Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 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 2026 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 2026 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.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2026 All-Big Country Preps Softball 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 softball selections, please click the links below.
As is our tradition, with the UIL State Track and Field Championships now over, we conclude our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column for the 2025-26 school year. We’ll pick it up again on Monday, Aug. 31.
In the meantime, our final award of the school year belongs to Gordon senior Stryker Reed, and with good reason. At the state track meet, Reed won state titles in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, breaking his own state records in both events at 14.20 and 37.24. He took an additional gold with the 1600 relay team with a 47.8 split and bronze in the pole vault at 14-0. He nearly captured a fifth medal in Austin, taking fourth in the high jump at 6-2.
Oh, and did we mention he plays baseball?
Well, he does — well enough to help the Longhorns to a series sweep of Oglesby last week, going a combined 4 of 5 with a double, triple, two RBIs, three runs scored and two steals. He also pitched in Game 2, allowing one earned run in three innings of work with four strikeouts.
GRAHAM — On paper and on the scoreboard, Jim Ned’s 17-6 loss in Game 2 of its Region I-3A Division I finals series against Iowa Park on Saturday didn’t look much different than the 12-2 one the Lady Indians suffered in the series opener on Friday at Hogan Field.
The two games even bore a fair number of similarities in the way they played out and, eventually, got out of hand.
But it was the one key difference that had coach Erica Jones beaming with pride at the end of Saturday’s game, rather than steaming with frustration, as she was the night before.
After allowing 12 unanswered runs to close out a run-rule loss in Game 1, Jim Ned allowed 17 runs in a row after opening Game 2 with an identical 2-0 lead. But this time, the Lady Indians went down fighting, scoring four runs in their final trip to the plate to end what was arguably the best season in Jim Ned softball history in a way more befitting of the team that achieved it.
GRAHAM — A huge fourth inning, a few key mistakes and multiple controversial calls handed the Jim Ned Lady Indians a 12-2 loss in Game 1 of a Region I-3A DI title series with Iowa Park on Friday at Hogan Field.
Five Lady Hawks — Halli Kennedy, Callista Berrett, Bailey Martinez, Jacie Barnes and Jordyn Noble — all had two hits with a combined six RBIs to lead Iowa Park (31-7-1), which overcame a 2-0 deficit with 12 unanswered runs over the final three innings.
Jim Ned, which missed some crucial scoring opportunities early on due to several controversial calls, finished with six total hits. Gabby Cabrea and Paige Wilson were both 1-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Lady Indians (30-6), who suffered their only mercy rule loss of the season in six innings.
The series resumes with Game 2 today at 4 p.m. at the same venue. Game 3, if needed, will begin 30 minutes after Game 2.
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Nothing quite like starting off a playoff series with a masterpiece from your pitcher.
Wylie sophomore Gehrig Fletcher delivered this artwork last week in a 7-0 win in Game 1 of a bi-district series with Lubbock Coronado.
Not only did the 10th grader throw a seven-inning no-hitter, but he did it with an unusual twist: he only struck out three batters.
No-hitters are rare enough, but throwing one while pitching to contact is something one almost never sees in a game dominated by aluminum bats.
“Gehrig is a kid that puts in the work every day,” coach Grant Martin said. He is the epitome of hard work, determination, and resilience.
“He is the best teammate and exemplifies what a student athlete should be. What a performance in a big time setting. So proud of him!”
ABILENE — The Wall boys track team successfully defended its Region I-3A championship Saturday, piling up 141 points to run away from the field at Abilene Christian University’s Elmer Gray Stadium.
The Hawks swept all three relays, setting new meet records in two of those, while accounting for all eight of the area’s gold medals on the boys side.
Wall also had the top finish among area girls teams at the Region I-3A meet, taking second in that race behind champion Holliday — three points ahead of third-place Jim Ned, which also made a strong showing.
