Greetings, sports fans.
Angelina College Athletics this week paid tribute to an outgoing coach, welcomed the incoming guy (a familiar face), and watched its baseball and softball teams battling on their respective diamonds.
Oh, and our men’s soccer team got to spend a day with some very special kids.
Here’s a recap of the week, along with upcoming events.
Coleman Honored, McKelvey Takes up the Mantle as Lady Roadrunner Head Coach
Angelina College on Thursday held a brief ceremony honoring the service of Byron Coleman, who led the Lady Roadrunner basketball program as head coach for the past 19 years.
Following Coleman’s tribute, Athletic Director J.J. Montgomery announced the incoming new head coach – a man who’d occupied the seat next to Coleman for several years as an assistant coach.
Randy McKelvey now takes the helm of the program after helping Coleman lead the Lady Roadrunners to some of the program’s biggest moments in history, including the 2019 appearance in the NJCAA Division I Women’s National Tournament in Lubbock. This past season, the duo led the Lady ‘Runners to their first-ever regular-season conference championship.
For McKelvey’s full story, visit the Angelina College Athletics web site (https://angelina.prestosports.com/general/2023-24/releases/mckelveynamedheadcoachaclr2024)
Roadrunner Baseball Shows ‘Bounce Back’ in Key Series
After dropping a tough 9-5 loss at home to Panola College on Wednesday, the Roadrunners bounced back for a couple of huge road wins Saturday in Carthage.
In the opener, ‘Runner pitcher Gabe LeBlanc went the distance in a 6-2 AC win. LeBlanc scattered five hits while allowing just two earned runs and striking out eight Ponies over his seven innings of work. Sam Hardcastle drove in two runs, and Sean Bazmore, Mason Lampe, Dalton Mullins and Michael Herndon drove in a run each.
In the nightcap, pitchers Ethan Jezierski and Spencer Alexander teamed up to tame the Ponies in a 6-4 Roadrunner win. Jezierski allowed two earned runs over six innings, and Alexander finished off the game with three innings of one-hit baseball. Lampe rocked a solo homer, Hayden Hupe picked up two RBI and Bazemore drove in another run in the win.
The wins proved huge in that they moved AC (15-23, 6-12) to within two games of the fourth-place Ponies for the final playoff spot in the Region XIV North Zone standings. The Roadrunners have nine division games remaining in the season, starting with this week’s three-game series against Tyler Junior College. The teams square off at Poland Field on Wednesday in a single, nine-inning game scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. AC and Tyler then play a doubleheader in Tyler on Saturday starting at noon.
The ‘Runners travel to Wharton on Monday for a non-division game starting at 4 p.m.
Softball Falls to Division Leaders
The Lady Roadrunners on Wednesday hosted Galveston College, which leads Region XIV in homers with a whopping 90 long balls.
The first-place Whitecaps proved those stats aren’t flukes, as they swept the Lady ‘Runners 13-3 and 16-7 at Lady Roadrunner Field.
AC then traveled to Houston on Friday to face second-place San Jacinto College, with the Lady Roadrunners dropping both games by 16-3 and 11-8 scores.
AC (13-33, 3-9) were scheduled to host Alvin College in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. Monday at Lady Roadrunner Field, but those games have been postponed because of inclement weather. A makeup date will be announced later.
The Lady ‘Runners will travel to Alvin on Saturday for a twin bill scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
Soccer Team Lends Hands (and Feet) to Good Cause
The Roadrunner men’s soccer team recently spent a day with some great kids, visiting with TOPSoccer players in Jacksonville for an afternoon of soccer and Easter Egg hunting.
TOPSoccer is a community-based soccer program designed to meet the needs of children with physical and/or mental disabilities.
UPCOMING EVENTS OF NOTE:
Softball National Champions 10-Year Reunion: Yes, 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of Angelina College’s only national title: The Lady Roadrunner Softball team’s 2014 national championship. Current plans include hosting a reunion ceremony tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 20, when the Lady Roadrunner softball team will host Blinn College in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Current plans include starting the ceremony at noon, but there’ll be more information released soon.
This Week’s Schedule (NOTE: Baseball and softball subject to change with pending inclement weather):
Roadrunner Baseball:
Monday, April 8: AC at Wharton College, single 9-inning game starting at 4 p.m. in Wharton.
Wednesday, April 10: AC vs. Tyler Junior College, single 9-inning game starting at 1 p.m. at Poland Field on the AC campus.
Saturday, April 13: AC at Tyler Junior College, doubleheader starting at noon in Tyler.
Lady Roadrunner Softball:
Monday, April 8: AC vs. Alvin College, DH starting at 2 p.m. at Lady Roadrunner Field on the AC campus.
Saturday, April 13: AC at Alvin College, DH starting at 1 p.m. in Alvin.
For up-to-date information on any potential schedule changes, AC fans can visit the Angelina College Athletics website (www.angelinaathletics.com) or follow on social media (@ACAthletics on X/Twitter, or Angelina College Athletics Facebook page.)
Reminder: Nearly all Angelina College games (even road games) are live-streamed on TSBN Sports. Visit the Angelina College Athletics website (www.angelinaathletics.com), look for the scrolling schedule on the right, and click the blue “Video” link for the game you’re wanting to watch. (If there’s no blue link, that means TSBN isn’t streaming that particular game.)
For any other information, contact Gary Stallard at gstallard@angelina.edu.
We’ll see you at the games.
Gary Stallard
Email: gstallard@angelina.edu.
Phone: (936) 465-4614
