Northwest Sports Recap: Postseason Highlights, National Tournament Bids, and Record-Breaking Seasons
In this episode of the Bank First Ranger Hour, host Gary Darby welcomes Northwest Mississippi Community College Sports Information Director Brian Lentz for a deep dive into the college’s spring athletics season. The conversation spans every major sport, with postseason updates, individual accolades, and historic achievements across baseball, softball, golf, tennis, and rodeo.
Lentz opens with a recap of the Ranger baseball season, highlighting Coach Mark Carson’s 10th 30-win campaign and the emergence of standout players like Walker Maranto and Levi Lang. Despite an early playoff exit, the program maintained one of the top fielding percentages in school history and continued to produce record-setting talent.
Softball is next, as the Lady Rangers wrapped a record-breaking 42-win season under Coach Chelsea Bramlett. With nine wins over nationally ranked opponents and numerous individual achievements, including Summer Tice’s 18 home runs and Morgan Bruton’s 24-win pitching record, the team awaits a potential NJCAA at-large bid to the national tournament. Lentz also celebrates freshman Marlee Mancini, who earned both MACCC and NJCAA Player of the Week honors during the postseason.
The conversation shifts to the resurgence of Northwest tennis. Both the men’s and women’s teams advanced to national tournament play under Coach Andy Wolf, with the women tying for 13th nationally—one of the best finishes in program history. Maddie Sanders, of Hernando, earned all-conference honors.
Women’s golf made history with their first-ever national tournament bid. Powered by standout Kaylee Figueroa, the Lady Rangers finished sixth in the NJCAA South District tournament and became the only Region 23 women’s team to earn a national bid.
In rodeo, Lentz details another strong season under Coach Will Lummus, including high placement at the home Ranger Rodeo and national finals qualifiers Christian Cagle, Will Collier, and Dakota Smith. Despite an injury to bull rider Luke Stanley, Northwest will once again send a strong delegation to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming.
The show wraps with a mention of the record-setting viewership for the Ranger Rodeo livestream and a brief update on the college’s graduation ceremonies and fundraising success at the 2025 Northwest Soirée.
Keywords:
Northwest Mississippi Community College, NWCC athletics, Brian Lentz, Ranger Hour, JUCO baseball, Northwest softball, Chelsea Bramlett, NJCAA national tournament, MACCC sports, women's golf Northwest, tennis national qualifiers, rodeo CNFR, Will Lummus, Marlee Mancini, Summer Tice, Morgan Bruton, Kaylee Figueroa, Maddie Sanders, Northwest Soiree, Northwest graduation, Ranger Rodeo livestream, community college sports Mississippi
