By Trey Lopez and Foster Conner
Sports Reporters
Amarillo College Badgers baseball hosted El Paso Tejanos on Saturday, March 22. The teams played a doubleheader at West Texas A&M University’s Wilder Park. The Badgers struggled in both games, falling 6-3 in the first matchup and 16-4 in the second.
In the opener, despite an excellent performance from Payton Bush, who recorded two hits, and Dylan Steele, who scored two runs, the Badgers couldn’t overcome El Paso’s pitching. During the game, Gerardo Prado, an AC Badgers pitcher, made history by setting the single-season stolen bases record.
“He’s an extraordinary athlete and baseball player, whether that’s in the field, on the base paths or at the plate,” AC Badgers head coach Brandon Rains said. “He’s had a great all-around season this spring, and his numbers on the stat sheet show that.”
Along with Prado, fellow pitcher Logan Tibbett recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts in Game 1. “Tibbett was outstanding, and to have 12 strikeouts against a top-10 offense like El Paso speaks to his ability as a pitcher and his work ethic,” Rains said. “He consistently puts in the time and effort to improve his craft.”
Brandon Dickinson contributed two RBIs, but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory in the first game of
the doubleheader.
In the second game, the Badgers were overwhelmed by El Paso’s offense, leading to a 16-4 defeat in five innings. Zyon Hamilton recorded a hit and a run, while Brooks Carter added two RBIs, but the team couldn’t mount a significant challenge. The Tejanos took the momentum into game two and gave AC its fifth run-rule loss of the 2025 campaign, defeating the Badgers 16-4.
The losses bring Amarillo College’s overall record to 15-17, with an 8-4 standing in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC).
During the weekend of March 28-29, the AC Badgers faced Howard College, another top-five WJCAC
team. The Badgers won the first game 3-1 but lost the second 12-3. On March 29, the Badgers once again faced Howard College. They lost the first game of the day 9-5 but rebounded with an 11-7 victory in the second game.
Before heading into the weekend games, Howard College had a conference record of 10-2, placing them in a three-way tie for second along with Midland and Odessa College. AC’s 8-4 conference record has them in fifth place through 12 WJCAC contests.
Looking ahead, the Badgers will face Midland College in a four-game series on April 4-5. These matchups will be crucial as the Badgers aim to improve their conference standings.
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