Southland Conference Softball Tournament Field Set
Tournament Page | Ticket Information
FRISCO, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi earned the top seed in the 2011 Southland Conference Softball Tournament that will get underway Thursday at the Bearkat Softball Complex in Huntsville, Texas.
The Islanders shutout UT Arlington in the final game of the season to claim their first conference regular-season championship and first No. 1 seed in the Southland tournament. A&M-Corpus Christi recorded its best season as a league member posting a league-best 38-17 overall record and a top mark against Southland opponents at 21-9. The Islanders make their second consecutive tournament appearance and will play the winner of the game one matchup between No. 4 McNeese State and No. 5 UTSA, at 4 p.m. Thursday.
UT Arlington won two of its last three games to wrap up the No. 2 seed with a 20-10 conference record. The Mavericks are one of only two league teams to win more than 30 games this season as UTA posted a 33-23 record, its most wins since 2007. The Mavericks make their ninth consecutive tournament appearance and are tied with the No. 4 seed McNeese State for the most tournament appearances with 21. UT Arlington will play the winner of game two between No. 3 Texas State and No. 6 Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
The tournament opens on Thursday at 11 a.m. with game one as the No. 4 seed McNeese State takes on the No. 5 seed UTSA. McNeese State, the defending tournament champions, enters its seventh consecutive Southland tournament with a 29-27 overall record and an 18-12 mark in conference play. UTSA returns to the Southland tournament after a one-year absence in 2010 and have played in six of the last seven postseason events. The Roadrunners are 27-25 overall and 17-13 in conference play. McNeese won the season series 2-1 over UTSA.
In game two No. 3 Texas State will face No. 6 Northwestern State at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Texas State makes its league-leading 13th consecutive Southland tournament appearance and 16th overall. The Bobcats are one of three Southland teams to win 20 games in conference play this season and lead the league in conference wins versus Southland opponents with 88 over the last four seasons. Northwestern State returns to the Southland tournament after a four-year absence. The Lady Demons make their 14th tournament appearance overall and lead the league with 37 wins in tournament play. The Bobcats won the season series 2-1 against the Lady Demons.
The 2011 Southland Conference Softball Tournament plays a six-team double elimination format with a possibility of 11 games. The 11th game would be played in the event an undefeated team lost in the title game forcing a second game, upholding the double elimination format.
The winner of the 2011 tournament receives an automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show airs Sunday, May 15 at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
The 2011 Southland Softball Tournament will be available by web streaming for the entire tournament. Live stats will also be available on southland.org and the championship game will air on the Southland Conference Television Network. Game broadcast will be called by Doug Anderson and Chris Mycoskie, the Director of Television and Electronic Media. Mycoskie will also handle the play-by-play duties for the webcasts on SLC NOW in the first and second rounds of the tournament.
Adult reserved all-tournament tickets are available for $20 and a general admission all-tournament ticket is available for $15. Tickets will also be available for each day of the tournament. A single day pass in reserved seating is $10 and a single day pass for general admission is $7. To purchase tickets, call the Sam Houston State Athletics Ticket Office at 936-294-1729 or visit the university's athletics website at http://www.gobearkats.com/tickets.