By Sam Waller
Albany will host a four-team bracket for the Texas West Little League District 5 Machine Pitch tournament Saturday, June 10, at the Albany Little League complex.
Albany Little League president Paul Hamilton said the tournament schedule has not been released yet, but games will start at 10:00 a.m. Saturday.
The bracket winner will advance to the next stage of the tournament in Abilene.
By Sam Waller
Albany’s entry in summer 7-on-7 competition came within a score and a conversion Saturday, June 3, of qualifying for state at the Texoma 7-on-7 Tournament.
Albany went 2-1 for the day in games played at Wichita Falls City View, beating Archer City and Electra to win Pool D before falling 18-12 to Childress in the qualifying game.
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions claimed 11 spots, including six superlative awards, on the All-District 8-2A baseball team, which was selected by vote of the district coaches. Every regular starter received at least second-team honors.
The Lions went 9-1 to win the district championship and finished 24-5 overall, reaching the regional semifinal round of the playoffs.
By Sam Waller
After being limited to just one tournament last summer, Albany’s 7-on-7 program will get at least two in this year.
Albany will attend the Texoma tournament Saturday, June 3. The local team, coached by Kevin Hill and Tony Wheeler, is also entered in the Abilene tournament on Friday, June 9.
Both events allow Albany opportunities to qualify for the 7-on-7 State Tournament, scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, June 22-24, at College Station.
By Sam Waller
Albany Junior/Senior High athletes begin preparations for 2023 fall sports as the school’s summer conditioning program gets underway on Monday, June 12.
The program is open to all incoming seventh through 12th graders who plan to participate in interscholastic sports.
Summer workouts are subject to UIL regulations.
Boys sessions will be held Monday through Thursday each week through July 20. Workouts will be from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. each day and include weight lifting, agility drills and conditioning.
By Sam Waller
Several openings are available for the Albany Golf Club’s Father’s Day Tournament.
The three-person scramble will be played Saturday-Sunday, June 17-18 at Albany Golf Course. Entry fee is $300 per team, which includes one mulligan per person each day.
Tee times for the first round are 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Most available spots are in the morning flight with a few openings remaining in the afternoon. Teams will be flighted after the first round.
The field will be capped at 42 teams.
A limited number of rental carts are available.
By Sam Waller
Three Albany teams advanced to the semifinals of the Texas West District 5 tournament County Bracket before being eliminated.
Four Albany teams hosted games on Tuesday, May 23, but thunderstorms in the area forced two games to be suspended and completed the next night.
In the Majors division, the Oilers were the first local team to be eliminated, losing 5-4 to Clyde 2.
By Sam Waller
Nine recent Shackelford County graduates will put the finishing touches on their high school careers next week by participating in the 2023 Big Country FCA All-Star Festival.
The festival, scheduled for June 4-10, features 350 of the area’s top student-athletes competing in seven sports held in four cities.
By Sam Waller
Depth and quality were two hallmarks of the Albany Lions pitching staff this spring.
An ill-timed injury cut into the depth, and the inability to escape trouble with minimal damage eventually led to the end of Albany’s season.
The Lions (24-5) were eliminated from the Class 2A playoffs, losing 2 out of 3 to fifth-ranked New Home in the regional semifinal series, played Thursday, May 25 and Saturday, May 27. It was the second year in a row the Leopards ousted Albany from the playoffs, following a sweep in the 2022 regional final.
By Sam Waller
Albany coaches are offering two sports camps over the next two weeks for students entering kindergarten through ninth grade for the 2023-24 school year.
The Albany Lions & Lady Lions All-Sports Camp will run Tuesday-Thursday, May 30-June 1, offering instruction by David Fairchild and Ryder Peacock in baseball, football, and basketball.
