Hey, sports fans,
Another action-packed week of Roadrunners and Lady Roadrunners games, with a big assist from some beautiful weather to add to the baseball/softball atmosphere on the AC campus. We witnessed some incredible performers (the Recreational Cheer Team from Lufkin Parks and Recreation) for Saturday’s half-time show, greeted some old friends (former Roadrunner Jason Wilkins and his Evadale student-athletes) – and watched the No. 19 Roadrunner men’s basketball squad pull off a major upset of the nation’s No. 2 team.
Yup, just another busy week of Angelina College Athletics.
Here’s a quick rundown of the week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
No. 19 Roadrunners Stun No. 2 Trinity Valley CC
The week started out on a rough note for the 19th-ranked Roadrunners, who suffered an absolute heartbreaker of a loss in Baytown on Wednesday, with the Lee College Navigators beating the ‘Runners 75-68 in overtime.
Fans couldn’t help but wonder how the AC guys would respond on Saturday against the nation’s second-best team.
A crowded house inside Shands Gymnasium saw their Roadrunners build a big second-half lead over No. 2 Trinity Valley Community College, weather a late storm and leave the floor with a 57-52 win to shock the Cardinals, who dropped just their second loss of the entire season.
Chris Carpenter led AC with 20 points, followed by Christian Jones with 16 points – including four three-pointers in the game. Jones and Daemon Ely pulled down 10 rebounds each, and the Roadrunner defense – ranked No. 1 nationally for most of the season – held the Cards to 29 percent shooting (16-of-55) from the field.
The No. 19 Roadrunners (18-4, 11-3) will be on the road this week, starting with Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. game against Blinn College in Brenham and wrapping up with Saturday’s 4 p.m. contest against Navarro College in Corsicana.
AC Baseball Falls in Alvin, Splits with Temple College at Home
The Roadrunner baseball team dropped both ends of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Alvin College, with the Dolphins taking the 7-5, 5-2 sweep in Alvin. Ryan Beaty homered in the Game 2 loss.
On Saturday, the Roadrunners split a twin bill with Temple College, taking the opener by an 8-7 score behind a pair of homers from Cole Standley, who finished the game with six RBI. AC pitcher Colby Turner came on late in relief, striking out three Leopards to hold Temple scoreless over the game’s final 1.2 innings.
Temple rebounded for a 5-2 win in the nightcap, with AC’s Connor Ficarra earning his team’s only RBI.
The ‘Runners (4-5) are scheduled to host Dallas College-Brookhaven on Wednesday in a doubleheader scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at AC’s Poland Stadium. AC then hosts Spartan Post Grad in a double-dipper set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Lady Roadrunner Softball Loses to Tyler, Beats Kilgore in Angelina Invite
The Lady Roadrunner softball team finally got to host its home opener, only to run into a buzz saw of a Tyler Junior College pitching staff.
The Lady Apaches, whose staff has allowed just eight runs in 46 innings (including four shutouts) swept AC by 9-0 and 2-0 scores on Wednesday.
AC’s ladies then hosted the Angelina Invite on Friday and Saturday, with the Lady ‘Runners blanking Kilgore 6-0 on Friday before falling to No. 16 Paris Junior College 5-4 in the nightcap.
In the win over Kilgore, AC pitcher Jessi Sumpter hurled the complete-game shutout, striking out seven Rangers while scattering just four hits. Elizabeth Craig and Katherine Page each drove in two runs at the plate, and Sumpter and Emily Zunker added an RBI each.
On Saturday, AC fell again to the 16th-ranked Lady Dragons from Paris, again by a single run in a 3-2 loss. The Lady ‘Runners wrapped up the Invite with an 8-5 loss to Kilgore despite three RBI from River Hulsey.
The Lady Roadrunners (3-7) are scheduled to host Grayson College on Monday in a doubleheader scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch. On Wednesday (weather permitting), AC is set to host Trinity Valley CC in a two-game set starting at 1 p.m. Saturday’s schedule has the Lady ‘Runners playing two at Kilgore starting at 2 p.m.; and Sunday will feature AC hosting Hill College for a pair of games starting at 1 p.m.
Soccer Teams Hosting ID Camps in March
Both Angelina College soccer teams will be hosting ID camps in March as the programs continue to identify new talent.
The Roadrunner men will host their ID Camp from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 1 at the AC Soccer Complex on the AC campus. The camp is for prospective players in 9th through 12th grades. Cost for the camp is $60 if players register by Feb. 21. After Feb. 21, the cost will be $75.
The Lady Roadrunners’ ID camp takes place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 at the AC Soccer Complex on the AC campus. The camp is for prospective players in 9th through 12th grades. Cost for the camp is $30 if players register by Feb. 21. After Feb. 21, the cost will be $50.
Here’s the link for registration and other information for both Soccer ID camps:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/mens-soccer-camp-collection-3998183
AC’s Camp Roadrunner Sessions Set for Summer 2025
Over the past few years, Camp Roadrunner has become a “gotta do” event for youngsters throughout East Texas, with the recreational and youth sports camps drawing bigger crowds every summer.
To view the available sports camps and locate the links for registration, visit https://www.angelina.edu/camproadrunner/ and look for each specific sport.
Following are the dates for each Youth Sports Camp:
Baseball: June 2-5
Soccer: June 9-12; July 7-10
Basketball: June 9-12
Softball: June 9-12
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 web site, look at the scrolling schedule in the middle of the page and click the blue “Video” link.
TSBN also offers an app great for smart phones, 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 (especially for potential weather issues) visit the official Angelina College Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com). Fans can also receive updates on the AC Athletics Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram pages.
Upcoming schedules:
Monday, Feb. 10, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Softball vs. Grayson College, DH starting at 1 p.m. at Lady Roadrunner Field on the AC campus.
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Softball vs. Trinity Valley CC, DH starting at 1 p.m. at Lady Roadrunner Field on the AC campus.
Roadrunner Baseball vs. Brookhaven College, DH starting at 1 p.m. at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball at Blinn College, 5:30 p.m. in Brenham, TX.
No. 19 Roadrunner Basketball at Blinn College, 7:30 p.m. in Brenham, TX.
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025:
Roadrunner Baseball vs. Spartan Post Grad, DH starting at 1 p.m. at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Lady Roadrunner Softball at Kilgore College, DH starting at 1 p.m. in Kilgore, TX.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Kilgore College, 2 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium on the AC campus.
No. 19 Roadrunner Basketball at Navarro College, 4 p.m. in Corsicana, TX.
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Softball vs. Hill College, DH starting at 1 p.m. at Lady Roadrunner Field on the AC campus.
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
