Badgers vault into playoff contention following Clarendon sweep

If the playoffs were determined this week, the Badgers would be dancing for the first time.

And while 20 games are remaining on the regular season docket, a clear momentum shift in Amarillo College's season has commenced.

AC embarks on the fifth week of conference play this weekend, having won seven of its past eight games.

The Badgers earned a monumental 3-1 victory over New Mexico Junior College on March 20-21 in Hobbs and followed it with a sweep last weekend at Hodgetown against Clarendon College.

AC's remarkable turnaround after a 1-7 start to the WJCAC slate has featured multiple record- breaking performances and six comeback victories.

Badger pitchers Aiden White and Brayden Gurney broke the team's single-game strikeout record in back-to-back outings during games one and two against the Bulldogs.

White – the team's game one starter the entire season – tallied 14 strikeouts to top the previous school record by one punch out as the Badgers rolled to a 12-2 run rule win to open the series vs. Clarendon.

Gurney, a rookie from Shallowater, broke White's record less than three hours after placing his name atop the all-time strikeout list. The 6-foot-2 righty struck out 16 Bulldog batters and had no walks in his longest stint of the season – eight innings – during a 6-2 game two victory.

The 30 combined strikeouts between the duo were the most by a pair of starters for a doubleheader since the reboot of athletics at AC in 2022.
Badger bats propelled the team to a pair of dominant wins on Saturday. AC's offense accumulated 34 hits combined in games three and four

AC totaled a season-high 21 hits during an 18-12 game three victory and followed with an 11-1 run-rule win to cap the series at Hodgetown.

Last weekend's series was arguably the most successful offensive showing this spring for AC as the Badgers hit a .455 average, seven doubles, and five home runs.

Freshman second baseman Colton McClure led the pack with a .667 clip at the plate, followed by Jaykenn Marrero (.571) and Brooks Carter (.538).

Axel Chasak (.455), Rowin Donaldson (.438), Jatniel McCloud (.429), and Luis Gonzalez (.417) also recorded a batting average over .400 against Clarendon.

AC is currently tied for fourth place in the WJCAC with New Mexico JC and owns the tiebreaker over the Thunderbirds following its first series win over one of the traditional conference powerhouses.