Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the Week ending April 17 could have only been better had he thrown a no-hitter.
Breckenridge freshman Camden Escalon came within one hit of a no-no on Saturday in an 18-0 rout of Wichita Falls City view.
Along the way he fanned 10 hitters against only two walks to improve his personal record to 2-0 on the year.
As a team Breckenridge enters this week at 13-6 and 6-3 in district play.
LUBBOCK — The Cooper softball team bounced back from a rough 23-1 loss to Lubbock Monterey on Tuesday with an 18-6 win at Lubbock High on Friday, improving to 17-8 on the season and 5-3 in District 4-5A play.
The Lady Cougars pounded out 15 hits, including home runs by Angelina Arriaga, Kaleigha Kemp and Summer Simmons, to score in every inning. Up 8-3 after four innings, CHS used five-run outbursts in the fifth and sixth to end the game via the 10-run rule.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 15:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches as of April 15. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 15:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches as of April 15. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Kylor Aguilar’s high school athletic career has been filled with obstacles, but after beginning it with such promise as a state silver medalist as a freshman, the Wylie pole vaulter is on track to finish it in style.
Aguilar, who had his sophomore season derailed by a rare bone disorder and had his junior season shortened by the COVID-19 stoppage, is having his best high school season to date as a senior.
And after vaulting a career best 15 feet, 9 inches at the District 4-5A meet in Lubbock, he’s our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending April 10.
The Cooper baseball team snapped a six-game losing streak Friday, topping Lubbock Monterey 8-4 at Cougar Field to take the season series from the Plainsmen two games to one.
The Cougars, who fell to Monterey 14-8 on Tuesday in Lubbock, used a four-run bottom of the first Friday to erase an early 2-0 deficit and tacked on three runs in the third to take control for good.
The Cooper softball team bounced back from a tough loss to Wylie on Tuesday with a dominating effort Friday, using a six-run third to take early control in an 11-3 home win over Lubbock Cooper.
The Lady Cougars, who lost to their crosstown rivals on a walk-off home run Tuesday, eliminated the drama early in their win over the Lady Pirates, following a one-run second with six in the third and two in the fourth to go up 9-0 before the visitors finally got on the board.
Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through April 8:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches as of April 8. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through April 8:
Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches as of April 8. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions.
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LINK … GAME STORY: Fernandez’s walk-off homer fuels Wylie to big district win over rival Cooper
Stepping up to the plate in the seventh inning of a tie game against crosstown rival Cooper, Wylie third baseman Jadyn Fernandez wasn’t thinking about ending the game in one swing.
With one out in the inning and the winning run on first, the sophomore cleanup hitter was just hoping to do her part to extend a potential game-winning rally.
As it would turn out, Fernandez ended the rally in the best way possible, launching her first career home run over the fence in center to lift WHS to a 6-4 walk-off win over the Lady Cougars on Tuesday at Lady Bulldog Field.
A strained hip may have slowed Aspermont junior Sadie Gentry, but you’d never know it by watching her compete.
A week ago, Gentry took gold in the high jump (4-8) and the 400 meters (63.8) at the District 15-1A meet. She then helped the 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams take district titles as in 52.9 and 4:33, respectively.
Her four district titles were more than sufficient to earn her our Capital Farm Credit Player of the Week/BCP Player of the Week award for the week ending April 3. But when you add the fact that she was nursing a sore hip and following orders to not overdo it, her performance becomes even more significant.
LUBBOCK — The Cooper softball team picked up a big District 4-5A victory Thursday, going on the road to run-rule Lubbock Coronado, which was previously unbeaten in league play.
The Lady Cougars (15-6 overall, 3-1 in district) scored 10 runs in the fifth inning to secure a 14-4 victory over the Lady Mustangs and pull into a tie atop the 4-5A standings with one game remaining in the first round of league play.
LUBBOCK — For the second time in three days, the 12th-ranked Wylie baseball team jumped out quickly on Lubbock Monterey and held on for a comfortable win, riding a six-run first inning to a 13-5 win over the Plainsmen on Thursday at Moegle Field.
The Bulldogs, who also sored six runs in the first inning of a 10-0 home win on Tuesday, swept the three-game season series with Monterey, outscoring the Plainsmen by a combined score of 29-5 in those victories.
Friday’s win, Wylie’s fourth in a row, improved coach Grant Martin’s team to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in District 4-5A play heading into the Easter weekend.
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LINK … GAME STORY: Cooper softball takes care of business in 9-0 win over Lubbock High
Dash Albus pitched four shutout innings and got ample run support from his lineup Tuesday as the 12th-ranked Wylie baseball team improved to 5-1 in District 4-5A play with a 10-0 run-rule victory over Lubbock Monterey.
The Bulldogs gave their starter six runs in the first inning, and he took care of things from there, limiting the Plainsmen to one hit and two walks before giving way to Jaxon Hansen in the fifth.
Wylie outhit Monterey 12-2, using a three-run bottom of the fifth to put the 10-run rule into effect.
Looking to bounce back from Friday’s loss to Lubbock Monterey and tune up for Thursday’s game at Lubbock Coronado, the Cooper softball team got just what the doctor ordered Tuesday in a 9-0 win over Lubbock High at the CHS softball field.
