Several Albany Lion baseball players received All-District honors for their regular season performances, including senior Joshua Dyer being named the District 8-2A MVP.

Three other Albany players were given superlative honors among the four 2A schools in the district. 

District 8 also included four 1A schools, which were represented in a separate set of selections.

Freshman Cooper Fairchild was named the 2A Newcomer of the Year, while junior Ben West shared Pitcher of the Year honors along with Hawley’s Dylan Frazier.

What started as a dead-even pitching duel through four innings ended with the defending state champion Big Sandy Wildcats breaking the deadlock with three runs in the fifth on their way to 4-1 win and a third consecutive appearance in the Class 2A final last week at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

Big Sandy (36-4) repeated as the state winner on Thursday with a 7-1 win over Linden-Kildare.

Albany pitcher Ben West and the Wildcats’ pitcher Brandon Hendrix opened the semifinal bout firing from the mound.

Summer conditioning programs for both boys and girls entering grades 7-12 in the fall got underway on Monday at the high school campus.

The annual Father’s Day golf tournament, hosted by the Albany Golf Club, will be held this Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16.

Tee times on Saturday for the tournament include an 8:00 a.m. morning slot and a 1:30 p.m. afternoon slot.

The entry fee for the tournament is $240 per team and includes one mulligan per person on each tournament day.

The amount of rainfall recently made the tournament questionable, but it will continue as scheduled.

The tournament will follow a three-person scramble format.

Little League All-Star action is about to be in full swing with Albany fielding teams in two divisions.

The 8U select team also hosted one of four playoff brackets, as well as the finals, during the last week, with the Albany team making it to the final four.

Both the 10U and 12U All-Stars are set to start pool play on Saturday, most likely in games hosted locally, although the details of the pool games were not due to be set until Wednesday after the deadline for this edition of the News.

Albany 7on7 team members went 3-0 in their qualifying tournament in Archer City this last Saturday, meaning that they have now qualified for the state 7on7 tournament in College Station on June 27 and 28.

The team had a few more players available for this tournament, as some of those that were previously playing baseball joined the team for the games in Archer City.

Local players faced off against Wink, Holliday, and the host team Archer City.

The team is coached by Anthony Cedar and Spencer Newsom.

The 2019 Big Country Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star games were held last weekend, and four Albany senior athletes took part in the festivities.

Joshua Dyer played on the North baseball team, Ryan Hill was a member of the North men’s basketball team, Cameron Dacus was selected to the Red football team, and Cutter Edgar played for the Blue football team.

Dyer and the North baseball team won the FCA All-Star baseball game with a narrow 6-5 victory over the South team on June 7 at First Community Field at Angelo State University in San Angelo.

The Albany Softball Association will meet at the Shackelford County library at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday, June 18 to elect officers.

Although the president and vice president were both chosen at the last meeting on May 28, due to a light turnout the remainder of the elections did not take place at that time.

Parents of girls who will be playing in the local softball association are encouraged to attend the meeting.  

According to returning vice president Amy McDaniel, the officer elections are only the item on the agenda. 

Shackelford County sheriff’s department deputy Quinton Lee is recovering from emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and his family, friends, and co-workers have organized fundraisers to help him and his family get back on their feet.

Lee’s niece Khloe New has opened a Facebook fundraiser for Lee at facebook.com/donate/337602353526665/, and sheriff Edward Miller said that a fundraiser has also been organized at bluefamilyfund.com.

Dorothy Smith, age 71 of Alvin, Texas passed away Tuesday, June 4, 2019 in Webster, Texas. 

Dorothy was born on Aug. 21, 1947 in Knox City, Texas and was a resident of Alvin for 50 years. She was a homemaker and was Baptist by faith. 

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, Alyce and Glen Vickers.

Dorothy is survived by her husband Wayne Smith; daughters Stephanie Babovec and husband Jimmy, and Betsy Stapp; sister Glynda Vickers; grandchildren Joshua Roark and Joszef Babovec; numerous step-grandchildren; and numerous other relatives and friends.