With the 2026 Texas high school baseball and softball seasons 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.
Landry Adkins, Haskell girls golf/track and field
Adkins claimed a second-place finish at the Region II-2A golf tournament in Ferris after shooting rounds of 72 and 73. She then followed that up by earning gold medals at the area track and field meet with a 5-6 leap in the high jump and a time of 5:55.33 in the 1600-meter run.
Owen Campbell, Goldthwaite boys golf/baseball/track and field
Campbell qualified for the Class 2A UIL State Golf Tournament after shooting rounds of 95 and 81 at the Region IV-2A UIL Regional Golf Meet last week. Then he cleared 12-6 to earn a silver medal in pole vault at the area track meet over the weekend. He also pitched four scoreless innings with five strikeouts, two walks and two hits allowed, and went 3-for-6 at the plate with four runs scored, two walks, an RBI, a double and a stolen base in a baseball doubleheader against Junction.
Brandt Cox, Ira baseball
Cox helped the Bulldogs clobber Westbrook in a pair of lopsided wins last week, notching a 5-for-6 mark at the plate and tallying eight RBIs, four runs scored, two doubles, two walks and three stolen bases. He also tossed three scoreless innings on the mound with six strikeouts, two walks and no hits allowed.
Kolton Dearth, Stephenville boys track and field
Dearth won first place in the shot put at the area track and field meet and broke Stephenville’s 25-year-old school record in the process. His school-record toss of 62-10¾ broke the previous school record by 10 inches.
George Ferguson, Abilene High baseball
Ferguson put on a clinic on the mound to help the Eagles capture a 1-0 road win over Wichita Falls Memorial in District 4-5A action. Abilene High’s ace nearly pitched a complete game no-hitter, racking up 17 strikeouts compared to one hit and one walk allowed in nine scoreless innings pitched.
Colby Garrett, Abilene Wylie baseball
Garrett helped the Bulldogs lock up an 11-1 win over crosstown rival Abilene Cooper by going 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs, three runs scored, a home run and a double.
Sydnee Gomez, Snyder softball
Gomez tossed seven scoreless innings to help the Lady Tigers secure wins over San Angelo Lake View (5-0) and Lubbock Cooper Liberty (9-4). She picked up a pair of wins in the circle after recording 18 strikeouts, two walks and two hits allowed.
Marin Hill, Stephenville softball
Hill went 3-for-3 at the plate with five RBIs, two runs scored, a walk and a pair of home runs to lead the Honeybees to a 14-4 win against Glen Rose.
Trot Jordan, Stephenville baseball
Jordan racked up five RBIs, five runs scored, two home runs, a double and a pair of walks on 3-for-7 hitting to power the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back wins over Graham (14-4; 9-6).
Naveah Martinez, Knox City softball
Martinez slugged a home run and a double on 5-for-6 hitting with six RBIs, five runs scored, a stolen base and a walk in the Lady Greyhounds’ 28-24 victory over Vernon Northside.
Glyn McCleskey, Eastland boys track and field
McClesky stood out at the area track and field meet, qualifying for regionals in the 800-meter run and shattering Eastland’s school record in the 1600-meter run after clocking in at 4:26.69, which beat the previous school record – which has stood since 1988 – by more than 4.5 seconds
Jayden Nunez, Tuscola Jim Ned softball
Nunez recorded three RBIs, a run scored, a home run and a double on 2-for-4 hitting to power the Lady Indians to a 7-3 win against Clyde. She also pitched five innings in the circle for Jim Ned, registering five strikeouts, eight hits, two walks and two earned runs allowed.
AJ Pevey, Cisco softball
Pevey racked up eight RBIs, three runs scored, three doubles, a home run and a sac fly to lead the Lady Loboes to wins over Bangs (16-5) and Coleman (8-5).
Brooke Pike, Coahoma softball
Pike logged eight RBIs, three runs scored, a home run, a triple, a double, a stolen base and a hit-by-pitch to lead the Bulldogettes to back-to-back wins over Denver City (14-4) and Odessa Compass Academy (20-1).
Sam Pinson, Abilene Christian baseball
Pinson tallied three runs scored, two RBIs, two stolen bases and a home run on a perfect 3-for-3 night at the plate in the Panthers’ 11-0 blowout win against Weatherford Christian.
Hadley Sanders, Tuscola Jim Ned softball
Sanders slugged a double and a home run on 2-for-4 hitting, adding two RBIs and a run scored in the Lady Indians’ 7-3 victory over Clyde.
K’Dynce Speck, Big Spring softball
Speck went 3-for-6 at the plate and tallied four RBIs, two runs scored, a home run, a double, two walks and three stolen bases to help Big Spring secure back-to-back wins against Levelland (9-7) and Alpine (11-5).
Jamie Vassar, Early softball/track and field
Vassar won gold in the shot put with a throw of 40-3.5 and also took home a silver medal in the discus with a throw of 126’10” at the area track and field meet. She also shined on the softball diamond, going 4-for-6 at the plate with three RBIs, three runs scored, two doubles, a triple and a walk in Early’s 5-2 win over Tolar and 13-1 victory against Dublin.
Carlos Vega, Stamford baseball
Vega led the Bulldogs to a dominant 13-3 victory over district rival Anson, going 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs, a run scored and a home run. He also picked up a win on the mound for Stamford after tossing five innings with two strikeouts, three hits, two walks and one earned run allowed.
Molli Woods, Merkel girls track and field
Woods shined at the area track and field meet, punching her ticket to the Region I-3A UIL Regional Track Meet at Abilene Christian in all three of her events – the 100-meter hurdles, the 1600-meter relay and the 300-meter hurdles.
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This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Vote for Big Country Athlete of the Week for April 13-19, presented by City National Bank
Reporting by Andrew McCulloch, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
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