With the 2026 Texas high school baseball and softball playoffs ramping up statewide, the Big Country’s top high school athletes shined across the Lone Star State last week.
Several athletes had standout performances during last week’s action and have been nominated for this week’s edition of the Abilene Reporter-News’ City National Bank High School Athlete of the Week.
The Reporter-News is taking weekly nominations and will release a list of finalists for the City National Bank Athlete of the Week at the beginning of each week.
Please include statistics from the week’s games and any pertinent information or honors.
Students in all varsity sports are eligible and can only be named Athlete of the Week one time per season, per sport, and athletes from one school cannot win more than three consecutive weeks.
The poll will close at 5 p.m. Friday and the winner will be announced shortly afterward.
Nominations are due by 7 p.m. Saturday and can be submitted through email at sports@reporternews.com or Andrew.McCulloch@reporternews.com.
Take a look at this week’s candidates and cast your vote.
Candidates for the Abilene Reporter-News’ High School Athlete of the Week are listed in alphabetical order below.
Camden Ables, Hawley boys track and field
Ables took home a gold medal in the 2A boys discus (172-3) at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet on Friday.
Landry Barron, Cross Plains softball
Barron helped Cross Plains smoke Petersburg in their regional finals series, going 5-for-8 at the plate and finishing the series with six RBIs, six runs scored, two walks, two doubles, a home run and a triple.
Kolton Dearth, Stephenville boys track and field
Dearth finished in first place and secured a gold medal in the 4A boys shot put (61-02.50) at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet.
Davis Etheredge, Roscoe Highland girls track and field
Etheredge – one of the Big Country’s top freshman track and field stars – won a gold medal in the 1A girls high jump (5-5) during her first trip to the UIL State Track and Field Meet.
Aaron Fagan, Zephyr boys track and field
Fagan ran away with first place in the 1A boys 3,200-meter run (9:48.81) at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet on Saturday.
Lillian Fought, Cisco girls track and field
Fought earned a pair of gold medals after winning both the 100-meter dash (16.75) and the 400-meter dash (1:05.82) on Friday in the girls wheelchair division at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet.
Kohen Grantom, Coahoma boys track and field
Grantom completed a gold-medal sweep of the boys wheelchair division at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field meet after securing first-place finishes in the 100-meter dash (15.18), the 400-meter dash (53.50) and shot put (27-8).
Jordan Gutierrez, Hico boys track and field
Gutierrez took home a pair of gold medals from the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet on Friday after claiming first-place finishes in both the 2A boys long jump (22-10.50) as well as the 2A boys 100-meter dash (10.57).
Isaiah Hutchings, Hamlin baseball
Hutchings helped the Pied Pipers punch their ticket back to the regional finals after pitching a gem in Game 2 of their regional semifinals series against May, recording 13 strikeouts, six hits, three walks and two earned runs allowed through 6⅔ innings pitched.
Kannon Kensing, Blanket boys track and field
Kensing claimed a pair of gold medals Saturday at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet after he won both the 1A boys 100-meter dash (10.96) and the 1A boys 200-meter dash (21.95).
Kagen Logan, Stamford boys track and field
Logan muscled his way to a gold medal in the 2A boys shot put (53-02.50) on Friday at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet.
Miles McCarty, Abilene Wylie baseball
McCarty was electric both at the plate and on the mound during the Bulldogs’ three-game regional semifinals series versus Burleson, tallying six RBIs, three runs scored, two doubles, a triple, a home run and two walks on 6-for-11 hitting. He also pitched six scoreless innings on the mound with three strikeouts and no hits or walks allowed, earning a win in Game 1 and a save in Game 3 of the series.
Kenzie McLean, Cross Plains softball
McLean helped muscle the Lady Buffs into the state semifinals with a dominant two-game sweep of Petersburg in the regional finals, going 0-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and a walk. She was also phenomenal in the circle, earning a pair of wins after pitching all 10 innings of the series and recording 29 strikeouts, two walks, one hit and zero earned runs allowed.
Kaison Nunez, Strawn boys track and field
Nunez helped lift Strawn to a gold-medal finish in the 1A boys 4×100-meter relay (43.38) and also captured an individual gold medal by winning the 1A boys 400-meter dash (48.04) on Saturday at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet.
AJ Pevey, Cisco softball
Pevey was dialed in at the plate during the Lady Loboes’ regional finals series sweep of Floydada, racking up six RBIs, three runs scored, three doubles and a hit-by-pitch on 4-for-6 hitting.
Stryker Reed, Gordon boys track and field
Reed, who qualified for the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet in five different events, repeated as the 1A boys gold medalist in both the 110-meter hurdles (14.20) and the 300-meter hurdles at the state meet on Saturday.
Brice Roesler, Richland Springs boys track and field
Roesler hurled his way to multiple gold medals at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet on Saturday after solidifying first-place finishes in both the 1A boys discus (165-8)… 1A boys shot put (55-01.50).
Aiden Shank, Gordon baseball
Shank stood out both on the mound and at the plate during the Longhorns’ regional semifinals sweep of Oglesby, tallying five runs scored, three RBIs, two doubles, two stolen bases and a walk on 4-of-7 hitting offensively. He also made appearances on the mound in both games of the series, recording seven strikeouts, three hits and one walk through 3⅔ shutout innings pitched.
Brooklyn Smith, Cross Plains softball
Smith shined during the Lady Buffs’ dominant regional finals series sweep of Petersburg, logging four runs scored, three RBIs and two walks on 4-of-6 hitting.
Sean Stanaland, Jayton boys track and field
Stanaland repeated as the 1A boys state champion in the 800-meter run (1:57.58) at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet on Saturday.
Jamie Vassar, Early girls track and field
Vassar earned a gold medal on Thursday at the 2026 UIL State Track and Field Meet after winning the 3A girls shot put (44-01.75).
Peyton Whisenhunt, Cisco softball
Whisenhunt walloped a double, a triple and a home run during Cisco’s dominant regional finals series sweep of Floydada, adding four runs scored, two RBIs and a hit-by-pitch on 3-for-6 hitting.
Baylor Wright, Coahoma softball
Wright helped the Bulldogettes lock up their fifth consecutive regional title by dominating in the circle during Game 2 of Coahoma’s regional finals series against Wall, tallying three strikeouts, three hits, no walks and one earned run allowed through six innings pitched.
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This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Vote for Big Country Athlete of the Week for May 11-17, presented by City National Bank
Reporting by Andrew McCulloch, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
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