The inaugural season of Amarillo College Baseball kicked off on Saturday, February 4 with a win for the Badgers and a lot of support from students, staff and community members alike.
“It’s been awesome from a standpoint of tremendous community support,” said Head Baseball Coach Brandon Rains. “It’s a very exciting time and we’ve got a great group of guys that are working hard. We’re excited to go play in Hodgetown, for sure.”
All of the Badgers’ home games will be played at Hodgetown Stadium, something that Rains says is exciting for everyone involved.
“Anytime you get to play all of your home games in a $45 million stadium with tremendous fan support that’s state of the art, I mean, that’s a dream come true for any coach and especially any baseball player,” Rains said. “The people at Hodgetown, those guys working with us and in collaboration with AC have done a great job and we definitely have a long-term partnership and we’re looking to play at Hodgetown for many years to come.”
There are more advantages to playing baseball at Amarillo College than the access to Hodgetown. Unlike players at four-year universities, community college players have lower tuition costs and more chances to play.
“There’s also more scholarship opportunities at the community college or junior college level than there are at the four year level. So, the overall cost is cheaper, plus you have scholarship opportunities, and one of the biggest things is an opportunity to play right away,” said Rains. “It’s very difficult for an 18 year old, coming out of high school to go into a four-year school at any level, division one, two or three, and try to compete with a 22 year old or a senior or grad school student that’s been playing for a long time because there’s a huge jump from year to year as you play baseball.”
The return of athletics to Amarillo College has piqued the interest of students across the country.
“We probably get 10 to 15 emails a day from kids, not just from Amarillo but all over the country,” said Rains.
The Badgers, who are a Division One team in the National Junior College Athletic Association, will play 36 home games. For information about upcoming games, visit acbadgers.com.
