BIG SPRING – A familiar face will be seen on Jack Barber Field as Howard College has hired Jack Giese as the new head coach for the baseball program. Giese was previously with the Hawks as the associate head coach under Britt Smith when the Hawks won the NJCAA Division I National Championship in 2009. He will be on campus and officially begin his duties on August 1, 2021.

            The position was recently opened after the resignation of the Hawks head coach, Michael Lopez.

         “We are very excited that Jack is returning to our program,” said Mike Yeater, Athletic Director. “With his previous national championship coaching experience with our program as well as the other Division I and Minor League coaching experience that he brings to the table, our baseball program will be positioned for tremendous success.”

         Most recently, Giese has spent 6 years as a pitching consultant and recruiter with MVP Sports Group. Prior to that, he served 2 years as a Pitching Coach and Recruiter at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

Following his stint with the Hawks and the National Championship win in 2009, Giese moved on to be a Minor League Pitching Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I’m excited to be coming back to Big Spring and Howard College”, said Giese. “I look forward to meeting the team and growing the tradition of excellence that has been started at Howard.”

Although this will be Giese’s first head coaching stint, his pitching coach record speaks for itself as he has worked and continues to work with several current Major and Minor League players, including 2 Cy Young Award winners.

“Jack has a lot of experience in player development,” added Yeater. “That in conjunction with his coaching and recruiting experience will be a huge asset for our program.”

That experience isn’t just limited to the United States as Giese was also tagged to travel to the Dominican Republic to work with pitchers at the Tampa Bay Rays Dominican Academy in 2010 and coached the 18U USA National Team in 2007.

“Being a first-time head coach, I couldn’t ask for a better place than Howard College,” added Giese. “I know the traditions here will guide us as we do things the right way both on and off the field and immerse ourselves in the team environment as well as our local and college community.”

The Hawks will soon be returning to campus in August as classes begin on August 25th.

For more information about Howard College and Hawk Athletics visit howardcollege.edu or hchawk.com. 

COAHOMA — The Coahoma ISD Athletic Department is proud to announce that Katherine Shawver has been named the 2020-2021 1A-2A-3A-4A Sub-Varsity Softball Coach of the Year by the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA).

“I was shocked when I heard,” Shawver said. “It hit me that other coaches in the state have taken notice of all the hard work our students, parents, and coaches have put in to continue a long tradition of Coahoma High School softball excellence and competitiveness. It’s a huge honor for me.”

TGCA is the one of the largest associations of coaches and the largest association for coaches of girls’ athletics in the United States, according to the TGCA website. Shawver was nominated for the honor by Bulldogette head softball coach Alex Orosco, and was selected by a committee of Texas coaches.

“Coach Shawver is present for this team 100 percent of the time. She is a true assistant,” Orosco said. “She always picks up the load for me without being asked. She has been a steady presence for the Coahoma softball program. She was here before I came  on board, she never misses a game, an event, or a practice, and she always has a positive attitude. She’s awesome, and the girls respond to her coaching well.”

Shawver has served as a sub-varsity coach at Coahoma ISD for the past seven years. This past season, her JV Bulldogettes were undefeated in district action and finished the 2020-2021 season with an 11-1 record. In the previous full UIL softball season, Shawver’s JV team lost only one district game for the 2018-2019 season. 

Shawver also serves as the assistant coach to the varsity Bulldogette softball team, which finished the 2020-2021 season with a 26-7 record, an undefeated district record, and an appearance in UIL Texas state playoffs regional quarterfinals.

The Missouri native credits the success of the Coahoma softball program to the work ethic of the players and support of their parents. 

“We are lucky to have excellent athletes to coach, and it started at home,” she said. “Many of these girls have been dedicated to the sport since they were little and had strong parental support to encourage them. It takes a community to develop a competitive program.”

As a Coahoma Bulldogette coach, Shawver feels her job is to help direct the player’s competitive nature to strive for excellence not only on the field but in all other areas of their life. 

“Wins are great, but we are also here to teach them life lessons,” she said. “In order for a team to be great on the field, the players have to work as a team and not play just for individual glory. 

“When we fall behind and find ourselves in a tense situation, they have to be able to handle the stress,” she continued. “Umpires are not always perfect, and players make mistakes. You have to let that go and persevere. We had a few games this year where we were behind, but we pushed through and came out on top.”

