The Odessa College baseball team hasn’t been able to come away with a series win since it faced El Paso Community College on March 11 and 12.
Since then, the Wranglers lost a series against New Mexico Junior College and split with Howard College and Midland College.
The most recent showdown against the rival Chaps saw Odessa College close out the series with a 13-3 win after being shutout on April 2.
Coach Kurtis Lay said he thinks adversity is a good thing for his players to face at this point in the 2022 season.
“We know what it takes to win, we’ve been on both sides of it,” Lay said. “Now it’s a matter of going out and playing loose, and playing free.”
Going into another Western Junior College Athletic Conference series against Frank Phillips College, the Wranglers will look to get back on track with a win in Game 1.
Lay said the Plainsmen play a lot of close games to start out a series and that’s something his team will need to emphasize.
“Just like any other club in the conference, we need to go out there and get a good start by our starting pitcher,” Lay said. “Offensively, we’ve got to continue to score, continue to put up runs and when we have the opportunity to put a team away, to get it done.”
Odessa College had a chance to pick up a sweep in its first two games against Midland College April 1, but saw a seven-run lead disappear in a 23-19 loss.
The Wranglers will start their series against Frank Phillips College with a doubleheader starting at noon Friday at Wrangler Field.
>> HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME: Going up against top-ranked Midland College in the WJCAC Championship Monday in Sweetwater gave the Odessa College men’s golf team some added motivation.
Sporting what he called a “playoff beard” Wednesday, coach Paul Chavez was pleased with what he saw from his team in the conference tournament where multiple single-day school records were broken.
“I’ve told them many times, I’ve won some national championships by one or two strokes and I’ve lost some by one or two strokes,” Chavez said. “They understand the importance of focusing and staying in that moment every single shot.
“Monday was great to see because it was not only one or two guys, it was the whole team.”
Through his time leading the golf program at Odessa College, Chavez has established a winning culture that has lasted through 24 years.
He said it was amazing to see this year’s group of Wranglers continue to set new marks, adding that Sangha Park was the first player he’s witnessed have a chance to shoot 59 in a tournament round.
When Park’s shot lipped out on the 18th hole, Chavez was still happy with the result.
“No one’s going to be ashamed for posting up a 60,” Chavez said. “It was just great to be in that moment and be able to be part of history.”
>> TUNED UP: After seeing a 24-game winning streak come to an end with a 9-3 loss to Howard College March 26, the Odessa College softball team took some time to regroup with nonconference matchups before jumping back into WJCAC play.
The Lady Wranglers swept the McMurry University junior varsity team March 28, and Ranger College March 31.
Coach Jeff Jackson said his team learned a lot from the loss, looking to get back to playing their best form of softball.
Getting in midweek action helped Odessa College see where improvement needed to be made.
“It was unorthodox because we played on a Monday and a Thursday, where we’re normally playing Fridays and Saturdays,” Jackson said. “It was very important for us to pick up those games.”
Jackson added that those games gave him the opportunity to give his athletes much needed playing time and rest, looking to balance both aspects as the conference schedule heads into its tougher stages.
“It’s kind of that important time of the year where you don’t want to rest too much, but you also want to make sure that we’re staying healthy, staying fresh and we’re really taking care of business in the games that ultimately mean that placement at the end of the year,” Jackson said.
Odessa College starts a four-game series against El Paso Community College at 1 p.m. Friday in El Paso.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
