RICHARDSON, TX (04.24.17) - The No. 16-ranked UT Dallas softball team will open the 2017 American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament at 10 a.m. Thursday when the Comets square off with Concordia Texas in the opening round at Suddenlink Field on the campus of Texas-Tyler.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

The Comets (32-8, 24-6 ASC) earned the No. 3 seed in this year's event after setting new school records for overall wins and league victories this spring. UTD is making its fourth trip to the ASC Tournament in the past five seasons and seventh postseason trip in program history.

UTD will be heading to the playoffs riding a school-record 12-game winning streak after sweeping its final four ASC series of the regular season. The Comets enter the postseason as the third-best offense in the conference, sporting a .335 team batting average, and rank fourth in the ASC with a 2.18 team earned average.

The Comets will play the first game of the tournament Thursday morning when they meet sixth-seeded CTX (19-21, 12-18 ASC). UTD swept the season series against Tornados, outscoring CTX 32-6 in the three at the UTD Softball Field, Apr. 7-8. With a win against CTX, the Comets would play again at 4 p.m. Thursday against No. 2 seed East Texas Baptist. A loss would send UTD to the loser's bracket where the Comets would return to action at 1 p.m. Friday. Full tournament schedule below.

Reigning NCAA Division III National Champion Texas-Tyler (37-2) hosts the ASC Tournament the third straight season after claiming regular-season crown with a 28-2 league mark. Defending ASC champion ETBU (33-6) was second in the standings at 25-5, one a game ahead of the Comets. Mary Hardin-Baylor (26-14, 20-10 ASC) is the No. 4 seed and Louisiana College (24-15, 18-12 ASC is the No. 5 seed.

Sophomore outfielder Melissa Livermore leads the Comets and ranks third in the ASC with a .449 average in addition to ranking second in the league with a team-best 41 stolen bases this spring. Livermore is already the UTD single-season and career steals record, with 97 in her two seasons, and is on pace to shatter the ASC career mark as a junior next season. Junior outfielder Stefanie Polderman is second on the squad, sixth in the ASC, at .430, while senior outfielder Brittany Perkins is third on the team at .360, leading the squad in both home runs (8), doubles (9) and runs batted in (43).

In the circle, the Comets boast three starters who rank among the top 10 in the ASC in ERA. Senior Sara Davison is tops on the squad at 1.64, posting a 5-3 record this spring. Fellow senior Lauren McLeod is 16-1, ranking second in the ASC in victories, with a 2.24 ERA and sophomore Allie Stephens is ninth in the conference at 2.40, boasting an 11-4 mark.

The Comets are 8-12 in their previous six trips to the ASC Tournament, still looking for the program's first-ever conference title. UTD finished as tournament runner-up in 2004 and placed third last spring.

Daily Admission for the event is $5 for adults and $3 students and senior citizens. By ASC policy, no pets – leashed or unleashed – are permitted within the confines of Suddenlink Field. Only properly marked and certified assistance animals are allowed. 
 

2017 American Southwest Conference Softball Championship Tournament
Tyler, Texas | Suddenlink Field | Hosted by University of Texas at Tyler

Thursday, April 27
Game 1: #3 Texas Dallas vs. #6 Concordia Texas, 10 a.m.
Game 2: #4 Mary Hardin-Baylor vs. #5 Louisiana College, 1 p.m.
Game 3: #2 East Texas Baptist vs. Winner Game 1, 4 p.m.
Game 4: #1 Texas-Tyler vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.

Friday, April 28
Game 5: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 29
Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 2 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 5 p.m.

Sunday, April 30
Game 11: If Needed, Game 10 teams, 1 p.m.