Phil Hicks, phicks@tylerpaper.com

For the second consecutive year, and third time in program history, UT Tyler will host the American Southwest Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament.

The Patriot women, coached by Kevin Baker, earned the right by winning the ASC regular season championship.

The tourney gets underway on Thursday and continues through Saturday at the Herrington Patriot Center. The winner of the tournament gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Patriots are 24-1 overall and 19-1 in league play. They enter the tournament ranked No. 11 by D3Hoops.com and have won a team-record 19 consecutive games.

Senior Brittany King, the 2014 Tournament Most Valuable Player, returns to lead the Patriots’ run for their second ASC Tournament crown. UT Tyler is making makes its third consecutive tournament appearance and fifth overall.

Other teams entered include: No. 2 UT Dallas (21-4, 17-3), No. 3 Louisiana College (16-7, 13-7), No. 4 Howard Payne (15-10, 12-8), No. 5 Hardin-Simmons (12-14, 10-10), No. 6 Mary Hardin-Baylor (13-12, 9-11), No. 7 Concordia-Texas (9-15, 8-12) and No. 8 Ozarks (11-14, 7-13).

The tournament will tip off at noon Thursday as Louisiana College takes on Mary Hardin-Baylor, followed by Texas-Dallas facing Concordia-Texas at 2:30 p.m.

In the evening session, Howard Payne will face Hardin-Simmons at 5 p.m. and UT Tyler will play the late game at 7:30 p.m. against Ozarks.

The ASC Championship semifinals will be played Friday. The semifinals are slated for 5 and 7:30 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday.

Admission prices each day will be $5 for adults, $3 for college students (with current college ID), children and senior citizens. Tournament passes will not be available. Souvenir tournament T-shirts are $15, while official game programs are $2.

Tickets are available on game days at the Herrington Patriot Center main entrance or to purchase tournament tickets in advance call the Texas-Tyler ticket office 903-566-7105.

 

Softball players honored

Kristin Lopez and Alaina Kissinger were each recognized for their stellar performances last week by the ASC. Lopez was named Co-Hitter of the Week, while Kissinger was named Co-Pitcher.

Lopez, a junior from Houston and transfer from Navarro College, joined UT Dallas’ Margeaux Petrash as Co-Hitter of the Week after batting .625 with five hits in eight at-bats. She totaled seven runs scored, while leading the team with three home runs in five games. Lopez led the team with 15 total bases, and finished second with eight RBIs.

Kissinger, a sophomore from Telephone and a graduate of Sam Rayburn High School, joined UTD’s Sara Davison as ASC Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0, holding batters to a .040 batting average in eight innings pitched. She also tied for the team-lead in strikeouts with 11, pitching a complete game while allowing just one hit.

After seeing their doubleheader with Chapman (California) canceled, the Patriots (10-0, 6-0 ASC) hit the road Friday and Saturday, traveling to Brownwood to play Howard Payne. Games on Friday are scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m., while a single game on Saturday is slated for noon.

 

Baseball’s Bonnin earns award

Blake Bonnin has been named the American Southwest Conference Hitter of the Week after leading the Patriots to a 2-1 weekend record.

Bonnin, a sophomore from Baytown and transfer from West Texas A&M, helped the Patriots improve to 5-4 on the season, hitting .600 in three games against Sul Ross State in Alpine, scoring four runs while leading the team with six RBIs.

The Patriots are scheduled to return to play this weekend, hosting Mary Hardin-Baylor in a three-game series at Irwin Field. On Friday, a single game is set for 6:30 p.m., with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m.