The Amarillo College baseball team opens its 2025 season this weekend with a four-game series against No. 5 Johnson County Community College at Hodgetown.
The Badgers split their series with Johnson County last year, but the Cavaliers were able to string together a 53-13 record and a trip to the NJCAA title while Amarillo College finished 29-26. JCCC has a talented team again this year, loaded with a number of big-time Division I prospects, but the Badgers also boast an impressive roster.
Brandon Rains’ team brings back a number of key contributors from the 2024 campaign while adding a few freshman, like Kingwood, Texas, product Jaxson Lindsey, who could make an impact in 2025.
As Amarillo College’s baseball team enters its third season, Rains and his squad have enough talent and depth reach the postseason for the first time since the program debuted in 2023.
More:Amarillo Sod Poodles announce on-field coaching staff ahead of 2025 season
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
More:Meet the 2023 Amarillo Globe-News baseball Super Team
More:DROUGHT ENDED! Randall advances to state baseball tournament for the first time since 2007
Building from the ground up
Amarillo College has had a baseball team for a few years, but under Rains’ tutelage, the group was immediately competitive.
Despite starting a program from scratch, the Badgers have not had a losing season and are already proving to be a solid destination for players looking to continue their careers at the next level. Randall High School product and Amarillo College sophomore Duncan Bowles is committed to pitch at Western Kentucky, and sophomore centerfielder Gerardo Prado is set to continue his career at Oklahoma.
Amarillo College’s 2025 roster contains five players from the Amarillo area, in addition to West Texas A&M commit and Plainview product Isaac Garza. The region’s local talent, combined with Rains’ ability to recruit and develop players from other areas, has helped the team quickly build a strong roster.
The group dealt with injuries in 2024, but this season, Rains says his team has what it takes to finally break through and reach the Western Junior College Athletic Conference championship for the first time in school history.
“Every single year (the expectation is) the same thing, that’s to play for a conference championship,” Rains said. “We’ve got enough talent this year to do it. We’ve had some talent in the past, but we’ve had some injuries that we’ve had to deal with over the past couple years. This year we’re healthy, and kind of chomping at the bit. But, right now, we’ve got a lot of depth and some very competitive players.”
Growing as a team
The Badgers’ 2025 roster is loaded with sophomores who held important roles during the 2024 campaign.
In addition to Garza, Prado and Bowles, Amarillo College also brings back David De Hoyos, Bret Deegan, Noah Turner and Randall product Peyton Bush after All-Conference performances last year.
Bringing back seven standout players is enough to instill confidence in any team. But according to redshirt sophomore Aiden Young, it also gave the team an opportunity to grow closer off the field.
“The things outside of the baseball field, the things outside of the weight room,” Young said. “You see these guys every single day, and then the moment you’re outside, it’s like, ‘Who are we outside of the baseball field?’ … If we were just out here to play baseball, you could throw any dudes out there. But the fact that you can go out there with the dudes that we have, knowing that they have my back, regardless of the outcome, that’s what’s special.”
The infielder credited West Texas A&M for helping the process, saying that multiple members of Amarillo College’s team were able to participate in WT’s FCA chapter. Young went on to say that the team becoming closer off the field will only make the group more cohesive on the diamond.
With the Badgers’ season opener looming, Young said he has certainly noticed an increase in confidence amongst the group over the offseason. Amarillo College will have a tough test in its first series and will get to measure its improvement against one of the best teams in the nation.
Rains also highlighted the improvement his team has made in just a few years, commending the scrappy play of his first team, but acknowledging the difference in talent.
“It’s a different ball game, for sure,” Rains said. “Tip of my cap to those guys, but you’re looking at a different type of roster. A lot deeper, a lot better on the mound, and overall, just a better competitive situation.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