The Lady Cougars jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first inning and got a combined four-hit shutout from Jahlissah Marquez, Kaleigha Kemp and Summer Simmons to improve to 15-6 on the season and 2-1 in District 4-5A play.
Jennika Willis and Kaleigha Kemp both had home runs for Cooper, which finished with 11 hits against Lubbock High pitcher K’lee Flores.
Coming off a one-hit shutout against a ranked Lubbock Coronado squad last week, Wylie junior Brooks Gay was on his game again Friday, limiting Cooper to just three hits and one run over five strong innings to pitch the No. 15 Bulldogs to an 11-1 win over the Cougars at Bulldog Field.
The 6-foot-3 right-hander surrendered a run in the first inning, but was dominant from that point forward. And the Wylie lineup took care of the rest, scoring four runs in the second, three in the third, one in the fourth and three in the fifth to invoke the 10-run rule.
The Bulldogs outhit the Coogs 11-3, smacking five extra base hits, to improve to 14-4 overall and 4-1 in District 4-5A play.
While scoring and rebounding garner much of the attention in basketball, there are other elements, crucial to success, that seldom grab headlines.
Behind the scenes is where character, effort and sacrifice set the foundation for teams to reach their full potential. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who bring these elements to the table.
This team isn’t about who the best players are — though some of the area’s top players are on this list.
The Gym Rat Team is about outworking, outhustling and outgiving everyone around you, both on the floor and off. Hard-working, honest, selfless, tough, coachable kids are what we seek for this roster.
A Gym Rat Team member can be your best player or the last player off the bench. But the one thing all of them bring is an uncompromisingly good attitude.
It is for that reason that our Gym Rat Team is selected entirely by area coaches. And Big Country Preps is truly honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2020-21 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
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LINK … GAME STORY: Lubbock High jumps on Cooper early, holds on for 8-4 win
The Cooper baseball team fell behind early and never recovered Saturday in an 8-4 loss to Lubbock High in a District 4-5A matchup at Cougar Field.
The Westerners scored in each of the first three innings, including four runs in the second, to push out to a 6-0 lead and held off the Cougars from there to earn their first district win of the year and keep Cooper from matching its longest winning streak of the season at two games.
The Coogs, who were coming off a 13-2 run-rule win over Lubbock Monterey on Friday, moved back below .500 with the loss, falling to 8-9 overall and 1-2 in league play.
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LINK … LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Keefer, 10-run second key run-rule win for Cooper
Trailing Wolfforth Frenship 7-2 after 6½ innings, the Abilene High softball team rallied for six runs in their final at-bat to earn an 8-7 walk-off win over the Lady Tigers in front of its home crowd Friday.
After being limited to just four hits through the first six innings, the Lady Eagles pounded out six hits in the seventh, tying the game on Chloe Melchor’s two-run single to center and winning it on a RBI hit by KK Roberson.
Down 7-3 after recording its second out of the seventh inning, AHS’ last five batters reached, alternating singles and walks leading up to Roberson’s game-winning hit.
The Cooper baseball team bounced back well from Tuesday’s district-opening loss to Lubbock Cooper, using a 10-run second inning to run-rule Lubbock Monterey 13-2 in a District 4-5A matchup Friday at Cougar Field.
The Cougars got five strong innings from pitcher Jack Keefer and gave the senior all the run support he would need during that big second inning, sending 14 batters to the plate in the frame to chase Monterey starter Nick Zarate.
SAN ANGELO — Jahlissah Marquez and Kaleigha Kemp combined for a five-inning one-hitter and got ample run support from their lineup Tuesday as the Cooper softball team coasted to a 13-1 nondistrict win over San Angelo Lake View.
Marquez did the heavy lifting in the circle, allowing one unearned run in four innings, surrendering just a single hit while posting a 9-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. With her team up 13-1 after four, Kemp finished things off, striking out two in a perfect fifth.
Those two pitched the entire game with a lead after the Lady Coogs followed a five-run first with one in the second, five in the third and two in the fourth to put the run rule into effect.
LUBBOCK — The Wylie baseball team opened District 4-5A play with a shutout win Tuesday, riding a strong start from Dash Albus and a big offensive night for Landon Bailey to a 6-0 victory over the Lubbock Monterey Plainsmen.
Albus scattered seven hits and two walks over six shutout innings to earn the win, while Bailey went 3 for 4 with a run and two RBIs to head a list of four players to post multi-hit games for the Bulldogs.
With the second-ranked Jim Ned baseball team off to a 12-0-1 start, it only stands to reason that some of the Indians will begin making appearances in this column.
This week, Jim Ned’s Blaine Palmer has snagged our Capital Farm Credit/Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending March 13 with a two-sided performance worthy enough for a doubletake.
To begin with, Palmer delivered five perfect innings in a 20-0 win over Brady that saw him fan 14 hitters. He followed that with four solid innings in a 13-1 win over Eastland in the Jim Ned tournament with four more Ks.
His pitching line for the week: nine innings, one hit, 18 Ks, no walks and no runs allowed.
Oddly enough, his pitching performance was so good, it nearly overshadowed a red-hot week at the plate that saw him finish a combined 7 of 10 with a double, two triples and seven RBIs.
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