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The Shockers begin their 2013 campaign in north-central Louisiana at the Mardi Gras Classic - got me - hosted by UL Monroe. The tournament begins Thursday evening with the Shockers playing UC Santa Barbara and Grambling State on Friday, Mississippi Valley State and ULM on Saturday before finishing the tournament with a game against Northwestern State on Sunday.
The Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara are a preseason pick for fourth/fifth of nine teams in the Big West. They finished second in the conference last year and return their main arm, who was Freshman of the Year. Hawai'i, moving back to the Big West from the WAC this year, and Long Beach State are the powers in the conference.
The Grambling State Lady Tigers are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference where they are picked seventh of ten teams in the preseason poll. The preseason pick for first in the SWAC are Mississippi Valley State, a Saturday opponent of the Shocks. The Devilettes garnered eleven of the fifteen votes for first, and their players are the preseason picks for Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year.
The Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe are picked eighth of nine teams in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana-Lafayette are the five-time defending champions of the conference and have appeared in the WCWS in recent years.
The Shockers close out the weekend against the Lady Demons of Northwestern (LA) State. They are picked sixth of ten teams in the Southland Conference. Southeast Missouri State are also in this tournament, but the Shocks do not play them.
Below are the softball notes from Sully's Sunday column. It appears that this tournament achieves the goal stated in the first sentence.
Hide and seek — WSU starts its softball season Friday in the Mardi Gras Classic in Monroe, La. Second-year coach Kristi Bredbenner wanted to schedule a better blend of top teams and comparable opponents than in the past.
Last season, WSU traveled to tournaments at Baylor, Arizona State and Oklahoma.
WSU’s four 2013 tournaments aren’t as ambitious, although it will face No. 1 Alabama, defending national champion, in the Florida Gulf Coast Spring Tournament and Mississippi State in the Blues City Classic. The tournaments are filled with schools Bredbenner believes the Shockers, picked eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference, can compete with.
“We’ve got a pretty good mix,” Bredbenner said. “This is a realistic schedule for where we’re at. There are some tough games, but there are some games we need to win.”
Finding the right tournament can be a challenge. Some coaches prefer to keep their fields a secret so they don’t scare possible entrants off with a loaded schedule. Bredbenner didn’t want to sign up for tournaments and then find the bracket filled with national powers. She managed to avoid any surprises this spring by dealing with trusted coaches and being persistent about the field.
“You get inundated with invitations to be in their tournament, but very few coaches will be open and honest with you about who exactly is in their tournament,” she said.
Bredbenner enjoys the luxury of playing No. 2 Oklahoma, the NCAA runner-up, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Kansas in weekend series or mid-week games. The Shockers open their home schedule against the Sooners on March 6.
“I think it’s probably the best team we’ve ever had here to play at Wilkins Stadium,” Bredbenner said.
The Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara are a preseason pick for fourth/fifth of nine teams in the Big West. They finished second in the conference last year and return their main arm, who was Freshman of the Year. Hawai'i, moving back to the Big West from the WAC this year, and Long Beach State are the powers in the conference.
The Grambling State Lady Tigers are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference where they are picked seventh of ten teams in the preseason poll. The preseason pick for first in the SWAC are Mississippi Valley State, a Saturday opponent of the Shocks. The Devilettes garnered eleven of the fifteen votes for first, and their players are the preseason picks for Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year.
The Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe are picked eighth of nine teams in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana-Lafayette are the five-time defending champions of the conference and have appeared in the WCWS in recent years.
The Shockers close out the weekend against the Lady Demons of Northwestern (LA) State. They are picked sixth of ten teams in the Southland Conference. Southeast Missouri State are also in this tournament, but the Shocks do not play them.
Below are the softball notes from Sully's Sunday column. It appears that this tournament achieves the goal stated in the first sentence.
Hide and seek — WSU starts its softball season Friday in the Mardi Gras Classic in Monroe, La. Second-year coach Kristi Bredbenner wanted to schedule a better blend of top teams and comparable opponents than in the past.
Last season, WSU traveled to tournaments at Baylor, Arizona State and Oklahoma.
WSU’s four 2013 tournaments aren’t as ambitious, although it will face No. 1 Alabama, defending national champion, in the Florida Gulf Coast Spring Tournament and Mississippi State in the Blues City Classic. The tournaments are filled with schools Bredbenner believes the Shockers, picked eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference, can compete with.
“We’ve got a pretty good mix,” Bredbenner said. “This is a realistic schedule for where we’re at. There are some tough games, but there are some games we need to win.”
Finding the right tournament can be a challenge. Some coaches prefer to keep their fields a secret so they don’t scare possible entrants off with a loaded schedule. Bredbenner didn’t want to sign up for tournaments and then find the bracket filled with national powers. She managed to avoid any surprises this spring by dealing with trusted coaches and being persistent about the field.
“You get inundated with invitations to be in their tournament, but very few coaches will be open and honest with you about who exactly is in their tournament,” she said.
Bredbenner enjoys the luxury of playing No. 2 Oklahoma, the NCAA runner-up, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Kansas in weekend series or mid-week games. The Shockers open their home schedule against the Sooners on March 6.
“I think it’s probably the best team we’ve ever had here to play at Wilkins Stadium,” Bredbenner said.
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