Collectively, athletes from the Big Country Preps coverage area combined for 37 medals, earning 23 automatic berths to the Class 3A state meet May 14 in Austin.
If you’re going to top someone who throws a perfect game in our in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column, you had better do something very special.
This rare occurrence took place last week when Brock sophomore shortstop Kayden Blue helped the Lady Eagles to a three-game bi-district series win over Levelland with a truly memorable performance. In the process, she edged Abilene High ace George Ferguson, who delivered a perfect game win over Cooper.
With Brock sandwiching wins in Games 1 and 3 (5-1 and 5-2) around a 5-4 loss in Game 2, Blue was quite literally unstoppable, going 10-for-10 in the series with five runs scored (accounting for more than a third of BHS’ run tally. Yet it doesn’t stop there. She also posted a pair of walks (one intentional), making her a perfect 12 for 12 in reaching base throughout a difficult series against excellent competition.
“Kayden showed all the characteristics of a great leader in all three games and was phenomenal in the leadoff spot for us”
TUSCOLA — The District 6-3A race saw a fierce battle between No. 4 Wall and No. 5 Jim Ned all season long and it came down to the final night of the regular season between the two heavy hitters on Wednesday night.
After being postponed by 24 hours due to the storms that came through the Big Country on Monday night, the Hawks won a 2-1 thriller in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Indian Field.
It was a much different outcome than Wall’s 10-5 win over the Indians on Friday — a game that gave Jim Ned its first loss of the season as it had entered that game ranked No. 1 in the state.
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: Jim Ned-Wall softball (30 images)”
There are varying degrees of “no-hitter” in both high school baseball and softball. This is especially true when the mercy rule is concerned, with pitchers holding the opposition hitless through five innings (in a 10-run rule game) and in the case of the 15-run rule, through only three frames.
Whether those should be called actual no-hitters, depends on who you speak to.
There was, however, nothing arguable about the potential no-no delivered by Abilene junior pitcher George Ferguson in last week’s 2-0 win over Wichita Falls Memorial. To begin with, Ferguson held Memorial hitless through 8.2 innings before finally giving up an infield single in the ninth. In the process, he walked only one batter and fanned 17.
It was nothing short of a brilliant performance against a Memorial team that had won eight straight games. If ever one deserved credit for a no-hitter without actually throwing one, it’s Ferguson.
“George did a great job on the mound from start to finish and that included a 45-minute weather delay,” coach Brad Harman said.
WALL — It was the polar opposite of a 13-10 Jim Ned win in the District 6-3A opener with Wall way back on March 6. Friday’s rematch at WHS saw the Lady Indians top Wall yet again. But this time, the product was a well-pitched, cleanly played, 3-2 defensive struggle.
Halle Nielson was 4-for-4 with the game-winning RBI and Hadley Sanders was 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead 13th-ranked Jim Ned (25-4, 12-0) which concluded a perfect run through district play with the win. Seventh-ranked Wall dropped to 24-5 overall and 9-3.
Trailing 2-1 heading into the final inning, Jim Ned rallied with two runs in the top of the seventh then held Wall scoreless in the bottom of the frame to seal the win.
“Our philosophy all year has been if you have a chip and a chair, you’re in the game,” said Jim Ned coach Erica Jones, using poker terminology to describe the Lady Indians’ comeback win. “I never doubted. I knew we were going to (come back). … We just had to be a little more disciplined and find some gaps.”
TUSCOLA — While it may be a bit early to start talking about the best Jim Ned softball teams of all time, one thing can be backed up with facts: the Lady Indians have clinched their first district title in nearly two decades and coach Erica Jones believes it’s about time The Tribe received a little recognition.
And, after having endured a 22-minute butt chewing from Jones (I timed it) on Wednesday, I certainly wouldn’t disagree.
Entering today’s matchup with seventh-ranked Wall, the Lady Indians are 24-4 overall (despite a very difficult schedule) and 11-0 in District 3-3A. They are ranked 13th in the state and are coming off an impressive 7-3 win over 15th-ranked Clyde on Tuesday night — a victory that locked up the district title and one I missed to cover an area baseball game.
