This past weekend on April 29 and 30, the Hardin-Simmons University softball team wrapped up its regular season.
They finished with an overall record of 27-13 and a conference record of 18-12. These numbers placed the Cowgirls in fourth place in the American Southwest Conference (ASC) rankings. There are 11 teams in the conference, but only the top eight are given a bid to the ASC tournament. Since the Cowgirls clenched 4th palace, they will be traveling to Cleveland, Miss., this week to compete for the title of ASC Champions.
The Cowgirls have an excellent chance at winning the tournament. In the ASC rankings, the three teams ahead of them are Mary-Hardin Baylor in third, East Texas Baptist University in second, and Belhaven in first. The Cowgirls won the series against UMHB and took one game away from ETBU during their regular-season games, so they have a good chance of kicking those two opponents out of the tournament.
Their most brutal battle will be Belhaven. They have played a total of 39 games and have only fallen to their opponents a total of five times. The Cowgirls never let daunting stats such as these discourage them, though. In last year’s ASC tournament, the Cowgirls came out with a fire lit underneath them and took out the top opponent Belhaven after being run-ruled by them in their regular-season games. The Cowgirls never back down from a battle, and they always go into the tournament ready to prove themselves as worthy opponents.
The Cowgirls will play their first game today, Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m. in Cleveland,. They will play the winner of the game between Sul Ross University and Letourneau University. The tournament will be streamed on the ASC website for viewing pleasure. The Cowgirls hope to make history this year and win the ASC tournament and then advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.