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The UT Dallas baseball team is returning to the American Southwest Conference post-season after a one-year hiatus this weekend, travelling to Abilene to meet Hardin-Simmons University in a best-of-three first round series.
UTD (25-15) enters the eight-team tournament as the No. 3 seed out of the ASC East Division after finishing divisional play with a 12-6 record. Hardin-Simmons (24-16) is the ASC West Division's No. 2 seed.
The Comets will open their series at HSU Friday night at 6 pm with a second game scheduled for 2 pm Saturday. A third game, if necessary would follow 30 mins. after the conclusion of Game 2. The games will be broadcast live on Radio UTD.
In the other first-round series, East Division champion Mississippi College (23-14) will host West Division No. 4 seed Mary Hardin-Baylor (22-15), East No. 2 UT-Tyler (32-8) will host West No. 3 seed McMurry (24-15, and West champion Texas Lutheran (28-12) will host East No. 4 seed University of the Ozarks (17-22).
The four first-round winners will advance to a double-elimination tournament next weekend (May 1-3), hosted by the highest seeded East Division team remaining in the playoffs.
The trip marks UTD's sixth trip to the ASC post-season in the eight-year history of the program. The Comets have never won an ASC title, but played in the championship game of the tournament in both 2004 and 2006. UTD missed the ASC post-season for the first time last spring, finishing fifth in the ASC East standings with a 13-10 conference mark.
The Comets enter the tournament as one of the top offensive teams in the ASC. The team has already established new team records for season home runs (72), slugging percentage (.559) and runs per game (9.27). UTD's 72 home runs ranks first in the nation among NCAA Division III schools while the slugging percentage ranks seventh.
The trio of 3B Cody Ross (.429, 14 HR), OF Jared Smith (.364, 19 HR) and C/DH Adam Hudec (.400, 6 HR) have combined for 81 extra-base hits and 160 RBI. Smith has already set UTD team records for career and single-season home runs.
Pitching has been inconsistent for the Comets all season (6.43 team ERA), but relievers such as Adam Spinn, Jonathan Reeder, Brandon Dinwiddie and others have been extremely effective over the past 2-3 weeks.
Hardin-Simmons and UTD have played twice this season with the Cowboys winning a game early in the season, 4-3; then the Comets taking a 11-9 slugfest last week. The Cowboys bring a similar look with a .321 team batting average and 6.95 team ERA.
In the six seasons that the Comets have qualified for the ASC post-season, UTD has only been knocked out in the first round one time. In 2005, it was HSU that eliminated the Comets with a 2-1 series win in Abilene.
This is the 13th year of the ASC Baseball Championship Tournament. The West Division has produced the ASC champion 11 times with Mississippi College winning the only title for an East Division team in 2003. The hosting rights for the Championship Round rotate each year between the East and West Division's top remaining seed.
2009 AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SERIES
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-3 Series; Winners advance to Championship Round)
April 24-25 (Friday-Saturday)
[East #4] Ozarks (17-22) @ [West #1] Texas Lutheran (28-12)
Katt-Isbel Field / Seguin, Texas
Game 1: Friday, 2 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, 30 minutes after Game 2
[West #3] McMurry (24-15) @ [East #2] Texas-Tyler (32-8)
Irwin Field / Tyler, Texas
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, 30 minutes after Game 2
[East #3] Texas-Dallas (25-15) @ [West #2] Hardin-Simmons (24-16)
Hunter Field / Abilene, Texas
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, 30 minutes after Game 2
[West #3] Mary Hardin-Baylor (22-15) @ [East #1] Mississippi College (23-14)
Frierson Field / Clinton, Mississippi
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, 30 minutes after Game 2
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CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
(Double Elimination)
May 1-3 (Friday-Saturday-Sunday)
Hosted by East Division's Top Remaining Seed (Times TBA)
FRIDAY, MAY 1
Game 1: Winner UO/TLU Series vs. Winner McM/UT TYLER Series
Game 2: Winner UTD/HSU Series vs. Winner UMHB/MC Series
SATURDAY, MAY 2
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
SUNDAY, MAY 3
Game 6 (Championship): Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
If necessary, Game 11: 30 minutes after Game 10
