Having different players step up on the mound has helped the Odessa College baseball team string together four straight victories.
The Wranglers recently came away with a 10-0 win against Howard College Tuesday, where four different pitchers combined to allow two hits and record seven strikeouts.
Coach Kurtis Lay said Tobin Oler and Tai Phetluangsy have made big impacts when they saw action against the Hawks and in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play against Frank Phillips College.
Lay said it’s an encouraging sign to see that the bullpen is making progress to match the team’s hitting.
“We’ve got a better idea now of who to go to first and depending on the game situation, how we’re going to manage those pieces throughout the four-game set,” Lay said. “The past couple weeks some guys have stood out and it gives us a better idea of who we can trust in what situations.”
The Wranglers haven’t struggled to make contact at bat in their last five games, putting up 55 hits.
After dropping the first contest in their last four-game series against Frank Phillips College, the Wranglers have been efficient at bringing runners in.
Lay wants to see his team maintain the offensive consistency as its pitching begins to find its way later in the season.
“Hits are contagious, offense is contagious,” Lay said. “Once a couple guys find some barrels, the other guys seem to pick up, get some momentum and some confidence off of that.
“The biggest thing is trying to string two, three hits together and after that it’s typically getting the ball rolling down hill.”
The Wranglers (25-16 overall, 11-9 conference) start a four-game series against New Mexico Military Institute at noon Thursday at Wrangler Field.
>> SHE’S ELECTRIC: Aydenne Brown hasn’t allowed a hit in three straight games, helping the Odessa College softball team roll through its recent games against Ranger College and El Paso Community College.
She threw a perfect game to open the series against El Paso Community College and was named NJCAA Division I Pitcher of the Week Thursday after breaking the career strikeout record (382) at Odessa College.
“She’s been a workhorse for us, she’s been just electric every time she goes out there even if she doesn’t have her best stuff, which she definitely has the last three outings,” coach Jeff Jackson said. “That consistency is just unmatched, it gives us a huge opportunity to go and compete right out of the gates.”
Over four games in El Paso, the Lady Wranglers outscored their conference opponent 62-1 and extended their winning streak to eight games.
After keeping El Paso Community College scoreless in their first two games, Jackson said it was difficult to talk with his team about issues to fix on the next day.
He had to get picky, but found something to pinpoint when an error allowed the Tejanas to score in the bottom of the third inning of their last game.
“You can’t practice every single scenario that could ever come up in the game,” Jackson said. “Being really honest, I was pretty frustrated at that one run that we did give up because she scored because of an error.
“I had to put things into perspective a little bit to make myself realize, it’s okay and we can learn from it.”
The Lady Wranglers (33-3 overall, 7-1 conference) will play Frank Phillips College next, opening a four-game series at 1 p.m. Friday in Borger.
>> FOURTH PLACE: The Odessa College men’s golf team took fourth at the NJCAA Southwest Championship, which took place Monday and Tuesday at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Willow Creek.
Sangha Park didn’t compete on the tournament’s first day after coming down with a stomach bug, according to coach Paul Chavez.
The team carded rounds of 302-286-287—875, finishing behind Midland College, New Mexico Junior College and McLennan Community College.
Chavez is expecting his team to be firing on all cylinders as they get closer to the NJCAA National Championship in May.
“Everybody’s excited, trying to get everybody up to their A game,” Chavez said. “We’ve got some work to do, but the kids are excited.”
The Wranglers will compete in the NJCAA District 2 Championship April 25-26 in Brownwood.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
