Golden Eagle softball team faces five tough tests at Cathedral City Classic
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech softball team (5-4) is on
the west coast this weekend to play five first-time opponents in
the Cathedral City Classic. The tournament is considered one of the
premiere Division I softball tournaments in the country, with 13
teams ranked in the Top 25 participating.
Tech opens play Thursday with a pair of games against Texas (5-3)
and Oregon State (5-4). All five foes on Tech's tourney schedule
bring winning records into the event, and all five played last year
in the NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Eagles, winners of their last two games, will open play
Thursday with a game against the Texas Longhorns, starting at 3
p.m. CST. It's the first meeting between Tech and Texas; the Golden
Eagles played at the Texas softball stadium in the 2005 NCAA
Tournament, but never met the Longhorns. Texas, picked to finish
fourth in the Big 12 Conference, fell out of the Top 25 poll last
week for the first time since 2004.
The second game of the day Thursday puts Tech against Oregon State
for the first time. The Beavers received votes for the most recent
Top 25 poll, and are listed 31st.
Tech's schedule continues Friday with games against Loyola
Marymount (3-2) at 5 p.m. CST, and a contest against UC Santa
Barbara (5-4) at 10 p.m. CST. It's the first meeting for Tech
against both the Lions and the Gauchos.
The final game of the tournament for coach Tory Acheson's squad is
Saturday night when Tech faces Brigham Young (6-5) in a 10 p.m.
contest.