That didn’t go over too well, which is understandable.
The Lady Indians, regardless of the outcome against Wall today, will have the district’s top seed heading into the playoffs — something we haven’t seen from Jim Ned softball since the George W. Bush Administration. That’s a long time ago. So long ago, that it predates the birth dates of any current Jim Ned player.
In a week that featured at least a half dozen athletes who could have taken our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, we finally settled on a Stephenville senior for our weekly award.
Willis Jackson, one of the premiere speedsters in the Big Country, took four district titles in the District 6-4A meet last week
This included individual gold medals in the 100 meters (10.66), long jump (22-8.5) and Triple jump (43-8.5). He also collected gold with the 800 relay team (1:28.53), along with a silver with the 400 relay (42.45).
“Willis is headed to the area track meet in five events,” coach Kolt Kittley said. “He comes to workouts every day with a big smile and a great attitude.
“He was huge in helping us win the district track meet this year.”
Scoring and rebounding is only part of the story when it comes to basketball. Behind the scenes and beyond the view of the public, is where character is often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who exude the most of it.
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 effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches love above all else and that championship foundations are built upon.
It is for that reason that our Gym Rat team is selected entirely by area coaches, described in their own words. And Big Country Preps is absolutely honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2025-26 season.
Players are listed in no particular order.
Enjoy.
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: Jim Ned-Sweetwater baseball (57 images)”
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.
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.
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.
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: Wall-Jim Ned softball (85 images)”
EULA — For the second straight season, the District 6-3A opener between the Wall and Jim Ned softball programs was impacted by the girls state basketball tournament in San Antonio.
In 2025, Wall delayed the scheduled game by one day because of the Jim Ned girls basketball team playing for a state championship. Following the season, the decision was made to push back district play by one week to avoid having the situation repeat itself — only to see the basketball season get pushed back by one week. Returning the favor from last season, Jim Ned coach Erica Jones was more than willing to push the game to Saturday.
After the massive rainstorm early Saturday morning rendered Jim Ned’s field unplayable, the programs were faced with a dilemma — find another field or postponement.
Ultimately, they moved the game to Pirate Field and played after Eula’s softball tournament concluded, and Jim Ned fended off No. 12 Wall 13-10 in an offensive slugfest under the lights. Runs were scored in every half-inning of the contest except for the top of the third.
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.
BROWNWOOD — The fourth time proved to be the charm for the Comanche Maidens.
After being eliminated from the Class 3A girls’ basketball playoffs by Jim Ned the last three years, the Maidens fought off the Lady Indians 46-44 in Thursday night’s Class 3A Division I area game at the Brownwood Coliseum.
Comanche (22-10) advances to play the Shallowater-Denver City winner in next week’s regional semifinals. Jim Ned, which had to replace its entire starting lineup and coaching staff from last season, finished 19-14.
Senior J’Lee Salinas, who rallied Comanche from a brief 43-42 deficit with three free throws in the final 3:18, scored 18 points. Senior Kaysi Wilcox added 16 points for the Maidens.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 19. With the end of the regular season, this will be the FINAL boys basketball leaders we post this year.
This database has been continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 12. This will be our FINAL girls stat leaders for 2026.
This database has been continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive.
The boys basketball regular season is nearing its end, and district championship and playoff pictures across the area are coming into view.
Most leagues now have clear favorites in both their title and playoff races, but several remain unresolved with just two or three games left to play.
With just a couple of weeks of games remaining, let’s dive in and take a look at this week’s biggest games and last week’s most significant developments.
With weather postponements forcing Tolar to play three games last week, there was positive in an otherwise hectic week: It gave one of THS’ athletes the opportunity to showcase a remarkable run of consistency.
