second consecutive win in a crosstown matchup.

Regala scattered seven hits in five-plus innings while allowing three runs. He added three strikeouts and didn’t walk anyone, shutting down the Cooper offense after the Cougars scored two runs in the top of the first inning.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s Jones takes the award with spectacular effort at area meet

The best way to describe the area meet performance of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week (Wall’s Briggs Jones) is to simply let his coach, Craig Slaughter do the talking. 

“He ran a blistering 10.41 to set a school record and win the 100 meters,” Slaughter said. “He broke his long jump record with a jump of 23-11.5. I only let him jump twice because he was running out of room in the pit and I need that dude cranked up this week.

“Then he destroyed his triple jump record with a jump of 48-7.25

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Cooper, Wylie secure shutout wins in district; AHS edges Wall in nondistrict play

Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie all came away with victories Friday on a night of action that saw the Cougars and Bulldogs score district wins over Wichita Falls Legacy and Wichita Falls Memorial, respectively, and the Eagles go out of district to claim a 4-2 home win over Class 3A power Wall.

Both Cooper and Wylie rode pitching gems to shutout wins, as Brady Henderson pitched six dominant innings to fuel the Cougars to a 5-0 triumph over the Leopards and Brady Gay went the whole way for the Bulldogs in a 4-0 victory over the Mavericks.

Abilene High, meanwhile, used a four-run first inning and a strong mound effort of its own by sophomore Gavin Colley to edge the Hawks and complete a perfect day for Abilene’s three largest high schools.

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by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through April 10)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 10.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

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

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Following early drama, Stamford gets win over Hawley in pitcher’s duel

HAWLEY — After a wild first inning that saw Stamford third baseman Brayden Jimenez and Hawley left fielder Aiden Romo ejected for aggressive moves while running the bases, the Bulldogs found a way to claim a 3-1 win in a critical District 8-2A matchup on Tuesday night at Bearcat Field.

While those plays were the story early, it was Stamford’s Alek Hernandez who stole the show on the mound in a dominant complete game.

Mixing a variety of pitches, including an effective slurve, Hernandez scattered six hits and allowed just one run while walking two and getting six strikeouts as the Bulldogs took control of the race for the district championship.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie races out to early lead, earns crucial win over Abilene High

After getting rained out on Friday and Saturday, the Abilene High and Wylie baseball teams finally were able to meet on the diamond for their District 4-5A rubber match on Monday at Bulldog Field.

While the Eagles stayed with their original plan of starting Connel Colley on the mound, the Bulldogs decided to turn to Dylan Regala, a sophomore who hadn’t pitched in exactly one month.

It was Regala who pitched well enough to earn the win as the Bulldogs claimed the season series with a 6-3 decision in a game that saw the two squads combine for 16 walks and five hit batters over nearly three hours of action.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco junior takes the top spot with no-hitter

While no-hitters are fairly common at the high school level, the bulk of them are of the five-inning variety — ending early while locking down a mercy rule win. 

Going the full seven innings without allowing a hit, however, is much less common. And in the case of Cisco junior Case Williams, his seven-inning no-no in a 2-0 win over a good Coleman team last Tuesday secured our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the Week ending April 5.

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by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through April 3)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 3.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

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

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ferguson tosses another gem as Abilene High tops Wylie 6-0

Abilene High scored four early runs and Eagles ace George Ferguson handled the rest Tuesday, pitching 6.2 innings of shutout ball to fuel coach Brad Harman’s squad to a 6-0 win over Wylie at Blackburn Field.

The hard-throwing right-hander allowed just one hit, striking out eight Bulldogs hitters to pitch around what little base traffic he faced throughout the night, before leaving the game one out shy of a complete game due to pitch count rules.

The victory was a big one for AHS, which improved to 15-5-1 overall and 5-1 in District 4-5A play to stay alone atop the league standings. Wylie, meanwhile, fell to 12-4-1 on the year and 3-2 in district action with the loss.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2025 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: Second-Team Roster

Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

  • Girls Superlative Award Winners
  • Girls First Team
  • Girls Second Team
  • Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Boys Superlative Award Winners
  • Boys First Team
  • Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Sunday)
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by Daniel Youngblood

2025 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball team. For the rest of this year’s boys and girls basketball selections, click the links below.

