'Claws up': Amarillo College celebrates sports return at pep rally Wednesday
For the first time since the mid-80s, Amarillo College (AC) students gathered to welcome back Badger athletics in a big pep-rally event at the Washington Street campus Wednesday.
Three sports are coming to Amarillo College this year, including baseball, volleyball, and both men's and women's cross-country.
A former AC basketball player and current faculty member weighed in on her feelings about the event. “It’s amazing to go full circle. Being a player here and coming back as an employee and still being able to be a part of the team that has reinstated athletics at Amarillo College is so rewarding,” said Denese Skinner, Vice President of Student Affairs. “This experience is neat because they are adding sports that were not here. To be able to come back and have four different sports is really a great thing for our student body and community. If you look at the crowd here today, you can just feel the energy. This is bringing engagement for the students by them going to their games and bringing that support.”
The baseball team will be playing their games at the Hodgetown Stadium.
“Getting to tour the stadium and not just watching a game, but being able to play on that field, has me at a loss for words. We saw that the whole community is behind us," said Javen Patrick, a first baseman from Tascosa High School. "When we arrived at this pep rally today, there were not that many people, but when we came out, it was just a packed house. It makes me feel special to know that I am one of the first and that my whole team is setting a legacy for the people that will come after us."
"I love being here at Amarillo College. We have a great coach, great skillful players, and a great atmosphere,” Patrick said.
Shirts flew through the air, and the crowd cheered as all of the sports members were named off and given their moment of recognition. A new member who made his appearance was the Badger mascot. The Badger and Ruckus from the Amarillo Sod Poodles shared a few dance moves to hype up the crowd.
The Student Government Association came out to teach the crowd how to do the new "claws up" cheer to show school pride. Two stomps, a clap, and a badger paw was displayed on every student and team member.
Brandon Rains, Amarillo College head baseball coach, is entering his 23rd season of coaching college baseball.
“This is a dream scenario as far as coaching goes. Getting to coach in what I consider to be my hometown and to start this program from scratch is an awesome situation," Rains said. "We have been at it for around 10 days, and it shows that we have some really talented freshman from all over Texas. We have some great local players and even some transfers mixed in that are going to give us the opportunity to compete for a championship right away."
"Hodgetown is one of the nicest stadiums in all of baseball," Rains added. "We are very blessed to have this stadium in our backyard. The Sod Poodles organization has been really great to us. I can’t say enough about how awesome those guys are to work with. There has been overwhelming support from the staff and community, and we are very blessed to be able to be part of this."
This is the first time that Amarillo College has had a cross country team, running to make history at the school. “I am excited and honored at this opportunity. I recruited kids from around the Panhandle, because we have great runners that don’t get recruited, so we stayed local. They’re going to do really great at Nationals,” said Sean Hargrove, AC's head cross-country coach.
For the full roster and schedule of events, visit amarillo.prestosports.com/landing/index .