Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational
2022 will start in the big city of Houston in the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational for this year’s softball team led by fifth year head coach Craig Nicholson and staff.
After finishing sixth in the conference last season, and winning 64 percent of their games, Coach Nicholson has a roster set up of a mix of all classifications ready to bat up for the three-day trip starting Feb. 4. Ten first-year students, 10 sophomores, four juniors, and three seniors are prepared for the season opener in the tournament against Harding.
“We’ve had a pretty good fall and have been back at it since the campus opened, and I felt like we got a lot done,” coach Nicholson said. “We are at a point now as a team where we need to play some games, and I think we are ready to go.”
The 55-game season is a significant jump from the 41 games played last season and LSC competition won’t start until March 4, and last year’s first-year standout, Kayla Gonzales, could not be more ready to get started on the road trip to Houston.
“I’m super excited and can’t wait to see how successful the team will be. We have a really talented team and we’re looking forward to getting the season started,” Gonzales said.
Senior Loren Kelly, a member of the LSC Championship team in 2019, also looks to move ahead and get back to the championship culture that Nicholson has brought to the softball field here at TAMUK.
“This weekend’s road trip to Houston, we’re looking for a strong start with a good outcome in the end,” Kelly said.
Kelly is a three time all conference player and has the most experience on the team, with this being her fifth season as a Javelina.
Due to weather, the match between School of Colorado Mines was cancelled as Texas is experiencing its second statewide freeze warning in two years, but coach Craig Nicholson and the softball team are expecting to come away with a victory against the opponents faced on the three-day road trip. The Javelinas will return from Houston after the last matchup on Feb. 6 against Central Missouri to prepare for the Portland Tournament in Portland, Texas, on Feb. 11.