This is the third annual baseball/softball edition of Varsity Preview, and all three issues have one thing in common: We are talking about Stamford playing in the Class 2A state softball tournament. The Lady Bulldogs won a state title in 2021 and lost a one-run heartbreaker in the semifinals in 2022 behind pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez, who is now starting for the Texas Lady ... Read More
Big Country
2023 Basketball First Look
Trying to figure out who will be the Big Country’s best basketball teams by the time the playoffs roll around in February and March is a little like predicting the weather in West Texas: You think you have a pretty good idea but there are always going to be some surprises. While fans don’t really start paying close attention to the basketball races until ... Read More
2023 Football & Volleyball First Look
The 2022 football season went down as one of the greatest in Big Country history. Now, it will be fascinating to see what 2023 will bring. Albany and Hawley won Class 2A Division II and Division I state championships, respectively, last season. And that was just part of the story. Albany’s Denney Faith is the longest-tenured coach in Texas high school football. His 344 ... Read More
Baseball & Softball First Look
Will there be a changing of the guard this spring? The Stamford softball team has been the most dominant team in the Big Country over the last two years, winning a Class 2A state championship in 2021 and losing in a one-run heart-breaker in the semifinals of the state tournament last year. Gone, however, is Stamford’s ace pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez, who is now pitching for ... Read More
Baseball & Softball First Look
Many years, the Big Country produces only a few, if any, Division I baseball or softball players. Not this year, however. Five Big Country athletes have already signed letters-of-intent with Division I programs. With Stamford pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez having signed to play softball at the University of Texas next year, and pitchers Tate Yardley (Texas Tech) and Blain Palmer ... Read More