Albany athletes step up to D1

It has been a number of years since Albany has had graduates play at the NCAA Div. I level in football, and as far as can be determined there hasn’t ever been a D1 baseball player come out of the local high school program, at least as far as local coaches can remember.

But that has changed.

Recent Albany graduates Dax Neece and Brian Hamilton will both be on the roster for D1programs in the fall.

Neece has already reported to summer camp for the Texas Tech football team, while Hamilton will leave in August to play baseball at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Neece was signed as a preferred walk-on in April, and Hamilton was signed as a scholarship player within the last two weeks.

Both Neece and Hamilton were athletic standouts in football and baseball, garnering a number of local, area, and state honors.

Hamilton Makes Change

Hamilton, who was a starting pitcher for the Lion baseball program and a two-year starting quarterback in football, originally had agreed to play both sports for Cisco College.

“I really love football, especially in high school, and I wanted to go somewhere that would allow me to play both sports,” he said. “But then this opportunity came up in New Mexico and I had to make a really tough decision.”

A batting coach in Dallas that Hamilton has worked with got credit for getting him noticed by the UNM coach.

“I wasn’t recruited because of any particular statistic that I have,” he said. “Their coach and I really clicked, and he said that I fit what he was looking for in a player. This is an opportunity that most people don’t get, so I have to give it a shot.”

Hamilton said he will receive a 25 percent baseball scholarship, along with a 50 percent academic scholarship.

“They only have 12 full-ride scholarships to hand out and 34 players to consider, so getting any help at all is great,” he said.

Hamilton was also happy that he will be working at the short stop position, as well as getting to pitch some.

“It made a lot of difference to me that they were willing to let me work at both positions,” he said. “Usually you get stuck at one spot.” 

The Lobos compete in the Mountain West along with a number of other universities located in western states.

UNM had an enrollment of about 20,000 in the spring. The main campus is located in Albuquerque.

Hamilton said that he knows that UNM usually schedules games against Texas Tech, and he hopes Albany fans will make the trip to see one of the games in Lubbock.

Hamilton is the son of Debbie and Paul Hamilton.

Neece In Workouts

Dax Neece started training and conditioning with the start of the first summer session in June at Texas Tech and is continuing during the second session currently.

Freshmen and upperclassmen participate in strength and conditioning training during the summer sessions prior to the start of football camp.

“We don’t actually work with the coaches until fall camp begins,” he said. “We have trainers working with us, we watch film, and some of the older guys call meetings for different units, like the offensive backs that I am part of, to go over routes.”

Neece is expected to be listed as an inside receiver for the Red Raiders on the roster. He is one of just five preferred walk-ons.

“Preferred walk-ons are non-scholarship positions, but they are part of the team from the start,” he said. “Regular walk-ons have to wait until fall camp to try out for the team in August.”

Neece has also started class, taking sociology in the first session and political science currently.

“Mostly the entire team is here in the summer going through conditioning to get ready,” he said. “We also have a nutritionist who makes a plan for each player. I came in at 188 pounds and they want me in the 195 to 200 pound range, so I have to eat everything they tell me to.”

Neece said that he has met most of the team.

“The freshman class already hangs out together, and some of the older players are real cool to hang out with too,” he said. “I have gotten to really know the other backs the best.”

Neece currently lives on campus in university-owned apartments, but the entire team will move to apartments across from the campus in the fall.

“It was really crazy at first to realize I’m actually here and a part of the team,” he said. “It is obviously a lot of hard work, but it has been fun too.”

Neece said he really hasn’t had time to be homesick.

“Right now there aren’t any Albany people here that I have seen, but I have been too busy to think about it much,” he said. “I’ve met a bunch of people, so it is going good.”

The Red Raiders are members of the Big 12 Conference, which is made up of several Texas universities, along with teams from Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and West Virginia.

Neece is the son of Kim Neece and the late Doug Neece.