Alvord pitcher Kellen McDaniel throws a pitch in Game 3 of the Bulldogs’ 2A Division I Region II final series against Tom Bean May 22 at North Central Texas College’s Darwin Park. The Bulldogs (21-9) ended their season after being swept by the Tomcats, 11-1 and 11-0. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
Making their first regional final appearance in more than two decades, the Alvord Bulldogs were unable to get revenge against Tom Bean and claim the program’s first state semifinal berth last week.
Alvord ended its campaign with a pair of losses in the 2A Division I Region II final series May 22 at North Central Texas College’s Darwin Park, 11-1 and 11-0 — marking the second consecutive season the Bulldogs have been knocked out of the bracket by the Tomcats.
“Tom Bean’s a good team,” Alvord coach Kyle Mabry said. “We had the scouting reports, and shifting the defense one way or another didn’t really seem to matter — every ball they hit either found the line or found a gap. Sometimes, that’s just how baseball goes. At the end of the day, of course, we wish it could have gone differently. But I’m extremely proud of our guys for the fight that we had to even be playing past graduation and to be in that position. A coach once told me that if you’re having to schedule games around graduations, that means you had a heck of a season. This will always be a season that I remember and cherish, but we will be back.”
Alvord infielder Blake Davis dives to make a play in Game 2 of the Bulldogs’ 2A Division I Region II final series against Tom Bean May 22 at North Central Texas College’s Darwin Field. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
The Bulldogs finished the 2025 campaign at 21-9 in Mabry’s second season as skipper, becoming the first Alvord squad to punch the program’s ticket to the regional finals since 2002.
“This year’s team actually tied Alvord history, and to do something like that is truly special,” Mabry said. “In my opinion, this group of guys exceeded expectations, especially to be able to make it to the fourth round this season. We lost a lot of seniors last year, and we have a very young group — we’re only graduating three seniors. Now that we’ve been to the regional final, the goal now is to set this as the expectation moving forward, and to continue building off go it and grow our program.”
With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Tom Bean opened the contest with a bases-clearing triple by Braylin Barrett, scoring Cash Linder, Tony Delatorre and Dyson Farris. Two innings later, Farris hit a ground ball and reached on an error by Alvord shortstop Brayden Clark, allowing Linder to reach home plate from second.
Alvord outfielder Brayden Clark throws a ball toward home plate in Game 2 of the Bulldogs’ 2A Division I Region II final series against Tom Bean May 22 at North Central Texas College’s Darwin Field. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
The Tomcats tacked on four runs in the fourth. Hagen Darney scored on a sacrifice fly by Donnie Hooten. Two batters later, an error by Bulldog left fielder Pete Edwards allowed Keaton Reed to reach on a fly ball hit and scored Hooten and Linder. Tom Bean closed out the frame with a 2-run double by Ryan DeArmond to take a 9-0 lead.
Alvord’s lone run of the series came in the top of the fifth, as Edwards sacrificed to center field, allowing Wade Stovall to tag up at third and score. The Bulldogs’ lineup managed to hit a pair of singles off of Tom Bean’s Reed — who allowed one run and collected three strikeouts and two walks — as Kellen McDaniel and Stovall tallied one hit each.
After a lead-off triple by Darney, the Tomcats capped off the run-rule win in the bottom of the fifth with a RBI single by Hooten and a RBI triple by Linder.
Bulldog pitcher Jeremy Watson was tagged with the loss, allowing eight runs on seven hits, with seven strikeouts and one walk in a 3.2-inning start. Reliever Kamper Barnes surrendered three runs on four hits a brief appearance, striking out one and walking three.
Alvord infielder Pete Edwards gets the out at second and attempts a double play throw to first in Game 2 of the Bulldogs’ 2A Division I Region II final series May 22 at North Central Texas College’s Darwin Field. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
Despite a 30-minute track in between Games 1 and 2, the Tomcats’ momentum did not cool off. The Bulldogs were limited to three singles, with McDaniel, Barnes and Clark accounting for all of Alvord’s hits.
Tom Bean’s bats lit up the scoreboard for two runs in the first inning, as Reed singled to bring Darney home from third. After a pair of walks issued by Alvord’s McDaniel, DeArmond hit a bases-loaded single to score Reed.
Plating six runs in the top of the second inning, the Tomcats put the game out of the Bulldogs’ reach. Linder started Tom Bean’s run with a 2-run single, followed by Hooten and Linder scoring on an error by Alvord’s Edwards. Farris and Barrett then tacked on back-to-back RBI hits before Alvord recorded the first out of the frame.
The Tomcats finished the sweep with a 3-run third inning. Hooten singled on an infield bunt, giving Darney the green-light from third. After a single by Linder, Hooten found his way home on an error by Alvord catcher Barnes. Farris added a RBI single to plate Linder.
In a short 1-inning start, Alvord’s Kolby Flake took the loss. He gave up seven runs on six hits, and had one strikeout and two walks. McDaniel allowed four runs on six hits and struck out four in four frames of relief.
Alvord outfielder Jeremy Watson attempts a catch in Game 2 of the Bulldogs’ 2A Division I Region II final series at North Central Texas College’s Darwin Field May 22. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
The series loss served as the final outing for the Bulldogs’ senior trio of Asher Barnes, McDaniel and Bobby Cox.
“Our seniors have been with me for two years, and I’ve had the pleasure of working and building relationships with them,” Mabry said. “Our senior leadership was strong. Those guys meant a lot to our program, and they’ll be missed very much. Each senior played a different role on our team, from heart and hustle to leadership, and they were all great role models for some of the younger guys. Each one of them were team players.”
Mabry expects Alvord’s returners to use the program’s run to the regional final as a launching pad for the 2026 season.
“Going into next season, we’ll have three seniors and a couple of juniors, and then the rest will be a mix-match of freshman and sophomores,” he said. “I will say that the younger guys that we have in our program are hungry — they’re ready, and they fight every day at practice to try to prove themselves, and that’s what you want when you’re building a program. What’s truly special about our entire Alvord athletic program is that our kids want to win. I’m so excited to see what we’re able to do moving forward.”
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