Hey, sports fans,
One heck of a great season came to an end in Kansas, with the Roadrunner men’s basketball team reaching Elite Eight status before losing a game in the national tournament.
Our softball and baseball teams are in full-blown conference play now, and we have an upcoming tryout for our Lady Roadrunner basketball team.
Here’s a quick rundown of the week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
Roadrunner Basketball Season Ends in Elite Eight Appearance
Picked nearly last in the pre-season conference coaches’ polls, Angelina College’s Roadrunners certainly pulled off some surprises to go along with all their accomplishments in their 2024-2025 season.
Sadly, the team’s magical run at a national title fell just two games short.
The ‘Runners spent the week as participants in the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas, where the team seeded 12th in the tourney proceeded to pull off a pair of shockers. AC beat South Georgia State on Sunday by an 87-70 final behind 25 points each from Kyle Morgan and Kanaan Holder, then handled No. 5 seed Jones College 74-62, with Christian Jones scoring 22 points and Jordan Mathews adding 20 in the win.
Just like that, the Roadrunners were one of the top eight teams in the nation.
The ‘Runners’ run ended in a 79-70 loss to South Plains College on Thursday, bringing to a close the greatest chapter in AC men’s basketball history, which included some of the following milestones:
–A No. 12 national ranking at the end of the regular season
–A No. 1 national ranking as the nation’s best defensive team
–A spotless 15-0 record inside the friendly confines of Shands Gymnasium
–A 28-7 final record, the best overall winning percentage in more than 30 years
–The program’s first-ever win at a national tournament (this year’s Roadrunners won two)
–First-ever appearance in the Elite Eight
Roadrunner sophomores playing in their final games in AC uniforms included Kanaan Holder, Chris Carpenter, Kyle Morgan and Boris Perucica.
Considering this is just head coach J.J. Montgomery’s third year as the AC head coach, it appears those trips to “Hutch” could become annual events.
Lady Roadrunner Softball Falls to Galveston
Bad weather prevented the Lady Roadrunners from playing more than a couple of games all week, and those games didn’t go AC’s way.
Hosting first-place Galveston College in Wednesday’s doubleheader, the Lady ‘Runners fell to the Whitecaps in a pair of identical 3-0 losses.
AC (14-24, 7-5) will host non-conference foe Louisiana State University—Eunice in a doubleheader set for a 4 p.m. start on Wednesday and will travel to Alvin College on Saturday in a twin bill set for a 1 p.m. start.
AC Baseball Goes 1-for-3 Against Navarro College
The Roadrunners opened the week with big home win against conference rival Navarro College, beating the Bulldogs 9-7 Wednesday at Poland Stadium on the AC campus. The ‘Runners hammered out 14 hits in the win, getting two RBI from Ashton Wagner and an RBI each from Sean Bazmore, Connor Ficarra, Cole Standley, Jacob Tanguma, Billy Theroux and Ryan Beaty.
AC’s luck didn’t hold up on Saturday, with the Roadrunners dropping a pair of one-run heartbreakers to the Bulldogs, losing 5-4 (on a Navarro walk-off) and 7-6 in Corsicana.
The ‘Runners (16-18, 5-10) are scheduled to face Panola College in a three-game series this week beginning Wednesday in Carthage. Wednesday’s single, nine-inning game starts at 3 p.m., and Saturday’s doubleheader against the Ponies is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball Hosting Tryout Camp in April
AC’s Lady Roadrunners just wrapped up a season in which the team qualified for the conference tournament in head coach Randy McKelvey’s first season at the helm, and they’re looking to reload for the future.
The Lady ‘Runners will host a tryout camp for prospective players from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 at Shands Gymnasium. Cost is $40 per player.
Here’s the link for registration and other information:
For more information, contact Randy McKelvey at rmckelvey@angelina.edu.
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:
Wednesday, April 2, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Softball vs. LSU-Eunice, doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
Roadrunner Baseball at Panola College, single, nine-inning game starting at 3 p.m. in Carthage, TX.
Saturday, April 5, 2025:
Lady Roadrunner Softball at Alvin College, doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. in Alvin, TX.
Roadrunner Baseball vs. Panola College, doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. at Poland Stadium 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
