Hey, sports fans,
We’re back in action after our holiday break, and our basketball teams picked up some big conference wins to get things heated up around here. We’re also just a couple of short weeks away from our baseball and softball teams’ opening days for their 2025 seasons.
Here’s a quick rundown of the week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
Roadrunner Basketball Tops No. 7 Panola at Home, Beats Tyler on the Road
Wednesday’s showdown at Shands Gymnasium was the definition of the “immovable object” meeting the “unstoppable force.”
The Roadrunners, recently ranked as the No. 1 defensive team in all of NJCAA Division I men’s basketball, hosted the nationally ranked No. 7 Panola College Ponies in a Region XIV showdown.
The game was even better than anticipated.
AC’s Chris Carpenter hit a running left-hander with six seconds to play in regulation to send the game to overtime, and teammate Jordan Mathews dropped in a jumper with 16 seconds to play in the extra frame to lift the Roadrunners to a 67-65 OT win Wednesday at Shands Gymnasium.
Both teams entered the contest with 4-1 records in conference play.
With the clock winding down late in the second half, Carpenter blew past a Pony defender for a left-handed scoop and scored to knot the score at 59-59 with just six seconds to play. The Ponies’ last gasp ended up short, with AC’s Daemon Ely getting his fingertips on the potential game-winning shot to send the game to an extra period.
In OT, the Roadrunners again worked a final possession to near perfection, with Mathews taking a pass on the block and hitting a short jumper for the game’s final score.
Mathews would finish with 18 points to lead all scorers. Ely finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Carpenter and Kanaan Holder chipped in 11 points each.
On Saturday, the ‘Runners broke open a tight game in the first half to pull away in the second in toppling Tyler Junior College 63-44 in Tyler, keeping AC (13-2, 6-1) in a first-place tie in Region XIV standings. Christian Jones led AC in scoring with 14 points, followed by Carpenter with 11. Ely added 10 rebounds, four steals and four blocks.
The Roadrunners will host Blinn College on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) and Kilgore College on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Lady Roadrunners Earn First Conference Win
After Wednesday’s scheduled game against Western Gulf Collegiate was canceled because of inclement weather, AC’s ladies had to jump right into conference play without a warmup game following their break.
No problem.
The Lady Roadrunners opened Region XIV play on the road Saturday in Beeville, beating Coastal Bend Community College by a 71-61 final. India McMahon led AC in scoring with 21 points, with Lanaijha Johnson adding a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double. Carly Gates finished with 10 points.
AC (8-6, 1-0) will host Blinn College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and Tyler Junior College on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Baseball, Softball Schedules Available
January in JUCO sports means Opening Days for baseball and softball, and both the Roadrunners and Lady Roadrunners will play their season openers in just a few weeks.
Roadrunner Baseball will start the season on the road in Galveston on Friday, Jan. 24 in a doubleheader scheduled to start at 1 p.m. AC then will host those same Whitecaps on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Poland Stadium in a twin bill set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Lady Roadrunner Softball will open its 2025 campaign in a home doubleheader against Cisco College scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Lady Roadrunner Field. The first game is set for a 4 p.m. start.
Both teams’ schedules, along with the Lady Roadrunner softball roster, are now available for viewing at angelinaathletics.com.
Roadrunner Soccer Players Sign with Division I Programs
Men’s head soccer coach Martin Melchor continues to build a pipeline of next-level opportunities for his players, with four Roadrunners recently signing with Division I programs.
Casper Madsen (Bowling Green State University), Daniel Smith (Oral Roberts University), Jacob Blach (University of California-Santa Barbara), and Abdallah Traore (University of Memphis) are taking their talents from Angelina College to bigger schools.
Lady Roadrunner Softball Hosting Prospect Camp in January
Angelina College’s Lady Roadrunner softball program is looking for some new Lady Roadrunners.
The program will host a Prospect Camp on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Lady Roadrunner Softball Field on the AC campus.
The camp is for high schoolers scheduled to graduate in 2026 or 2027.
For registration information, use the following link:
For any other inquiries, contact Lady Roadrunner head coach Brette Kohring at bkohring@angelina.edu.
Soccer Teams Hosting ID Camps in March
Both Angelina College soccer teams will be hosting ID camps in March as the programs continue to discover new talent. We’ll send all the pertinent registration and other information in our next update.
Live Streaming Reminder:
All AC Athletics regular-season home games will be live-streamed on TSBN Sports (a free streaming service for fans), with most of the conference road games also available for streaming. (This does not include baseball and softball fall games, as those are not considered official games.)
Once TSBN posts its schedules, AC fans simply need to visit the AC Athletics website, look at the scrolling schedule in the middle of the page and click the blue “Video” link.
TSBN also offers an app that is great for smartphones, devices,and smart TVs. (You’ve GOT to see those matches and games on the big screen.)
Reminder II: Admission to ALL Angelina College Athletics sporting events is free, as is the TSBN live streaming. Any other links offering streaming are scams.
Reminder III: For the most current schedule updates, visit the official Angelina College Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com).
Upcoming schedules:
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Blinn College, 5:30 p.m., Shands Gymnasium.
Roadrunner Basketball vs. Blinn College, 7:30 p.m., Shands Gymnasium.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Tyler Junior College, 2 p.m., Shands Gymnasium.
Roadrunner Basketball vs. Kilgore, 4 p.m., Shands Gymnasium.
For any other information, contact Sports Information Director Gary Stallard at gstallard@angelina.edu.
We’ll see you at the games.
Gary Stallard
Email: gstallard@angelina.edu.
Phone: (936) 465-4614
