By Trey Lopez
Sports Reporter
Amarillo College and the city of Amarillo have long been home to talented athletes who have impacted the Texas Panhandle. Many of these athletes have either played professionally, pursued coaching, or even worked in the media. Among them is former Amarillo College first baseman number twenty-seven, Javen Patrick.
Patrick began his journey at Amarillo College right after high school, coinciding with the college’s inaugural year of having a baseball team. It was a brand-new journey for both Patrick and the AC athletic program. Amarillo College doesn’t have a baseball field, so they share the same facilities with the Sod Poodles, Amarillo’s minor league baseball team.
“Practice was different,” Patrick explained. “It was our first time having a baseball team, and not having a true home field made it tough because we also had to work around the sod poodles team.”
Despite those challenges, Patrick found some inspiration in his coaches who believed in him, particularly Coach Brandon Raines and Coach Cobb. “Coach Raines had a vision. He and Coach Cobb followed me throughout my junior and senior year in high school,” Patrick said. “Coach Raines wanted to recruit local talent, and he did an amazing job while doing that.”
Patrick recalled that high school teams usually have 14 to 15 people, but stepping into college meant adjusting to a roster of 40. Through it all, he has built strong relationships that still last. “I’ve made lifelong friends with my teammates, most of them are at D1 playing baseball. No matter what, I will always root for them,” he said.
While at Amarillo College, Patrick initially majored in general studies. After transferring to West Texas A&M University (WT), he shifted his focus to physical education with an emphasis in sports science. “At WT, I had an interest in,” he said.
Athletically, Patrick and the Badgers did not make the playoffs in that first season, but the competition in the JUCO level was fierce. “People don’t think JUCO isn’t a big deal, but we played against guys who were in the World Baseball Classic, so they got to play against MLB players, and they had experience. Some of them went to the MLB,” Patrick noted.
Following his education and years of hard work, Patrick is now living his dream, coaching Baseball and Football at Randall High School. “After I graduated from WT, I joined the coaching staff there. Eventually, I got a coaching position from Randall, so I took it,” he said. Coaching has always been his biggest passion. He grew up in a coaching household, his father was a baseball coach and part of the football coaching staff at Tascosa High School. His dad did retire from those positions, but now he is a girls’ head golf coach at Tascosa High School, so he has been a coach for twenty-four years. “I have always wanted to be a coach since I was in the third grade. I was the bat boy growing up for my dad. My dad inspired me to do it, so I did it.”
Patrick has one piece of advice for anyone who wants to be a Badger. “The biggest thing in life is how you overcome mistake.” To keep up with Javen Patrick and his coaching journey, follow him on social media or visit his profile.
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