As they open a road series against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the defending Texas League contenders find themselves in an early-season hole that feels more like a stress test than a death sentence. Four games into 2026, Amarillo has yet to crack the win column.
A season-opening sweep at the hands of the Springfield Cardinals, punctuated by an extra-innings loss, exposed some early wobbles in both the lineup and the bullpen. The follow-up defeat only deepened the winless start, leaving the Sod Poodles searching for their first victory and a spark to match the expectations that surround this roster.
For Megan Price, one of the premier insiders on the Sod Poodles beat, the story of April is less about the record and more about the calendar. The Texas League is a marathon with built-in resets, and Amarillo has long been one of its most dangerous second-half teams.
“Four games in and the Soddies are having a bit of a slow start,” Price said. “But as we know, baseball season is long, and in the Texas League, if you don’t win the first half of the season, there’s always the second half to still have a chance at the playoffs.” That second-chance structure has helped define Amarillo’s modern identity. The Sod Poodles have lived on late surges, turning early-season frustration into late-summer relevance more than once.
For a club accustomed to being judged by what it looks like in July and August, a bad week in April is more caution flag than crisis. Price points to continuity as one of the biggest reasons to stay calm. This is not a roster starting from scratch. “With several returning faces, RF Gavin Conticello, SS Manuel Pena, and first baseman Ben McLaughlin, I expect them to find their rhythm soon,” she said. Those names matter. Pena brings stability in the middle of the diamond, a shortstop whose presence can settle both an infield and a pitching staff. McLaughlin, with his advanced approach and run-producing potential, is the kind of bat that can anchor the heart of a Double-A lineup once he heats up.
Conticello, meanwhile, headlines a group of outfielders with a chance to change games at the plate. In fact, Conticello represents one of the most intriguing subplots of Amarillo’s young season. “It looks like Conticello has been in the weight room this offseason working on being a power hitter,” Price noted. That extra strength could be a game-changer in a park and a league where one swing often separates a crooked number from a squandered opportunity. Yet, like any Double-A club, the Sod Poodles are also feeling the familiar pinch of player movement. Big talent graduates upward, and the result is a constant reshuffling of roles and expectations.
“A very common story in AA ball is a lot of our big talent has made their way up,” Price said, echoing the reality of a level defined as much by development as by standings. That’s where one looming return becomes pivotal. Catcher Christian Cerda, who went down with an ACL tear late last season, is on track to rejoin the club once his rehab is complete. His absence has been felt in both the clubhouse and behind the plate. “Christian Cerda, our catcher, who we lost at the end of the season last year, will be back soon after rehabbing an ACL tear, and he will bring a huge burst of energy not only on the field but in the locker room,” Price said.
Cerda’s presence can stabilize a pitching staff, improve game-calling, and serve as an emotional anchor for a roster that mixes rising prospects with returning contributors. If there is a thread that ties this Amarillo team together, it runs straight through manager Javier Colina. The skipper returns for his second season at the helm, giving the Sod Poodles organizational continuity in the dugout that can be rare at this level.
“They’ll find their way, especially under Javier Colina, who also returned for his second season as skipper,” Price said. That trust in Colina’s leadership is visible in how the organization talks about its long-term goals. The staff knows the standings count, but it also understands that confidence, routine, and incremental growth in April often turn into sustained runs by midsummer. “All in all, I don’t mind a slow start when you know how much talent is on the roster,” Price added.
It is a sentiment that fits Amarillo’s identity perfectly: embrace the grind, ride out the rough patches, and trust that talent plus time will eventually intersect. For now, the 0–4 record hangs over the team like a reminder of the work still to be done. The bats need to string together more competitive at-bats. The bullpen has to slam the door more often. The defense must turn routine plays into outs without giving away extra chances. Those are the realities of chasing wins in a league that punishes even brief lapses. But as the Sod Poodles jog onto the field in Northwest Arkansas, they do so armed with something more important than a hot start: a proven formula.
Returning pillars like Conticello, Pena, and McLaughlin, the expected emotional jolt from Cerda’s upcoming return, and the steady presence of Colina in the dugout give this 0–4 team the look of a group built for 140 games, not four. In Amarillo, April is not about the Sod Poodles. It is about who they are becoming. And if recent history and the voices closest to the club are any indication, this slow start may be remembered less as a warning sign and more as the faint, forgettable beginning of another long, dangerous Texas League summer.
