Texas JUCO Week 2 Recap

February 5, 2019
Noah Sharp
PBR Texas JUCO Insider

Texas JUCO baseball is vibrant in 2019 and Noah Sharp, the PBR Texas JUCO Insider, is dedicated to watching over the state’s lively and competitive baseball scene. Texas alone named five of its programs in PBR JUCO’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings, and Sharp also produced the state’s very own Texas JUCO Top 25 Rankings, too. In this weekly column, we’ll break down the most notable D1, D2, and D3 action in the state from the past week.

In Week 2, there was no shortage of offensive firepower from the state’s top programs. There were nine teams that made it through the second week of play without a loss, eight of which are ranked on the Texas 25: No. 1 San Jacinto, No. 2 Cisco, No. 4 McLennan, No. 8 Weatherford, No. 10 Odessa, No. 11 Panola, No. 16 Ranger, and No. 21 Alvin. The ninth team, the one we’ve yet to mention, is Richland. The ThunderDucks have hit the ground running in 2019 and have been led by a couple of interesting – and still uncommitted – prospects.

We’ll uncover those Richland players, dissect McLennan’s undefeated week, name our player of the week, and more in Texas JUCO’s Week 2 Recap.

WEEK 2 RECAP

(UR) Richland, 6-0 this week

Once again, Richland is off to a fast start this season. Six games and six wins in Week 2, thanks in part to some offensive firepower, namely by two uncommitted prospects, freshman INF Riley Blanton and sophomore OF Cody Windisch. Blanton was virtually on base all week long, hitting .545 and walking four times. He also drove in six Richland runs, too. As for Windisch, the sophomore homered once and hit .462, walked five times, and also stole five bases.

(No. 16) Ranger, 4-0

There may not have been a better offense in the state than Ranger’s last week. As a team, the Rangers hit .367 and scored 42 runs in four games, with the help of 11 doubles, nine triples, and six home runs – and each of the six homers was slugged by someone different. Redshirt freshman Brandon Holdren (uncommitted) lit the fuse for this explosive offense by hitting .583, knocking in eight RBIs, tallying three doubles and added three walks.

(No. 8) Weatherford, 3-0

Different team, similar theme. No. 8 Weatherford slugged their way to three wins in Week 2, led by sophomore INF J.T. Thompson (Texas State commit), who homered twice and hit .538 last week, with six RBIs, two doubles, and two stolen bases. Fellow sophomore teammate Hunter Gieser (uncommitted) couldn’t stay off the basepaths either, hitting .750 and walking four times, adding a home run and a double to his week’s statline as well.

(No. 4) McLennan, 5-0

Finally, No. 4 McLennan, which had lost its first two games of the season, bounced back and has won five straight. The Highlanders navigated back on course after back-to-back losses to Angelina, by taking its next two against the Roadrunners at home. In midweek action against Midland, McLennan produced 34 runs in three games, courtesy of six home runs, six doubles, and managed 26 walks. Cole Moore, an uncommitted C/1B, drove in eight runs for the Highlanders with the help of a couple homers, and also scored six times.

HITTER OF THE WEEK

J.T. Thompson SS / Wakeland, TX / 2017

WEATHERFORD

The Texas State commit hit .538 in Week 2 action and notched two home runs, drove in six runs, tallied two doubles and also stole two bases for No. 8 Weatherford, helping the Coyotes win all three of its games last week.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Max Mize LHP / Seven Lakes, TX / Sophomore

MCLENNAN

Mize was credited with both a win and a save in McLennan's five-win week. He pitched 10 innings for the Highlanders and also struck out 10, grooming a 2.70 ERA along the way to Pitcher of the Week honors.