  • Girls Superlative Award Winners
  • Girls First Team
  • Girls Second Team
  • Girls Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Girls Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Boys Superlative Award Winners
  • Boys First Team
  • Boys Third Team (w/ honorable mention)
  • Boys Rising Stars Team (area’s top underclassmen)
  • Gym Rat Team: The toughest, hardest-working teammates in the Big Country! (Sunday)
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by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through March 27)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 27.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

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

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Abilene High routs Legacy 11-0; Cooper falls at home to Memorial

The Abilene High and Cooper baseball teams were on opposite ends of a shutout Tuesday, as the Eagles routed Wichita Falls Legacy 11-0 on the road and the Cougars suffered a 9-0 home loss to Wichita Falls Memorial.

Connel Colley pitched a five-inning one-hitter to lead AHS, which improved to 12-5-1 overall and 4-1 in league play to take a half-game lead over Wylie (12-3-1, 3-1) in the District 4-5A standings.

Cooper, meanwhile, saw Jeron Flores outdueled by Brady Pope in a battle of left-handed standouts to fall to 12-5 on the season and 2-3 in 4-5A action.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: After honoring Turner’s legacy, Clyde gets emotional win over Merkel

CLYDE — “Aiden might have only had one best friend, but there were 30 people that called him their best friend.”

On a night when Clyde honored junior Aiden Turner after he passed away early Saturday morning from injuries sustained in a car wreck, Turner’s mother Amber Courson had those words to say about her son.

Turner, a JV player for the Bulldogs, was a passenger in the wreck that occurred as Clyde’s 14-2 road win over Merkel was getting started on Friday night. The two District 6-3A foes made sure that Tuesday’s rematch honored Turner before the Bulldogs took a 6-0 win at the Hanner Sports Complex.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde hurler takes this week’s award

Clyde softball has been overdue for landing a Big Country Preps Player of the Week award and senior pitcher Kaycee Bingham has just ended the drought. 

The Lady Bulldogs have been posting big numbers on a weekly basis, falling just short of the top spot. But Bingham has landed the spotlight with a 26-0 mercy rule perfect game win over San Angelo Grape Creek last week. She followed that with a three-hit 11-0 shutout of Merkel. 

Continue reading “BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde hurler takes this week’s award” →

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ferguson outduels Henderson in battle of aces, AHS grinds out 4-1 win over Cooper

With Abilene High’s George Ferguson and Cooper’s Brady Henderson both coming off no-hitters in their most recent trips to the mound, Tuesday’s Crosstown Showdown was expected to be a low-scoring pitcher’s duel with a limited margin for error.

As it turned out, Friday’s matchup between the Eagles and Cougars for a share of the District 4-5A lead was exactly that.

Ferguson outdueled Henderson in a 4-1 Eagles win at Blackburn Field that saw AHS score two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to break open a game that was shaping up to be a classic to that point. The victory narrowed a three-way tie atop the 4-5A standings to two teams, as Abilene High kept pace with Wylie following the Bulldogs’ 13-3 home win over Wichita Falls Legacy in Friday’s other league game.

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by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through March 20)

20Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 20.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

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

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Cooper outlasts Wylie in 3-2 thriller; Abilene High downs WF Memorial 4-2

Tuesday was a banner night for Abilene ISD baseball squads, as both Abilene High and Cooper picked up big District 4-5A wins to move into an early tie with crosstown rival Wylie for the league lead.

The Eagles rode a gritty start from Connel Colley and some timely offense to a 4-2 road win over Wichita Falls Memorial, while the Cougars rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth against Wylie to make a 3-2 winner out of left-hander Jeron Flores at home.

The night’s results created a three-team logjam atop the 4-5A standings, where AHS (10-4-1), Cooper (12-3) and Wylie (11-3-1) are all 2-1, while Memorial (9-6 overall) sits just a half-game behind at 2-2.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Wall takes down Sweetwater, 20-5

SWEETWATER — After Wall produced 20 runs on 15 hits and three homers (including two grand slams) in Tuesday’s 20-5 win over Sweetwater, the Hawks’ No. 2 ranking in Class 3A was difficult to argue with. 

At least, no challenges to that effect were audible as Sportsman’s Park emptied, with the Hawks (12-4, 4-0) leaving in a first-place tie with Clyde in District 6. 

Hagyn Barbee was 3-for-4 with a grand slam and Caleb Braden was 2-for-3 with another grand slam to lead Wall, which built an 11-1 lead after only two innings and was able to give several reserve players a shot at some playing time. 

Sweetwater dropped to 6-9 and 0-4, led by Jade Rodriguez, who was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. 

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