Farmers Branch, Texas-The American Southwest Conference?s annual First Pitch Softball Tournament is slated for Friday-Saturday (March 1-2) at Oran Good Park. All of the league?s 14 softball teams will be in action, playing two cross-divisional games each day. Action gets underway at 10 a.m. both days.
The games do not count toward conference records, only overall and in-region, but bragging rights are at stake. Last season, the East Division defeated the West 21-11.
Three ASC teams – all from the East Division – enter the tournament nationally ranked in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Top 25 Poll, released on Feb. 27. Texas-Tyler (4-0) is ranked No. 4, Louisiana College (2-1) is No. 22 and East Texas Baptist (4-0) is No. 25.
All ASC preseason players of the year will be in action: Texas-Tyler senior third baseman Ashley Endsley; Texas-Tyler senior right-hander Heather Abshire; Howard Payne senior outfielder Katie Poerner; and Mary Hardin-Baylor junior right-hander Rebekah Ragsdale.
Louisiana College has won an ASC First Pitch tournament-record 35 straight games, which dates back to 2004. Mississippi College has won 27 of its last 29 ballgames at Oran Good Park, including 12 in a row, while Texas-Tyler has prevailed in 24 of its last 25 tilts. Texas-Dallas (1-0-1) went 4-0 in Farmers Branch, Texas, last year for the first time in program history.
NOTES: Admission each day is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens, school age children (K-12) and students at ASC member schools (with valid 2012-13 ID). No complimentary pass lists are accepted. . . . Official tournament charcoal, long-sleeve T-shirts will be available for $15 each. Official conference logo caps will be for sale for $15. . . . Sorry, no checks/credit cards. Only cash will be accepted. . . . This is the 10th consecutive year that the ASC First Pitch Softball Tournament has been held in Farmers Branch, Texas. For the second consecutive season, the conference tournament will also be held at the same facility. It is scheduled for April 25-27. . . NO PETS ARE ALLOWED inside Oran Good Park, leashed or unleashed. Only properly identified service animals are permitted and they must be leashed. . . . The address of Oran Good Park is: 13411 Tom Field Rd.; Farmers Branch, Texas. . . . Each day’s results and post-tournament video interviews will be available on the conference’s website (ASCsports.org), Facebook Page and Twitter (@ASC_sports). To talk about and find scores during the tournament on Twitter, use the hashtag: #ASCsb
2013 ASC FIRST PITCH SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT “East vs. West”
March 1-2 / Oran Good Park / Farmers Branch, Texas (Game DO NOT count toward division record)
[F4] = Field 4 / [F5] = Field 5 / [F3] = Field 3 / [F6] = Field 6
Friday, March 1
East Division (second team listed) is home team and will be in first base dugout.
10 A.M.
Hardin-Simmons vs. Texas-Dallas [F4]
Concordia Texas vs. Louisiana College [F5] Texas Lutheran vs. Texas-Tyler [F3]
12:30 P.M.
Sul Ross State vs. Ozarks [F4]
Howard Payne vs. East Texas Baptist [F5] Schreiner vs. LeTourneau [F3] Mary Hardin-Baylor vs. Mississippi College [F6]
3 P.M.
Texas Lutheran vs. Louisiana College [F4] Sul Ross State vs. Texas-Tyler [F5] Hardin-Simmons vs. Mississippi College [F3] Concordia Texas vs. Texas-Dallas [F6]
5:30 P.M.
Schreiner vs. East Texas Baptist [F4]
Mary Hardin-Baylor vs. LeTourneau [F5]
Howard Payne vs. Ozarks [F6]
Saturday, March 2
West Division (second team listed) is home team and will be in first base dugout.
10 A.M.
LeTourneau vs. Hardin-Simmons [F5]
Mississippi College vs. Concordia Texas [F3] Texas-Dallas vs. Texas Lutheran [F6]
12:30 P.M.
Texas-Tyler vs. Howard Payne [F4]
Ozarks vs. Schreiner [F5]
East Texas Baptist vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor [F3] Louisiana College vs. Sul Ross State [F6]
3 P.M.
LeTourneau vs. Concordia Texas [F4]
Mississippi College s. Texas Lutheran [F5] Texas-Dallas vs. Sul Ross State [F3] East Texas Baptist vs. Hardin-Simmons [F6]
5:30 P.M.
Ozarks vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor [F4]
Louisiana College vs. Howard Payne [F3]
Texas-Tyler vs. Schreiner [F6]
Topics: Athletics