After getting a week off, the Odessa College baseball team got a chance to shake off the cobwebs with a seven-inning game against Midland College Tuesday on the road.
Although the Wranglers suffered a 5-1 loss, the midweek matchup was just what they needed before playing a pivotal series against Western Texas College later this week.
“The last thing you want toward the end of a season, looking forward to a postseason, is to not see live pitching with the game of baseball and just the routine of baseball,” coach Kurtis Lay said. “I was fortunate that Hector [Rodriguez] was willing to play and was able to get our starters about two to three at bats and you could see they were rusty.”
Odessa College is going into its final series of the regular season tied for third place in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference standings with Western Texas College and Howard College.
Lay wants his players to approach the weekend with a playoff mentality to make sure they stay alive.
The coach added that he has gone through a few scenarios of what could happen in the four-game stretch against the Westerners, feeling confident that his team’s destiny is in its own hands.
“That’s what you want at the end of the day, is the ability to determine what your future is going to hold,” Lay said. “We get the opportunity to go do that Friday and Saturday.”
Odessa College (32-19 overall, 18-10 conference) face Western Texas in a doubleheader starting at noon Friday before closing out the regular season Saturday at Wrangler Field.
The Wranglers look to finish in the top four of the WJCAC to compete against the top four from the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference in the Region V Tournament May 13-16 at Christensen Stadium in Midland.
>> SOLID DEFENSE: Clarendon College was the team Odessa College softball coach Jeff Jackson thought his Lady Wranglers would face last week.
The Lady Bulldogs stayed in the fight for most of their four-game series, giving Odessa College the opportunity to test its defense.
Jackson thought his players responded well to the challenge, bringing their winning streak to 20 games.
“They made it very difficult on us, but I thought the girls did a good job just like always of finding a way to win whether it’s creative or whether it’s easy,” Jackson said. “I was very impressed by that.”
Jackson knows the Lady Wranglers will need a strong defensive performance in their upcoming conference series against Midland College, a team that can hit in relentless fashion when it finds a rhythm.
The Lady Chaps come into the matchups against Odessa College after splitting their recent series against Frank Phillips College.
Jackson said it will be important for his team to jump ahead quickly and build a solid lead to avoid giving Midland College a chance to respond.
“I think we’ll be in a good position, as long as we take care of our offense,” Jackson said.
Odessa College (45-3 overall, 19-1 conference) faces Midland College in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Friday in Midland.
>> A FEW DAYS LEFT: The Odessa College men’s golf team is set to start the 2022 NJCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship tournament May 10 at the Odessa Country Club.
Odessa College hasn’t competed since the NJCAA District II Championship April 25 and 26, but coach Paul Chavez feels that his golfers are in a good spot going into the largest tournament of the season.
Chavez said his team will go through some quick practice rounds before the national championship, playing 18 holes Sunday and nine holes Monday.
“Everybody feels that anxiety, but also everybody’s playing well,” Chavez said. “They’re excited for the moment and ready to take advantage of that opportunity.”
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
