Hey, sports fans,
As anticipated, our Lady Roadrunner soccer team made its entrance into the NJCAA’s Division I national rankings after opening the season on a strong note. Our Roadrunner men this week earned a couple of wins before dropping a match to a nationally ranked opponent, and the ‘Runner baseball team is swinging away as the “Fall Ball” season progresses.
We held Media Day for the Lady Roadrunner softball team, where the ladies definitely showed off their personalities as they prepare for their own fall season starting in two weeks.
In addition, our women’s and men’s basketball teams provided assistance at the Lufkin Panther football game on Friday night as part of the program’s community service approach.
Don’t forget, we’re getting closer to our annual “Dinner at the Diamond” event taking place on Saturday, Sept. 27. If you haven’t reserved your spot, you may need to insert yourself into the lineup pretty quickly. The tables tend to fill up in a hurry.
We are AC, and we’re ready to Run ‘Em.
Here’s a quick rundown of the past week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
No. 18 Lady Roadrunners Enter National Rankings, Upset No. 7 Tyler JC
It was just a matter of time before the Lady Roadrunner soccer team made its way into the national rankings, and last Monday finally saw the team receive its well-earned recognition.
In Monday’s NJCAA Division I national polls, AC’s ladies made their season debut in the Top 20, coming in at No. 18. The Lady ‘Runners suffered a tough 1-0 loss on the road on Monday at No. 15 Trinity Valley Community College, but AC bounced back with a pair of big wins in conference play.
The Lady Roadrunners toppled Jacksonville College Thursday in Jacksonville, pulling away with a 6-0 win over the Lady Jaguars. Anne Vandaële – who leads the team with seven goals on the season – scored twice, as did Beatriz Galvão. Michelle Naderman and Paula Suarez also scored, with Vandaële also adding two assists.
On Saturday, the Lady ‘Runners notched another milestone: The program’s first-ever victory at perennial powerhouse Tyler Junior College. Galvão knocked home a cross from teammate Olivia Sanchez in the 43rd minute for the match’s only goal, and AC goalkeeper Sara Andino swatted away an incredible 14 shots on goal as the Lady Roadrunners knocked off the No. 7 Lady Apaches.
The Lady ‘Runners (4-1-1) will host No. 17 Blinn College at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19 at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
Roadrunner Soccer Takes Two of Three in Busy Week
The Roadrunners also put together a busy week, with three road matches on their schedule. AC opened the week with a 2-1 win over Miami Dade College Tuesday at Dallas Baptist University. Kaisei Nagayoshi (22nd minute) and Kanta Maruyama (25th minute) accounted for both Roadrunner goals, with Shuto Ishikawa providing the assists on both scores. Keeper Hugo Herrera finished the match with nine saves.
Thursday in Jacksonville, the ‘Runners handled the Jaguars in a 5-0 AC win. Five different Roadrunners etched their names in the scoresheets: Ilian Ebersbach (’27), Jhosua Jory (’29), Eric Ortiz (’41), Victor Martinez (50’) and Diego Ramirez (’57). Christian Castaneda picked up assists on four of those goals, with Martinez assisting on another. Davy Smith and Iori Tanaka teamed up in goal for a clean sheet in shutting out the Jaguars.
Finally, the ‘Runners ended the week with a 4-0 loss at No. 6 Tyler Junior College.
AC (3-1-1) will host No. 20 Blinn College at 7:30 on Tuesday at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
Roadrunner Baseball Splits Doubleheader in Carthage
After Wednesday’s intrasquad exhibition (when Angelina College beat Angelina College by a 10-3 final, with Luke Hamm homering in the game), the Roadrunners traveled to Panola College in Carthage for a couple of fall games against someone not wearing orange and blue.
In Sunday’s doubleheader, AC topped Bossier Parish Community College by an 8-5 score, getting a homer and two RBI from Connor Ficarra and another pair of runs driven in from Marco Bandiero. Trent Pemberton, Jorge Arcia-Palma and Austin Cadroy.
AC dropped the nightcap to Tyler Junior College by a 13-8 final despite a homer from Jon “Diesel” Gonzalez. Jackson Pullen drove in a pair of runs, and Ficarra, Hamm, Will McKinzie, and Billy Theroux.
This Friday and Saturday (Sept. 19-20), Roadrunners Ficarra, Cole Standley, Stefano Ramos and David Wilson will participate in the annual Texas-New Mexico JUCO All-Star Classic at Dallas Baptist University in Dallas.
AC’s next fall games take place on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the Melissa ZPlex in Melissa, Texas. The Roadrunners take on North Central Texas College at 1:30 p.m. and Grayson College at 4:30 p.m.
Those games will not be live streamed, but fans can follow the team (“Angelina College Fall 2025”) on the Game Changer app.
Baseball Add Camps for the Fall
AC’s baseball team will host some fall camps for both instructional and evaluation purposes.
On Sunday, Sept. 28, Roadrunner Baseball will host a “Prospect Camp” to evaluate future Roadrunners. The cam starts at 2 p.m. at Poland Stadium on the AC campus and is open to all high school players and college transfers.
Here’s the link for registration and other info:
AC’s baseball team then will offer a “Kids Camp” on Monday, Oct. 13 at Poland Stadium on the AC campus. Ages 6-10 will hit the field from 9-11 a.m. (with 8:45 check-in), while ages 11-14 will be on the diamond from 12-2 p.m. (with an 11:45 check-in).
Click the link for registration and other info:
For further questions, contact Roadrunner head baseball coach Jon Phillips at jphillips@angelina.edu or assistant coach Cody Crowder at ccrowder@angelina.edu.
Coming Soon: Dinner at the Diamond
AC’s Sixth annual “Dinner at the Diamond” event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27 down on the baseball field at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Dinner at the Diamond is a major fund-raiser for Angelina College and its students – not to mention just a lot of fun for everyone involved.
We’ll have a registration link and other information for the event to send out in the coming weeks. We just wanted to give you enough time to mark those calendars.
All AC Teams Have Schedules Up and Running Online
Lady Roadrunner and Roadrunner fans can now find their favorite teams’ schedules on the Angelina College Athletics website (www.angelinaathletics.com). For now, only the fall schedules for baseball and softball are in place (with the potential to add more events later), but all other teams, including both women’s and men’s basketball, are ready for viewing and planning.
We’ll update any changes as we receive them.
We can’t wait to see you at the games.
Live Streaming Reminder:
All AC Athletics regular-season home games are 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/Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Upcoming schedules:
Tuesday, Sept. 16:
Roadrunner Soccer vs. No. 20 Blinn College, 7:30 p.m. at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
Friday, Sept. 19:
No. 18 Lady Roadrunner Soccer vs. No. 17 Blinn College, 7 p.m. at the 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
