By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

Severe weather swept across the Lone Star State this month, bringing damaging hail and excessive rainfall that has taken a toll on some farmers’ crops.

Among those affected were Matthew Hoelscher, who raises cattle and grows hay, corn and wheat in Falls County.

“The corn was looking like it was on the right track,” Hoelscher said. “But we’ve had excessive amounts of rain the past few weeks. The corn was starting to show signs of some drowning out, but overall, I had a good, healthy crop that was potentially going to be something.”

But a storm in mid-May changed that for some of his crop.

“We had some hail that blew in, and it was kind of light for a minute. Then all of a sudden, we had some massive, heavy winds pick up,” Hoelscher said. “Then, the hail came down hard, and the storm lasted about five to 10 minutes. It was very intense and very, very windy.”

The hail was anywhere from the size of a marble to a ping-pong ball.

Hoelscher has about 100 acres with slight damage from the storm, but 60 acres that were severely destroyed.

“The hail just stripped the corn to pieces,” Hoelscher said. “Lost all the leaves, snapped the stalks off in half, and it just looks completely stripped.”

This growing season is vastly different from the past two years for Hoelscher.

While the rain was initially a welcome relief from the prolonged drought, the sheer volume has created its own set of challenges.

“I’ve quit counting how much rainfall we’ve been receiving, but just in May and mid-April, it’s been 15 to 20 inches,” Hoelscher said.

As the weather continues to fluctuate, Hoelscher, as well as farmers across the state, will keep adapting and finding ways to sustain their livelihoods through the challenges.

“It’s just how it is working with Mother Nature,” Hoelscher said.

Recently, we took a shot at projecting the Texas Tech football program’s depth chart in the wake of spring practices. Little did we know that head coach Joey McGuire would provide an actual look at where his program stands just days later.

Certainly, there are some intriguing elements of the actual depth chart that are worth analyzing. Here are some of the major takeaways.

One interesting observation is that Washington State transfer wide receiver Josh Kelly is listed as the starter at one of the inside receiver positions. Last year for the Cougars, he was primarily lined up at outside receiver where he continually made big plays.

Though he is listed at only 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Kelly has made a living on the outside in his college career. He’s caught 148 career passes for 2,228 yards and 12 TDs including 61 catches for 923 yards and 8 TDs a season ago for the Cougars.

Right now, Kelly is listed at the same spot as both senior Drae McCray and 5-star true freshman signee Micah Hudson, who did not go through spring practices as he recovered from offseason knee surgery. Those are three of Tech’s most explosive weapons so to have them all at the same position is fascinating. Certainly, there has to be a plan to get at least two of them on the field at the same time to maximize the team’s athleticism, something that was an area of weakness in 2023.

So who is listed as the starter at the outside position where we thought Josh Kelly would line up? That would be Coy Eakin.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore from Stephenville, Texas continues to be a steady practice player who impresses coaches every year with his work in between games. however, he hasn’t quite broken out in game action thus far.

Last year, he snagged 36 passes for 416 yards and two TDs in ten games. Those numbers are respectable but not spectacular. He did finish the season on a high with seven grabs for 102 yards and one score in the Independence Bowl win over Cal, one of two 100-yard days he had in 2023.

Eakin has demonstrated that he has a rapport with starting QB Behren Morton who seems to trust the sure-handed wideout. That could be helping Eakin sit atop the depth chart at the X wide receiver spot, a place where we expected to see Josh Kelly get most of his reps.

The Texas Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at May 20, 2024 results for each game:

Powerball

01-07-48-64-68, Powerball: 05, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Lotto Texas

04-30-34-36-49-51

Check Lotto Texas payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

Morning: 9-2-3, FIREBALL: 2

Day: 9-2-8, FIREBALL: 1

Evening: 2-3-1, FIREBALL: 8

Night: 4-4-4, FIREBALL: 4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

Morning: 8-6-0-0, FIREBALL: 5

Day: 3-1-3-7, FIREBALL: 2

Evening: 6-8-2-3, FIREBALL: 0

Night: 5-2-6-1, FIREBALL: 0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

All or Nothing

Morning: 01-02-03-05-13-16-17-18-21-22-23-24

Day: 02-03-04-05-08-11-14-15-19-20-22-24

Evening: 02-03-06-10-12-14-15-17-19-22-23-24

Night: 01-03-06-09-12-13-16-17-18-21-22-23

Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Five

13-14-16-21-30

Check Cash Five payouts and previous drawings here.

Texas Two Step

16-20-21-24, Bonus: 21

Check Texas Two Step payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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