The Lion baseball team picked up a pair of decisive wins over Haskell last Thursday in the regional quarterfinal series held at McMurry University in Abilene, advancing to the fourth round of the Class 2A playoffs.

Albany (19-6) now moves on to play the Hale Center Owls (20-8) in the semifinal series with Game 1 set for Thursday (today) with a 6:00 p.m. game in Hermleigh. The first pitch for the second game is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday, May 25 in Hermleigh. A third game, if needed, will be played 30 minutes following the end of Game 2.

Local students won’t have much time to get bored after school is out this week, thanks to a host of local camps that will start as soon as next Tuesday, May 28.

A different athletic camp is set for each of the next three weeks, along with a cheerleading camp later in the summer. A girls basketball camp is also in the works, but the dates were not available yet.

Boys All-Sport Camp

A three-day camp covering three sports – football, baseball, and basketball – is set for Tuesday, May 28 through Thursday, May 30.

The annual Father’s Day golf tournament, hosted by the Albany Golf Club, is questionable at this time.

Increased rain during recent weeks has impacted the state of the course, leading to speculation that the two-day event may not take place.

“We do not actually know yet if we will be hosting the tournament,” said club president Randy Walker.

Heavy rainfall can make the course difficult to play on and could possibly damage the turf.

“With all of the rain we’ve had lately, the course is not currently in good condition to play on,” said Walker.

The Albany Little League will once again be hosting one of the Little League District 5 machine pitch tournaments to compete against teams in the Big Country area, after hosting for the past two years.

“Sixteen teams will play in Albany on June 8,” said local little league president Paul Hamilton. “If we are the best of four, we will play in the Big Country final four on the following Monday night, June 10.”

The tournament is for teams made up of eight to nine year olds from around the Big Country area and will start at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 8.

The Albany Softball Association rescheduled its annual officer election meeting.

The meeting, originally scheduled for Monday, May 20, has been postponed until next Tuesday, May 28.

The meeting will be held at the Shackelford County library.

The next few days of school at Moran include several events before classes end on Friday, May 31. 

Athletic physicals will be given at 8:00 a.m. today, May 23.

The annual Spring Fling Festival will be held tonight, May 23, starting at 5:00 p.m. with a spaghetti supper. Booths with various games and activities will be open from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

MISD has scheduled school holidays on both Friday, May 24 and Monday, May 27 for the Memorial Day weekend.

School will release early on Thursday, May 30 and Friday May 31.

Mr. Lester Devell Carter, age 85, of Heber Springs, Arkansas passed away Thursday, May 16, 2019 at his residence. 

Born Oct. 30, 1933 in Crossett, Arkansas, he was the son of the late John Hunter Carter and Annie Oree Maxwell Carter. He was a US Army veteran and a member of the Cowboy Church of Heber Springs.

Mr. Lester loved fishing, deer hunting, gardening and spending time with his family and friends.

The Lion baseball team delivered a pair of shutouts last Thursday to take the area playoff round against McCamey during games moved to Coahoma due to rain in San Angelo, where the series was originally slated.

Albany handed the Badgers a 4-0 loss in the first game of the double header, followed by a 14-0 victory in Game 2 to seal the title.

Senior pole vaulter Caroline Masters matched her personal record at the UIL State Track Meet last Saturday, clearing 10-6 for sixth place in the Class 2A division.

The vaulter improved her jump and her placing over last year’s seventh place finish in the event.

“Caroline didn’t clear 10-6 until her third attempt, which was the difference in third and sixth this year,” coach Lauren Peacock said. “If she had cleared on her first attempt, she would have gotten third.”

Albany softball players earned recognition on the District 7-2A All-District team, which was announced this week following the elimination of the final district team from the playoffs.

Junior Caitlyn Holson was named the Offensive Player of the Year by the coaches for the district, while junior Aubrey Moon received the district’s Fighting Heart Award. Moon battled injuries throughout the season, still managing to compete in most of the games.

Sophomore Torie Fuentes was picked for second team All-District at the third base position.