Tolar sophomore Atley Kolb takes our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the Week ending Jan. 31, after posting three straight double-doubles in as many days to help the Lady Rattlers in wins over Millsap (57-25), Eastland (59-25) and Breckenridge (74-19).
Kolb posted 10 points and 13 rebounds against Millsap; 21 points and 11 boards against Eastland and 12 points and 10 boards in the Breckenridge win.
Surprised — and in some cases, stressed out — faces could be seen in abundance Monday morning at Abilene’s Region 14 Education Services Center, where coaches from throughout the area and beyond gathered to learn their new district homes as part of the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment.
In what can best be described as a seismic shift in the Big Country football landscape, a majority of area schools were placed in unfamiliar environs — be that a new district with new foes or even a new region entirely.
The now venerated process by which the UIL releases the packet containing the new district alignments for football, basketball and volleyball is frequently compared by coaches to waking up on Christmas morning to find what presents await under the three. And on this day, in particular, few found the gifts they were expecting.
Last week’s winter storm made for a wild week of action, condensing a week’s worth of games into three day’s time. And the results were as unpredictable as you might expect given the circumstances.
We saw several district championship and playoff races shaken up by upsets and others take shape as the cream continued its rise to the top.
As we do here weekly, it’s time to take survey of the Big Country boys basketball landscape. We hope you enjoy this look at the biggest developments from last week and the biggest games this week’s slate has to offer.
Mother Nature did her best to bring the high school basketball season to a standstill, sending a winter storm that put most Big Country teams on the shelf for a week. But the action around that unexpected break gives us plenty to talk about in this week’s look at the area boys basketball scene.
With a number of excellent (and meaningful) games last week and some big matchups slated for the next few days, the area district races remain as intriguing as ever.
Let’s go ahead now and take a look at the biggest games the area slate has to offer this week and some of the outcomes last week that helped shape the weeks to come.
The winter storm that blew across most of the state over the weekend wreaked havoc on the area basketball schedule, forcing most of last Friday’s games to be pushed up a day and the bulk of this week’s early games to postponed all the way to Thursday.
But icy weather — and the bevy of schedule changes that came with it — have done little to cool the area’s rapidly heating district races.
We still had a number of thrilling and significant results last week and have a bunch of intriguing games to look forward to over the next few days. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the biggest of those in our weekly look at the Big Country girls basketball scene.
Most high school football teams have that one player acknowledged by the coaching staff as the prime example of what a teammate should be.
He’s the guy who seldom misses any practice time and is a regular in the weight room. He’s early to arrive. He’s late to leave and takes pride in being coachable, though he seldom needs direction.
He always sets the right example for younger players. He doesn’t complain and, above all else, he’s tough enough to make all the aforementioned traits consistently possible.
Know someone like that? Here is where they are honored.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2025 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Football Team (Third-Team roster). For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team — an honor reserved for the area’s top freshman and sophomore football players. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Ysée Le Borgne may feel like a fish out of water living in Ballinger, Texas. After all, the 16-year-old foreign exchange student and native of Lille, France is more than 5,000 miles and (needless to say), a major cultural shift away from her hometown.
On the basketball court, however, the 6-foot sophomore guard is right at home — so much so that she earned our Big Country Preps Player of Week for the week ending Jan. 17 with a rare quadruple double.
Le Borgne, who opened the week with a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double in a loss to Colorado City, showed the potential for a “quad” that night with seven steals, six pass deflections and four blocks.
Three days later it happened in a 43-32 win over Coleman that saw Le Borne finish with 23 points, 12 boards, 10 steals and 10 pass deflections.
District races are heating up throughout the Big Country and the cream is quickly rising to the top in our area leagues.
Last week and helped provide some clarity in a number of district’s throughout the BCP coverage area, and this week will, no doubt, do the same.
Without further ado, let’s go ahead and dive into this week’s column and take a look at the biggest games on this week’s slate and some of the top results last week had to offer.