The third week of March was chalk full of wild upsets, exciting comebacks and all-around dominant performances during the 2026 Texas high school baseball and softball seasons.
The Big Country’s top boys and girls high school baseball and softball teams stood out with dominant performances, where several of the area’s biggest stars put on dazzling displays and showed off their playmaking abilities.
Here’s a closer look at the players that shined brightest throughout the Abilene area and Big Country this week:
Big Country high school baseball, softball top performers (March 16-22)
Players listed below in alphabetical order.
Ava Aguilera, Ballinger softball
Aguilera dominated offensively with a 4-for-6 mark at the plate to go along with four RBIs, three runs scored and two home runs for the Lady Cats in a 20-5 win over Bangs and a 15-1 loss to Winters.
Easton Alexander, Tuscola Jim Ned baseball
Alexander posted a 4-for-9 mark at the plate with three RBIs, four runs scored and a home run in back-to-back wins for the Indians over Graham (9-5) and Sweetwater (16-6).
Paisley Anderson, Hermleigh softball
Anderson tallied three RBIs, a home run, a stolen base and a run scored in Hermleigh’s 16-1 win over Baird.
Gabby Cabrea, Tuscola Jim Ned softball
Cabrea recorded nine runs scored, four RBIs, four stolen bases, four doubles, a home run and two walks on 8-for-9 hitting during a 3-0 week for Jim Ned that included a victory over Sweetwater (14-2) and a pair of wins against San Angelo TLCA (16-1; 15-0).
Syreah Callaway, Hermleigh softball
Callaway clobbered the ball to lead the Lady Cardinals to a 15-1 rout of Baird, where she went 1-for-1 at the plate with five RBIs, three runs scored, two walks, two stolen bases and a home run.
Grayson Carreon, Roby baseball
Carreon went 2-for-3 at the plate, clobbering a pair of triples and adding three runs scored, three stolen bases, one RBI and a walk in back-to-back wins for the Lions’ win over Roscoe (13-0; 11-1).
Kylie Clay, Abilene Wylie softball
Clay was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate for the Lady Bulldogs, racking up five RBIs, three runs scored, two triples, a double and a walk in victories against Abilene Cooper (5-2) and Wichita Falls Legacy (28-3) in District 4-5A action.
Cade Fairchild, Albany baseball
Fairchild helped lead the Lions to wins over Haskell (11-1) and Anson (5-4) last week by collecting three RBIs, three runs scored, a triple, a double, a walk and four stolen bases on 2-for-7 hitting.
George Ferguson, Abilene High baseball
Ferguson, a Texas Longhorns commit, pitched a complete-game shutout with 12 strikeouts, two hits and no walks allowed to power Abilene High to a 7-0 victory over crosstown rival Abilene Cooper. He also went 5-for-9 at the plate with three runs scored, two RBIs, a triple, a double, a stolen base and a hit-by-pitch offensively during a 3-0 week for the Eagles.
Kenleigh George, Merkel softball
George went 6-for-6 at the plate and tacked on four RBIs, three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and a stolen base to help Merkel secure a 23-8 victory against Lamesa.
Sydnee Gomez, Snyder softball
Gomez tallied a stellar 7-for-10 mark at the plate and racked up nine RBIs, seven runs scored, three home runs, two doubles, a walk and a pair of stolen bases to lift the Lady Tigers to wins over Lubbock Estacado (36-1) and San Angelo Lake View (14-0). She also pitched two perfect innings with six consecutive strikeouts against Lake View.
Analia Hinojosa, Big Spring softball
Hinojosa helped Big Spring crush Wolfforth Frenship Memorial 15-5 last week, going 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, two RBIs, a home run and a double.
Lauryne Hobbs, Eastland softball
Hobbs was virtually unstoppable in the Lady Mavs’ runaway 14-3 win against Dublin, amassing a 2-for-2 mark at the plate with three runs scored, two walks, two triples, two steals and one RBI.
Brooklyn Homen, Merkel softball
Homen helped the Lady Badgers clobber Lamesa in a 23-8 blowout win, posting a 4-for-6 mark at the plate with five RBIs, four runs scored, a home run, a double and a stolen base.
Riley Ibarra, Snyder softball
Ibarra clobbered the ball last week in back-to-back wins for Snyder against Lubbock Estacado (36-1) and San Angelo Lake View (14-0), tallying eight RBIs, five runs scored, two triples, a home run, a double, two stolen bases and a walk on 6-for-8 hitting.
Trot Jordan, Stephenville baseball
Jordan clobbered the ball during a 4-2 week of tournament play for the Yellow Jackets, racking up eight runs scored, five RBIs, three home runs, five stolen bases and seven walks on 7-for-14 hitting.
Jaylee Lowe, Hawley softball
Lowe stood out during a strong week for the Lady Cats that included a 14-0 victory over Stamford and a 7-3 loss to Anson, going 2-for-3 at the plate with five RBIs, three walks, two runs scored, a home run, a double and a stolen base.
Cassidy Lucas, Baird softball
Lucas helped the Lady Bears win a shootout in a 14-13 victory over Ranger where she went 4-for-5 with seven RBIs, three runs scored, three home runs and a double.
Ryan Lynch, Stamford baseball
Lynch finished last week with four RBIs, four runs scored and three walks in back-to-back district wins for the Bulldogs over Hawley (15-4) and Abilene TLCA (17-4). He also tossed two scoreless innings on the mound with three strikeouts, no hits and no walks allowed.
