Hey, sports fans,
First, you’ll be getting another press release from me tonight. Our men’s basketball team lost in the Region XIV Tournament semifinals on Friday, but there’s a very good chance the team will receive an at-large bid for the upcoming national tournament. A “Selection Show” takes place tonight (Sunday, March 16) at 7 p.m., and the team then will learn if they’re going to keep dancing in March.
In addition, we’ll be sending out our post-season basketball superlatives later this week. We have several Roadrunners and Lady Roadrunners on the lists.
Here’s a quick rundown of the week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
No. 12 Roadrunner Basketball Falls in Semifinals, Awaits At-Large Selection
The Roadrunners opened the Region XIV Conference Tournament in Baytown on Thursday with a convincing 81-44 win over Tyler Junior College, but fell 58-48 to Panola College (the eventual tournament champ) during Friday’s semifinals.
Against Tyler on Thursday, AC saw five Roadrunners post double figures in scoring: Christian Jones (15 points), Kyle Morgan and Daemon Ely (14 points each), Chris Carpenter (12 points) and Jordan Mathews (10 points). Kanaan Holder finished with eight points.
Ely added 14 rebounds to his totals, while Mathews added eight boards.
AC converted nine three pointers on the night, with Jones drilling three of those. Holder, Carpenter and Morgan hit two treys each.
The ‘Runners’ season may not have ended just yet. After finishing the season with a record of 26-6, a No. 12 national ranking and the No. 1 defensive team in the nation, AC’s guys very likely will receive an at-large bid for the upcoming NJCAA National Championship Tournament taking place in Hutchinson, Kansas starting on Saturday, March 22.
The Selection Show takes place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 16. AC Athletics will send out an announcement immediately following the show.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball Ends Season at Conference Tournament
A “What Might Have Been” season came to an end on Wednesday, with the Angelina College Lady Roadrunner basketball team closing out its 2024-2025 campaign with a hard-fought, 73-60 loss to Blinn College at women’s opening round of the Region XIV Conference Tournament in Baytown.
An AC team dealing with season-ending injuries to key players all season long entered Wednesday’s game with just seven players dressed to play – and with three of those players hobbled with various ailments. AC’s ladies played the Lady Bucs to a 13-13 draw after one full quarter and trailed by just five at 31-26 at the half. Even the third period saw the teams scrapping while keeping things close, with Blinn outscoring the Lady Roadrunners 20-18 in the quarter.
Finally, midway through the final stanza, the Lady Buccaneers were able to put together a 12-2 scoring run to take control and finish AC’s season.
AC sophomore India McMahon finished off her brilliant career with a 34-point night. Shanice Ferguson added night points and eight rebounds, and Alecia Rivera-Scott and Lanaijha Johnson added eight points each.
The game marked the final games as Lady Roadrunners for McMahon, Ferguson, Rivera-Scott, Carly Gates, Taegan Moore and Kya Cook.
AC and first-year head coach Randy McKelvey finish the season with a record of 11-17.
Lady Roadrunner Softball Puts Together Hot Streak
Don’t look now, but your Lady Roadrunner softball team has gotten hot at exactly the right time – and they’re tied for first place in the Region XIV South Zone.
Head coach Brette Kohring spent most of February experimenting with her lineups, and now the team has found its footing, this week sweeping a pair of doubleheaders in conference play.
After falling 8-0 and 6-4 to LSU-Eunice in Monday’s non-conference doubleheader, AC’s ladies swept Alvin College on Wednesday, downing the Dolphins 6-2 and 4-2 at Lady Roadrunner Field. In the opener, Izzy Allen drove in four runs (with Riley Davila scoring three of those) and Emily Zunker added another two RBI to back starting pitcher Madison Johnson, who tossed a complete game in the circle. Johnson allowed just one earned run over her seven innings of work.
The nightcap saw Zunker, Elizabeth Craig and Addison Dawes drive in the runs, while pitcher Jessi Sumpter also threw a complete game, striking out six while giving up a single earned run.
On Saturday, the Lady ‘Runners took two from Lamar-State Port Arthur, sweeping the Seahawks 5-4 and 4-3 in a pair of one-run thrillers. In Game 1, Craig and Allen each bopped solo homers, and River Hulsey drove in a pair of runs. Johnson tossed another complete game, fanning five Seahawks.
Game 2 saw AC win in walk-off fashion, with Zunker smashing a hard ground ball misplayed for an error allowing Youna Pean to score the game winner in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Davila (2 RBI), Zunker and Hulsey drove in AC’s runs, and Sumpter went the full seven innings in the circle, striking out three while allowing just one earned run.
The Lady Roadrunners (12-20, 5-1) will be on the road this week, first at Blinn College on Wednesday and at Coastal Bend Community College on Saturday.
Wednesday’s doubleheader in Brenham starts at 2 p.m.; Saturday’s twin bill in Beeville is set for a 12 p.m. start.
AC Baseball Earns Three Wins This Week
The Roadrunner baseball team got the week off to a hot start on Monday, hammering Joliet College 17-7 in seven innings. Mark Henderson homered and drove in three runs, Cooper Molnes also finished with three RBI and Diesel Gonzalez drove in two more. Connor Ficarra, Michael Herndon and Jake Morris also added an RBI each in the win.
AC then pulled off the Wednesday sweep of conference foe Northeast Texas Community College, beating the Eagles 4-3 and 7-1 at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Game 1 saw Molnes drive in the eventual game winner with his RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning to put AC on top by the eventual final 4-3 margin. Dylan Parker drove in two runs for the Roadrunners, while starting pitcher Ethan Jezierski earned the win after allowing just two earned runs over six innings. Relieve Sean Bazmore closed out the game in the seventh.
Cole Standley homered and drove in three runs in AC’s 7-1 win in the nightcap. Ficarra, Molnes, Gonzalez and Ryan Lewis also added RBI. Winning pitcher David Wilson struck out five Eagles in seven innings without allowing an earned run to earn the win, while Austin Gaskins tossed three innings of scoreless relief.
AC on Saturday fell in both ends of a doubleheader against first-place Bossier Parish Community College, losing 12-3 and 13-3 at home.
The Roadrunners (12-15, 4-8) play at Dallas College-Brookhaven in a Tuesday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. AC then hosts TCS Post Grad in a doubleheader set for a 1 p.m. start at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
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:
Tuesday, March 18:
Roadrunner Baseball at Dallas College-Brookhaven, doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. in Farmers Branch, TX.
Wednesday, March 19:
Lady Roadrunner Softball at Blinn College, doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. in Brenham, TX.
Saturday, March 22, 2025:
Roadrunner Baseball vs. TCS Post Grad, doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., Poland Stadium.
Lady Roadrunner Softball at Coastal Bend CC, doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. in Beeville, TX.
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
