Hey, sports fans,
We had all six – yes, count ‘em, six – of our teams involved in action this week, from soccer’s spring games to our basketball teams steaming toward the end of their respective regular seasons to our baseball and softball teams trying to swim their way across the diamonds in an effort to get in a few games.
Here’s a quick rundown of the week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
No. 17 Roadrunner Basketball
If Roadrunner sophomore Chris Carpenter was hoping to make his final year at AC a memorable one, he’s certainly done a great job.
Already with a couple of big-time buzzer-beaters under his belt, Carpenter added another memorable shot to his resume on Wednesday.
Carpenter drained a three-pointer with less than one second remaining in the first overtime period to help the No. 17 Roadrunners hold off Tyler Junior College in a 71-70 thriller at Shands Gymnasium.
Carpenter finished with 13 points and five assists. Kanaan Holder led AC in scoring with 17 points, with Daemon Ely adding 11 points and eight rebounds.
On Saturday in Bossier City, La., the Roadrunners handled the Cavaliers in a key 59-48 win behind 12 points from Holder and 11 points each from Carpenter, Jordan Mathews and Christian Jones.
With Saturday’s win, the ‘Runners (21-5, 14-4) climb back into second place in the Region XIV standings. AC will travel to Port Arthur on Monday to face Lamar State College-Port Arthur in a game postponed from Jan. 22. Game time is 7 p.m.
On Wednesday (2/26), AC will host Coastal Bend CC at 7:30 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium. Finally, on Saturday, AC will be at Kilgore College to face the Rangers starting at 4 p.m.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball
The Lady Roadrunners, still missing key players because of injury (including leading scorer India McMahon) dropped tough one at Paris College on Wednesday, falling to the Lady Dragons by a 61-56 final despite a big night from Lanaijha Johnson.
Johnson led AC with 21 points and nine boards, with Alannah Nerocker adding 16 points and Alecia Rivera-Scott chipping in another 10 points.
Saturday at No. 15 Trinity Valley CC, the Lady Roadrunners just didn’t have the firepower to keep pace with the Lady Cardinals in a 91-45 loss in Athens.
The Lady Roadrunners (10-14, 3-8) will host Coastal Bend CC on Wednesday (2/26) in a women’s/men’s home doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m. AC then will play at Tyler JC at 2 p.m. on Saturday (3/1) at Wagstaff Gymnasium in Tyler.
AC Baseball Drops Pair to Alvin, Bounces Back with Sweep at Temple
The Roadrunners on Monday hit a brick wall in the form of a solid Alvin College pitching staff, with Alvin sweeping the doubleheader by 8-5 and 5-1 scores at Poland Stadium.
In the opener, AC got three hits in three at-bats from leadoff hitter Connor Ficarra, who also scored four of his team’s runs in the 8-5 loss. Jacob Tanguma added two hits and a pair of RBI, while Cole Standley, Diesel Gonzalez and Stefano Ramos each drove in a run.
Ficarro drove in AC’s only run in the 5-1 loss in Game 2.
Saturday at Temple College, the ‘Runners posted an impressive bounce-back performance, sweeping the Leopards 10-5 and 7-3 in Temple.
In the opener, Diesel Gonzalez drove in three runs with a sixth-inning, three-run homer, Cooper Molnes collected three hits in three at-bats and the Roadrunners cruised to a 10-5 win over the Leopards. Starting pitcher Sam Nitzke struck out six hitters over his four innings of work, and relievers Colby Turner and Evan Mendoza teamed up to wrap things up without allowing an earned run between them.
In the nightcap, Stefano Ramos went deep with a two-run blast, while Ashton Wagner and Ryan Lewis added two RBI each in a 7-3 AC win.
The ‘Runners (7-7) host Navarro College in a Wednesday (2/26) twin bill set for a 1 p.m. start at Poland Stadium. AC will be in Carthage on Saturday (3/1) for a doubleheader set for a 3 p.m. start.
Lady Roadrunner Softball Swept at Tyler JC
Bad weather all week prevented the Lady Roadrunners from hitting the diamonds anywhere, with games rescheduled for later dates. Not until Saturday were the Lady ‘Runners able to see any action, as the team traveled to Tyler JC for a doubleheader. After dropping the opener 8-7 in heartbreaking fashion, the Lady Roadrunners were shut down 13-0 in five innings in the nightcap.
In Game 1, Megan Luce and Trinnity Blatz each drove in a pair of runs, and Riley Davila, Katherine Page and River Hulsey each picked up an RBI.
The Lady Roadrunners (5-11, 0-2) were scheduled to host Trinity Valley CC on Monday (2/24), but those games have been postponed because of rain. (At the time of this writing, the teams were discussing playing here at AC on Friday, 2/28).
On Wednesday (2/26), AC’s ladies will face the same Lady Cardinals in Athens, with that twin bill set for a 2 p.m. start.
The Lady Roadrunners will end the week with a Sunday (3/1) doubleheader at home against Bossier Parish CC. First pitch for Game 1 is set for 1 p.m.
Soccer Teams Open Spring Season
The Lady Roadrunners’ soccer team kicked off its Spring 2025 season against Louisiana State University-Shreveport this past Saturday at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex.
The Lady Roadrunners’ next spring match will take place at home on Friday, March 21 against McNeese State University. The match kicks off at 6 p.m.
The Roadrunner men will see their first action of the spring on Tuesday (2/25) in Houston as AC faces Houston Christian University at 7 p.m.
The men’s squad will host just one match for the spring season: An April 5 match against the University of Texas-Tyler set for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Region XIV Basketball Tournament Information
The Region XIV Conference Basketball Tournament will take place at Lee College in Baytown, Texas this year, with men’s and women’s teams vying for berths in their respective national tournaments.
The 2025 version of the tourney is scheduled to tip off its opening round on Tuesday, March 11 and will conclude with the championship games on Saturday, March 15.
Final seedings for the tournament won’t be announced until after the regular-season finales on Wednesday, March 5. If the season ended today, the Roadrunner men would enter the tourney as the No. 2 seed in Region XIV; AC’s guys would earn a first-round bye and play their first game on Thursday, March 14.
The Lady ‘Runners would enter the tourney as the No. 6 seed, with their opening game taking place on Wednesday, March 13.
Once the tournament link is updated with correct information, fans will be able to find it here in the next couple of AC Athletics Weekly Updates.
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. 24, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Softball vs. Trinity Valley CC, DH starting at 1 p.m. at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
No. 17 Roadrunner Basketball at Lamar State College-Port Arthur, 7 p.m. in Port Arthur. (Game is a reschedule from 1/22/2025).
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025:
Roadrunner Men’s Soccer Spring Match at Houston Christian University, 7 p.m. in Houston.
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025:
Roadrunner Baseball vs. Navarro College, DH starting at 1 p.m. at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Lady Roadrunner Softball at Trinity Valley CC, DH starting at 1 p.m. in Athens, TX.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Coastal Bend CC, 5:30 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium on the AC campus.
No. 17 Roadrunner Basketball vs. Coastal Bend CC, 7 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
Saturday, March 1, 2025:
Roadrunner Baseball at Panola College, DH starting at 3 p.m. in Carthage, TX.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball at Tyler JC, 2 p.m. in Tyler, TX.
No. 17 Roadrunner Basketball at Kilgore College, 4 p.m. in Kilgore, TX.
Sunday, March 2, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Softball vs. Bossier Parish CC, DH starting at 1 p.m., Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex 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
