On Monday, the West Texas men’s golf team starts its spring campaign by competing in the Oak Tree Invitational, sponsored by Oklahoma Christian at Oak Tree Golf Club East Course (Par 70 – 7,100 Yards) in Edmond, Oklahoma. Oklahoma Christian (two Teams), Cameron (two Teams), Henderson State, Washburn, Arkansas Tech, Southern Nazarene, Central Oklahoma, South Dakota Mines, Maryville, Oklahoma City, Wayland Baptist, Doane, and West Texas A&M are among the 15 participating teams. The Buffs will play the opening 36 holes with Oklahoma Christian and Central Oklahoma on Monday with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. Tuesday’s final round will begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. First-Round Tee Times Hole #1A – 9:00 a.m. – Santiago Caride (WT) / Exequiel Rodriguez (OC) / Caleb Kimmel (UCO) Luis Palomo (WT) / Mateo Pulcini (OC) / Bennett Baldwin at 9:00 a.m., Hole 1B (UCO) Hole #2 – 9:00 a.m. – Erik Stromfelt (WT) / Oskari Nikku (OC) / Kyle Hickey (UCO) Hole #3A – 9:00 a.m. – Pablo Rebolleda (WT) / Alejandro Armijo (OC) / Dylan Henderson (UCO) Daniel Unger (WT) / Santiago Villareal (OC) / Evan Griffith teed off at 9:00 a.m. on Hole #3B. (UCO) 9:00 a.m.: Josh Roche (WT), Ross Taylor (UCO), Jack Baker (WU), and Braydon Jones on Hole #18A. (SDSMT) Connor Kurysh (WT), Nick Gimotty (OC), and Grant Brennenman (OC) teed off at 9:00 a.m. on the 18Bth hole (WU)
WT Baseball
CANYON — Sunday’s 20-8 run-rule victory against Cameron at McCord Field in Lawton, Oklahoma, gave the Buffs a 3-0 sweep of their Lone Star Conference series.
Adam Becker’s sacrifice fly to right centre scored Mike Manetta to give the Buffs (16-6, 14-6) a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. After a pair of walks to start the period and a mishandled ball placed runners on second and third with no outs, the Buffs took the lead. Lance Barnett’s RBI single through the left side of the infield knotted the game for Cameron in the bottom of the inning to make it 1-1.
Manetta was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and one out to score Evan Leibl, followed by a two-run single to centre by Ryan Johnson for a 4-1 lead in the top of the second as the Aggies made another pitching change.
The Buffs continued their dominance over the Aggies to record their fifth straight victory.
Damon Elarton won his first victory of the season despite allowing four earned runs on four hits, one walk, and striking out one batter over 1 1/3 innings.
Becker and Patrick Donovan both drove in three runs, while Johnson closed the day with four RBI.
WT will host UT Permian Basin for a four-game LSC series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. at Wilder Park in Canyon.
Softball NT
DENISON, Texas The Lady Buffs won the three-game Lone Star Conference series by defeating Texas Woman 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Dianne Baker Field.
By defeating the Pioneers, WT (21-3, 12-3) has extended its winning run to six games (13-14, 7-11).
The Lady Buffs trailed by one run after the first inning but scored six consecutive runs in the second and sixth innings to maintain their winning streak.
WT starting pitcher Kyra Lair (6-1) maintained her domination in the circle, striking out nine batters and allowing one earned run and three hits over seven innings on 126 pitches.
For the Lady Buffs, Gabie McConnell, Gabrielle Valforte, Megan Guericke, and Shyanne Sanchez each drove in a run.
WT will host No. 25 Oklahoma Christian in a three-game series beginning on Friday at 3 p.m. at Schaeffer Park.
WT men’s basketball
CANYON, Texas The Angelo State men’s basketball team’s season concluded on Sunday with a 69-59 loss against top-seeded West Texas A&M in the NCAA South Central Regional at the First United Bank Center.
Ryland Holt scored a season-high 23 points to lead the Buffs to advance to Tuesday’s South Central Regional final. Julius Brown (21 points, five assists) and Addison Wallace (game-high 11 rebounds) also contributed to the victorious effort. Holt contributed seven rebounds, two blocks, three steals, and one assist.
After the victory, WT (27-6) will play Black Hill State (27-5) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a position in the Final Eight in Evansville, Indiana.
The Rams led by as much as 11 points, 20-9 at the midpoint of the first half, and shot 53.6% compared to the Buffs’ 41.6%.
The Rams’ excellent defence continued in the second half, limiting West Texas A&M to 33.3% shooting from the field, while Angelo State scored five goals on 20.8% shooting in the second half.
Reggie Quezada led the Rams in scoring with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 6-of-7 free throw shooting.
In his final collegiate game, Devaughn Thomas achieved his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes.
Fredelin De La Cruz produced 11 points and three rebounds.
The Rams conclude the season with a record of 26-7. The 26 victories are the second-most in a season in programme history.