TECH HOSTING FALL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Golden Suns Softball will continue its fall non-championship portion of its schedule this weekend when its hosts a six-team Fall Bash Tournament at the Chartwells Women’s Sports Complex and also at Russellville’s Hickey Park on Saturday and then will face Carl Albert State College in a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m.

Tech, who finished last season with a program-best 41-17 record and won the school’s first-ever Gulf South Conference West Division Softball title, will open its tournament on Saturday against East Mississippi College at 9:30 a.m. and then will face Northern Oklahoma College at 1:30 p.m. and conclude the tournament at 3:30 p.m. against Eastern Oklahoma State. All of Tech’s games will be played the Chartwells Complex. Other teams participating in the tournament are Central Baptist College and Ouachita Baptist.

“We’re excited to be able to host a fall tournament this year at our new Chartwells Complex,” Golden Suns Softball Coach Gidget Pambianchi said. “I encourage everyone to come on out this weekend and watch us play.”

During the fall, college softball teams are allowed to practice and play outside competition, but the fall games that are held against four-year institutions count against a team’s 56 contest regular season spring schedule. Games against non-four year schools in the fall are not counted against a team’s allotment and are treated as scrimmages.

“All of the games we play during the fall will do nothing but help to prepare our team for the spring season,” said Pambianchi, the 2008 GSC Softball Coach of the Year. “The fall games, which are basically exhibition games, give the coaches a chance to look at who will make contributions to the team during the spring.”

In addition to hosting a tournament on Saturday, the Golden Suns are also participating in an Up Till Dawn fundraiser for cancer support and the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Tech players will be accepting donations and several items will be auctioned off during the tournament on Saturday.

“This is an idea that came straight from our team. They are extremely passionate about this cause,” the fourth-year Tech coach said. “They want to make a difference in people’s lives.”

In addition to playing four games at the Chartwells Complex, Hickey Park will host five games on Saturday as part of the Tech Fall Bash Tournament.

“We’re very thankful and appreciative to (Russellville High School Softball Coach) Harley Sisson for allowing us to use Hickey Park for our tournament this weekend,” the Tech coach added.

The complete Tech Fall Bash Tournament schedule is listed below.

Chartwells Complex

9:30 a.m. – Tech vs. East Mississippi College

11:30 a.m. – Central Baptist vs. East Mississippi College

1:30 p.m. – Tech vs. Northern Oklahoma College

3:30 p.m. – Tech vs. Eastern Oklahoma State

Hickey Park

9:30 a.m. – Ouachita Baptist vs. Eastern Oklahoma State

11:30 a.m. – Ouachita Baptist vs. Northern Oklahoma College

2 p.m. – Central Baptist vs. Eastern Oklahoma State

4 p.m. – Ouachita Baptist vs. East Mississippi College

6 p.m. – Central Baptist vs. Northern Oklahoma College

Other Tech Softball News:

*- The Golden Suns opened its fall non-championship season by picking up three wins on Sept. 27 at a tournament in Bossier City, La. At the tournament, Tech picked up a 9-8 win over Louisiana-Monroe and then defeated Louisiana Tech 2-1 behind a three-hit, six strikeout performance from junior pitcher Casey Hammons (Carthage, Texas) and earned 6-0 win over tournament host, Boosier Parish Community College. In the win over ULM, sophomore first baseman Tiphani Moon (Euless, Texas), junior third baseman Taylor Gates (Paris, Texas) and redshirt freshman pitcher/infielder Chelsea Riley (Atkins, Ark.) each hit home runs and in the win over Bossier Parish, junior Lyndsey McVay (Jonesboro, Ark.) and freshman Heather McAfee (Lawrenceville, Ga.) combined on a one-hit shutout.

-- Tech Athletics --