Eagen's Entrance, Gavin's Great Year Against SA, and more from a series win at the Wolff

One of the beautiful things about baseball is that you can hit 4 home runs in a series win at the Wolff just after launching 6 home runs in the series finale last week at Hodgetown. This week was an interesting look at two teams headed in different directions since the trade deadline. One team was stripped of a lot of their roster by a competitive parent club and an ever aggressive owner in AJ Prellar who seems to always get his man no matter the cost. The Sod Poodles on the other hand have continued to stack talent via trade like Mitch Bratt, and promotion in the case of Daniel Eagen,  and the red hot Ryan Waldschmidt. Amarillo took 4/6 from San Antonio this week in a set that included five games that all but one were decided by two runs or less. The series victory sealed a record setting sixth consecutive series without a loss for the Soddies as they remain scorching hot.

Eagen Better Then We Imagined 

Talk about living up to the hype. Daniel Eagen delivered in his Double-A debut, plain and simple. The third round pick out of Presbyterian dominated the Missions, retiring the first 16 that he faced with a combination of pinpoint fastball placement and a trio breaking balls highlighted by a devastating curveball that locked up hitters all night. "He has a great fastball but his calling card is the breaking ball. That’s his best pitch and when he’s on, good luck as a hitter" Eagen's college teammate and Sod Poodles catcher Jeremiah Boyd said this week. Good luck indeed as the right-hander gave Amarillo their longest outing by a starter in 2025 with 7.2 innings of shutout baseball, outdueling San Antonio’s Enmanuel Pinales, who went 6 shutout frames of his own. Friday’s outing brought Eagen’s scoreless innings streak to 20.2 innings between Hillsboro and Amarillo, dominating wherever he’s stepped on the mound lately. Eagen struck out 8 Missions batters as he worked ahead in the count nearly the entire evening, walking just one. The righty will face a new challenge this week heading to Hodgetown.

Super Starters

Eagen wasn’t the only Amarillo starter who shined this week. Soddies starters gave one of their best performances of the season so far allowing just a 2.18 ERA at the Wolff in the 6 game set. Roman Angelo, Eagen, and Avery Short turned in scoreless outings as Angelo continued to be great away from Hodgetown. Short’s 6 shutout innings was his longest start since June 10th (also against the Missions), punching out six hitters. 

Go-Ahead Gavin

Gavin Conticello put the Sod Poodles in the driver's seat late on both Saturday and Sunday to help lock up the Sod Poodles' franchise record sixth straight series without a loss. The Amarillo outfielder won’t see the Missions again, and they’re probably okay with that, as Conticello torched the Missions to the tune of 17 RBIs this year, his most against any opponent this season. Conticello added 6 of those RBIs in this series, and slashed .333/.444/.573/1.017 on the season against San Antonio. Conticello will take a 5-game hitting streak home with him to Amarillo. That streak trails only Jack Hurley for the longest streak on the team.

'Pen Pals Streaking

It’s to the point in Amarillo that when you hear “The Stroke” blaring from Hodgetown speakers to announce the entrance of closer Landon Sims it feels like the game is in its final minutes. While the opposing ballparks don’t play the Billy Squier hit for Sims, that hasn’t stopped him from being a rockstar since the start of July. The Mississippi State Bulldog continued his tear on the Texas League, extending his scoreless streak to 15.1 innings this week after two more appearances against the Missions. Sims collected two saves highlighted by striking out the side on 14 pitches on Saturday, to ensure Amarillo at least a split in the series.

Sims isn’t the only SEC Sod Poodle streaking, as Florida Gator Philip Abner isn’t far behind him. Abner has strung together 8.1 innings of shutout baseball, throwing strikes at a 68% rate in that stretch with 8 strikeouts and 1 walk. The left-hander continues to be a major piece in a bullpen that has been great in the second half. 

Waldy being Waldy 

If anyone thought the Wolff might slow Ryan Waldschmidt down was sadly mistaken. While the power wasn’t as present this week Waldschmidt just did the rest to make up for it. Back to back weeks the outfielder has posted an OPS over 1.000 going 9/22 on the week with 4 BB, a double, and a triple. With August a series away from coming to a close the Kentucky Wildcat is zeroing in on a Texas League Player of the Month Award slashing .378/.505/.662/1.168 in 20 games with 10 extra base hits including 5 HR. Waldschmidt continued to flash the leather this week as well with multiple diving catches and great jumps patrolling center field in a park that tends to give outfielders a lot of opportunities to make plays. 

Amarillo holds an 8 game lead in the Texas League South after creating a little distance from Frisco with just 18 games to play in the season.