Before joining Coahoma ISD, Shawver played softball as a utility player for the Ottawa University Braves in Ottawa, Kansas, under head coach Jay Kahnt. 

“I would like to give a huge shout-out to my college. They just went to the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Softball World Series, and a shout out to my former head coach Jay Kahnt,” she said. “He just had his 500th win of his career. High school and travel ball taught me a lot about the sport, but Coach Kahnt also taught me a lot.” 

Shawver will receive her Sub-Varsity Coach of the Year award in July at the TGCA state convention. 

The 2021 softball season may be over but the national postseason awards are continuing to flow in for the Howard College Hawks! The National Fastpitch Coaches Association recently released their annual student-athlete awards and the Hawks received some well-deserved recognition.

Sasha Willems, a freshman catch from Australia, garnered the Diamond Sports/NFCA NJCAA Division I Catcher of the Year accolade, hitting .450 with a team-best 17 doubles and 26 walks. She drove in 76 runs, scored 66 runs, slugged 1.076 and reached base at a .566 clip.

Willems joined teammates Barbora Saviola and Laela Minnich as unanimous first-team All-Americans.

Saviola captured NJCAA DI’s home run crown with 30 and ranked second nationally with a 1.250 slugging percentage. She drove in 80 runs, scored 78 times and swiped 26 bases without being caught.

The 2021 softball season may be over but the national postseason awards are continuing to flow in for the Howard College Hawks! The National Fastpitch Coaches Association recently released their annual student-athlete awards and the Hawks received some well-deserved recognition.

For more information on Hawk Athletics please visit hchawk.com

The Westbrook Wildcats swept Baird in a 3-game series for the Regional Semi-Final Championship on Thursday night. The scores for those games are listed below:

Game 1: 7-6 in 8 innings
Game 2: 12-2 in 5 innings

The Wildcats will now face Nazareth for the Regional Finals. More information on that will be announced later. 

Big Spring Lady Steer softball players recently received recognition from the 2021 District 3-4A Selections. 

Brinly Watkins received the superlative of Co-Utility Player.

1st Team All-District:

1. Kalyn Whitehead,  Jr.

2. Kylee Lynch, Jr. 

3. Vanessa Viasana, Jr. 

4. Jocelyn Gonzales, Sr. 

2nd Team All-District

1. Alex Enriquez,  Jr. 

2. Sarah Wood, Sr. 

Coahoma High School had five softball girls make the 5-3A All-District superlatives and Head Coach Alex Orosco was named the 5-3A Softball Coach of the Year!

District MVP - Jocelyn Torres-Mendoza

Offensive MVP - Madison Rodgers

Defensive MVP - Kenzi Canales

Pitcher - MaKynlee Overton

Utility - Makayla Calvio

Coach of the Year - Alex Orosco

Coahoma went 8-0 in 5-3A District play and ended with a 26-7 overall record. They made the third round of the playoffs this year. It was the first time a Coahoma softball team has made it to the regional quarterfinals since 2014.

Coach Orosco has served as the head coach for the CHS softball team for the last five years. He has a 90-41 record as the head softball coach.

Bulldogettes named to All-District teams are listed below:

*First Team All-District*

Infield - Brynn Rodgers

Outfield - Karleigh Burt, Shae Lang, and Christian Everett

*Second Team All-District*

Cayhill Lewis

Alexcia Munoz

Also receiving 5-3A All-District recognition were five players from Stanton:

*First Team All-District*

Infield - Trinity Johnson, Zoey Ruiz, and Liliana Rodriquez

*Second Team All-District*

Julissa Ramirez and Mari Lozano

Coahoma Bulldogettes lost to Jacksboro with a final score of Game 1 was 11-2. Game 2 in the Regional Quarterfinal round will be today at 5 PM at Abilene Cooper. If needed, Game 3 will follow.

Forsan Lady Buffs won Game 1 in the Regional Quarterfinal round over Floydada; final score was 11-3. Game 2 will be today at 5 PM at Brownfield. If needed, Game 3 will follow.

Forsan Buffs won Game 1 over Hamilton in the Area round. Final score was 3-0. Game 2 will be tonight at Abilene Christian University and it begins at 7 PM. If needed, Game 3 will be held tomorrow at 7 PM at ACU.