Sutton McClain, Clyde softball
McClain led the Lady Bulldogs to three wins last week against Merkel (6-0) and San Angelo Grape Creek twice (22-0; 16-6). Clyde’s catcher was 8-for-8 at the plate with 10 RBIs, five runs scored, six extra-base hits, four doubles, a triple, a home run and three walks.
Myles McCarty, Abilene Wylie baseball
McCarty posted a 5-for-8 mark at the plate and tallied seven RBIs, three runs scored, two doubles and a triple in wins for the Bulldogs against Abilene Cooper (10-2) and Wichita Falls Legacy (12-2) in District 4-5A action last week. He also pitched 1 ⅔ scoreless innings with three strikeouts and one hit allowed.
Mark Moreno, Winters baseball
Moreno helped Winters lock up back-to-back wins over district rival Ballinger (11-1; 14-0), finishing the week with a 3-for-4 mark at the plate along with six runs scored, five stolen bases, four walks and an RBI. He also pitched four scoreless innings, tallying three strikeouts while giving up three hits and a walk.
Jesse Nieto, Hawley baseball
Nieto recorded three RBIs, three runs scored, a home run, a double and a walk on 3-for-7 hitting last week for Hawley in an 8-3 victory over Anson and a 15-4 loss to Stamford. He also earned a win on the mound after pitching a seven-inning complete game against Anson with strikeouts, a walk, six hits and three earned runs allowed.
Taelynn Oden, Colorado City softball
Oden clobbered the ball in back-to-back blowout wins for Colorado City last week against Eldorado (22-0) and Lubbock Cooper Liberty (15-0), tallying nine RBIs, five runs scored, two home runs, a triple and a double on a 5-for-7 mark at the plate.
AJ Pevey, Cisco softball
Pevey shined in a pair of blowout wins last week for the Lady Loboes over Strawn (12-1) and Bangs (16-1). She racked up six runs scored, three RBIs, three triples, two walks and one stolen base on 4-of-5 hitting.
Brook Pike, Coahoma softball
Pike hit for the cycle to help the Bulldogettes’ secure a 19-11 win over Brownfield, where she tallied four runs scored, three RBIs, a home run, a triple and a double on 4-for-5 hitting.
Jackson Poole, Clyde baseball
Poole went 6-for-8 at the plate with six RBIs, four runs scored, four walks, a triple, a double and a pair of stolen bases in three straight wins for the Bulldogs over San Angelo Grape Creek (18-0; 27-1) and Merkel (12-5). He also earned two wins on the mound after pitching nine innings across two games last week with 17 strikeouts, three walks, seven hits and five earned runs allowed.
Avah Reyes, Abilene High softball
Reyes dominated in the circle to earn a pair of wins and help Abilene High earn back-to-back District 4-5A victories against Wichita Falls Memorial (7-2) and Abilene Cooper (10-0), tossing 10 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts, four walks and one hit allowed.
Brynli Reynolds, Clyde softball
Reynolds pitched a seven-inning perfect game – allowing zero hits, walks or runs while collecting 20 strikeouts on an efficient 85 pitches – to lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 6-0 win over district rival Merkel. She also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI in Clyde’s victory over the Lady Badgers.
Ethan Schindler, Stephenville baseball
Schindler pitched a gem to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 3-0 win over Lexington, tossing six shutout innings and tallying 14 strikeouts while giving up three hits and two walks. He also went 4-for-13 at the plate with three RBIs, a run scored and a double during a 4-2 week of tournament action for Stephenville.
Aiden Shank, Gordon baseball
Shank hurled six shutout innings to power the Longhorns to a victory over Lipan, racking up 16 strikeouts while allowing just two hits and five walks. He also went 3-for-7 at the plate with four runs scored, two RBIs, two walks, a double and a stolen base offensively in Gordon’s wins against Huckabay (18-1) and Lipan (7-0) last week.
Lauren Walker, Tuscola Jim Ned softball
Walker went 6-for-9 at the plate with five RBIs, three runs scored, two doubles, a triple and a walk to help the Lady Indians rack up three straight wins against Sweetwater (14-2) and San Angelo TLCA (16-1; 15-0).
Jonah Whitaker, Winters baseball
Whitaker recorded five RBIs, three stolen bases, three runs scored, a double and a walk on 6-for-8 hitting in back-to-back victories for Winters against Ballinger (11-1; 14-0). He also pitched one scoreless inning with one hit and no walks allowed.
Sterling Wilson, Clyde baseball
Wilson posted a 7-for-10 mark at the plate and amassed seven RBIs, four runs scored, a home run and a triple in three consecutive wins for Clyde against San Angelo Grape Creek (18-0; 27-1) and Merkel (12-5).
Cooper Wimberley, Breckenridge baseball
Wimberley went 3-for-8 at the plate and recorded six runs scored, seven stolen bases, an RBI, a triple and three walks to lead the Buckaroos to back-to-back victories against Early (5-4; 16-9).
Ella Wunderlich, Tuscola Jim Ned softball
Wunderlich racked up five RBIs, four runs scored, three doubles, a home run, a triple and a walk on 5-for-8 hitting during a 3-0 week on the diamond for the Lady Indians that featured a win over Sweetwater (14-2) and a pair of victories against San Angelo TLCA (16-1; 15-0).
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Big Country high school baseball, softball top performers (March 16-22)
Reporting by Andrew McCulloch, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
