BENTONVILLE — Softball season? Already?
That can’t be right. A recent glance out any window would suggest otherwise, and a step outside lately would confirm that conditions are more favorable for snowballs than softballs.
The season is still about two weeks away for area high school teams, but not so much for the collegiate ranks. Arkansas opened its season last weekend in Las Vegas, while many of the state’s NCAA Division II schools started two weeks ago in various venues.
Softball will hit Northwest Arkansas in force this week. Arkansas will have its invitational tournament at Bogle Park, while Bentonville resumes its role Friday as host for the UAM 8-State Classic.
Arkansas-Monticello coach Alvy Early — father of Bentonville softball coach Kent Early and Rogers High girls basketball coach Preston Early — has turned this annual affair into the largest Division II tournament in the country. There will be 29 teams — 10 more than last year’s event — that will take the fields at the Tiger Athletic Complex and Memorial Park over during a five-day span.
This loaded field is headed by Central Oklahoma, the defending national champion and a unanimous preseason No. 1 pick in the NFCA Division II preseason poll. The Bronchos have eight starters back from a team that went 52-11 last year, and among those returnees are pitcher Kalynn Schrock (34-6 record, 1.69 ERA, 312 strikeouts over 265.2 innings) and second baseman Ally Dziadula (.355 average, 58 runs scored, five HR’s, 11 stolen bases, 21 RBIs).
Need additional reasons to attend this tournament? I’ll give you three:
- It serves as a homecoming for at least eight former Northwest Arkansas high school players. I haven’t checked all 29 team rosters, but I know three former area standouts — Ashlye Pool and Sara Wilson of Fayetteville and Shyanne Nichols of Gravette — are teammates at Northwestern Oklahoma.
Meanwhile, Kali Piha of Bentonville leads UAM with an early .571 batting average (4 of 7) with three RBIs through the Cotton Blossom’s first three games, while former Lady Tiger teammate Kate Lacina started in right field for Ouachita Baptist’s opener against Cameron. The others include Hannah Bender and Ashton Long of Springdale Har-Ber (now at Henderson State and Arkansas Tech, respectively) and Chloe Brown of Springdale High (Missouri Southern).
- It allows attendees to see signs of things still to come.
Bentonville also serves as the host for the Great American Conference tournament, which will be held May 1-3. In-state schools UAM, Ouachita, Henderson, last-minute addition Arkansas Tech and Harding — back into softball action for the first time since 1985 — will return to the area for that tournament, as will Northwestern Oklahoma, Southwestern Oklahoma and Southern Nazarene.
- It’s just good for the area’s economy.
In addition to the teams I’ve already mentioned, there are others from Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa staying in local hotels and partaking of area food, leaving their money right here.
Who knows? Maybe a little bit of softball is what we need to keep a little sunshine in the area and drive some of this winter weather away for a while.
HENRY APPLE IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR NWA MEDIA.