After attaining a program-best 19 wins during the Western Junior College Athletic Conference slate, four Badger baseball athletes were named to the All-WJCAC teams following a vote by the league’s head coaches on May 4.
Sophomore centerfielder Gerardo Prado earned First-Team All-WJCAC honors and was named to the All-Region 5 team. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native is the third player in program history to claim the feat, joining Chris Benavidez and Grant Watkins, who were 2024 all-region selections.
Prado was voted as the No. 2 outfielder and the No. 7 overall player in the WJCAC according to WJCAC head coaches.
A trio of sophomores were named to the WJCAC Second Team. The group included shortstop Payton Bush, outfielder Zyon Hamilton, and right-handed pitcher Logan Tibbett.
The second-year Badgers are the first in AC history to be selected to the second team as the WJCAC voted to change the all-conference selection format last fall. WJCAC athletic directors decided via a 6-4 vote to have a first and second team while eliminating honorable mention nominations.
Previously, the conference had first team selections and honorable mention nominations by each team’s head coach.
The voting process is conducted by all 10 head coaches in the conference. Each coach cannot vote for their own players.
The following is a breakdown of Amarillo College’s all-conference honorees.
Gerardo Prado, OF, Soph.
The University of Oklahoma baseball signee shattered seven school records during his two seasons with the Badgers.
Prado hit a .409 average in conference play as a sophomore and recorded three program records during the WJCAC schedule. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native rewrote the program’s single-season records for hits (83), doubles (23), and stolen bases (24) this season.
AC head baseball coach Brandon Rains praised the Badgers’ two-hole hitter for consistency, no matter the competition level.
“He had a professional approach to every single at-bat that he took. He hit for average, he hit for power at times, he stole a ton of bases. He played great defense in centerfield and really improved his stock for the next level,” he said. “Prado really had a tremendous year this spring.”
Payton Bush, INF, Soph.
The Angelo State University baseball signee and former Randall High School star was a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight waiting to happen in the field.
As a sophomore, his game reached greater heights with a lethal swing at the plate.
Bush proved he could hit for power in 2025, along with his established outstanding defensive play.
“Payton Bush is going to be unreplaceable as a shortstop. We had a front row seat to his performances week in and week out. He made some electric plays and most importantly, he was as consistent as you could get,” Rains noted. “His offense really improved as the season went on and he figured out how to backspin a baseball to the pull side.”
The AC two-time Defensive Player of the Year improved his home run total from one longball as a freshman to eight homers during his second year at AC. Additionally, Bush hit over four times as many doubles (17) compared to his freshman campaign.
Bush leaves the program with the second-highest hit total (124) in team history.
Logan Tibbett, P, Soph.
The word “workhorse” may not do the Badgers’ ace justice for the season he put forth in 2025.
Tibbett set the program record for innings pitched in a single season (70)– a mark 22.2 innings greater than the next highest total on the team.
“He’s a bulldog on the mound and he competes – that’s his biggest asset,” Rains said. “He might not throw a fastball 100 miles per hour, but he gets after it and uses all three of his pitches, and has an incredible competitive spirit.”
The Appalachian State University baseball signee accumulated a perfect 4-0 record against WJCAC opponents. Tibbett recorded a team-best 1.60 WHIP (at least 15 innings pitched) and had the second-lowest ERA (6.30) on the Badgers staff.
“You get labeled as a workhorse when you go out and have a quality start each outing. He did that week in and week out in conference,” Rains added.
Zyon Hamilton, OF, Soph.
At the end of his freshman season, Rains spoke with Hamilton about the opportunity he would have to make a significant impact with the Badgers as a sophomore after playing in 19 games last year.
Hamilton took the words to heart and proved to be one of the team’s most potent threats at the plate versus conference foes.
The Austin native posted a team-high .420 batting average during the 36-game WJCAC schedule while hitting clean up by the conclusion of the spring campaign.
“The thing about Zyon is he’s not only a good player, he’s an outstanding leader, competitor, and human being,” Rains explained. “Him and I met at the end of the spring and told him he was going to be one of the focal points of our offense and he needed to be ready for it. He trained over the course of the summer and arrived here for his sophomore season determined. He got a starting job and never looked back.”
Hamilton showed his versatility in the field after shifting from second baseman to left field – a spot he played in high school — during conference play.
The Hutto High School product tallied the second-highest double mark (18) on the team and the fourth-highest hit total (61) as a sophomore.