Congratulations to Rylee Evans, a senior at Forsan High School, on signing her letter of intent to play basketball for McMurry University, a private Methodist University in Abilene, TX.

"It was super exciting. I'm really grateful for all of the support that they've shown me throughout the years, and I'm just really grateful for all of them," said Evans on celebrating the accomplishment with friends and family.

Evans says she’s been playing basketball since she was old enough to hold one.

"Since I could remember, my older sister played basketball so I was always with her at all of her basketball practices and stuff," said Evans.

While at McMurry University, Evans plans to study Business but says that may change over time once she gets her basics out of the way. She told KBest News that she’s super excited and grateful about the opportunity and can’t wait to see where it goes and what the future holds.

Coahoma High School's Vance Ott placed 1st in the 400 meter dash and the 100 meter dash in the wheelchair events at the State Track Meet that was held last week! He also earned silver in shotput! 

Forsan sophomore Aleena Nelson also competed at the State Meet on Friday, May 7, 2021. She placed 6th in shotput.

Howard College Lady Hawks softball team played a doubleheader against Odessa College yesterday afternoon. They lost Game 1 with a score of 8-3, and won Game 2 with a final score of 12-11. They’ll play another doubleheader against the Odessa Lady Wranglers at 1 pm and 3 pm today. Listen to a live broadcast of those games on The Mighty 1490 AM and the new FM 103.9.

Big Spring, Stanton, Forsan, and Coahoma softball teams will all be moving on to compete in playoff games that begin this week.

Big Spring

Big Spring Lady Steers have a record of 6-2 in district and are ranked as the #2 team. They will compete against Hereford for the Bi-District Championship. Game 1 will be on Thursday, April 29th, in Hereford at 4:30 PM. Game 2 will be in Big Spring on Saturday, May 1st, at 1 PM. If needed, Game 3 will be held 30 minutes after Game 2 ends. Listen to a live broadcast of these games on The Mighty 1490 AM and the New FM 103.9.

Stanton

**UPDATE #2** -- Stanton Lady Buffs v. Ballinger Lady Cats Bi-District Game 1 will be played in Forsan at 1:30 PM today - 4/30/21

---------------------Update #1 -------------------

**Update** -- Today's Bi-District game for the Stanton Lady Buffs in Sweetwater against Ballinger has been postponed. It has been moved to Friday, April 30th, at San Angelo Central at 7 PM.

----Original Info----

Stanton Lady Buffs have a record of 5-3-1 in their district and are ranked as the #2 team. They will compete against the Ballinger Ladycats on Thursday, April 29th, in Sweetwater. That game begins at 6 PM.

Forsan

Forsan Lady Buffs earned the title of District Co-Championship with a record of 7-1. They will compete against Lockney in Sundown at 5 pm on Thursday, April 29th.

Coahoma

Coahoma Bulldogettes had a stellar season with a record of 8-0 in district and winning the District Championship. The Bulldogettes will take on Clyde in a Bi-District Game at 6 p.m. Friday at Hermleigh. Game 2 will be held at noon Saturday at Hermleigh with third game to follow 30 minutes after if necessary. 

Kolt Redden signed his commitment papers to join the Cisco College Rodeo program in the fall. Redden is a four sport athlete at Coahoma High School. He was the quarterback for the Bulldog football team, played basketball, track, and baseball. The Cisco Rodeo team competes in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA).

Big Spring area high schools competed at Regional Track Meet's last week and here are the results for Forsan and Coahoma.

Regional Track Update for the Forsan Buffs: 

Forsan High School recently had athletes competing in the Regional Track Meet last week. Freshman Austin Magness placed 5th in the 3200, and sophomore Aleena Nelson placed 1st in shot put! Congratulations to them!

Regional Track Update for Coahoma:

The CHS track team finished the Region I 3-A track meet strong.

Results from Finals:

(only 1st and 2nd place finishers advance on to state)

Wheelchair 100M & 400M  - Vance Ott, Gold! We expect to hear if Vance qualifies for the state meet sometime next week.

Women's 100M Dash - Christian Everett, 4th, 12.70.

Men's 400M Dash - Sean Striegler, 7th, 22.81.

Men's 4x1, 4x2 - 6th & 6th, 44.32 & 1:32:21. - JR Emerson, Austin Perkins, Tristian Guerrero, Billy Bailey, and Sean Striegler.