The Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team, back-to-back State champions of Arkansas, figure to open the 2015 MidSouth Regional Tournament at Hendrix College in Conway against League City, Texas, which captured its State title Thursday night. The teams will meet at 4:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Aug. 5, on the opening day of the Regional. (The officially filled-in brackets have yet to be released.)
League City won the three-team Texas State tournament with an 18-2 victory over the Texarkana, Texas, Bulldogs on Thursday. They’d opened the tournament by besting the Bulldogs, 18-5, then defeating Pecos 8-4.
Bryant, 36-7-2, won the eight-team Arkansas tourney with a 5-2 win over Fort Smith on Tuesday at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Sox advanced past Cabot, 4-2; Jonesboro, 11-9 (in 11 innings); and Texarkana, Ark., 9-8.
Six of the eight entrants in the Regional are set. Along with Bryant, League City and host Conway, the teams unofficially include the Oklahoma champion Southwest Shockers of the Lawton area; perennial powers Retif Oil of New Orleans, the Louisiana champion and the Tupelo 49ers, the Mississippi champion. The Missouri State champion will be determined on Saturday at a tournament in Sedalia. The Kansas champion will be crowned in McPherson on Sunday.
After games on Thursday at the Kansas state tournament, Ottawa and McPherson had won their way to the winners’ bracket final to be played this evening. In the losers’ bracket today, Newton was set to face Great Bend while Emporia takes on Wichita.
In Missouri, Fike of Blue Springs and Washington will play in the winners’ bracket final tonight. Springfield Hillcrest takes on Manchester in the losers’ bracket.
The Black Sox advanced to the championship round of the 2014 Mid-South Regional as the last unbeaten team but, in gut-wrenching fashion, lost twice to Columbia, Tenn., in the final round, denying them their first trip to the American Legion World Series since 2007 and just the second ever by a Bryant team.
Incidentally, Texas competed in another Regional last year but has be reassigned to the MidSouth this year while the Tennessee entry has been moved.
Here’s the updated unofficial brackets for the Regional:
2015 MIDSOUTH REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
Senior American Legion
At Warrior Field, Hendrix College, Conway
Wednesday, Aug. 5
Game 1 — Missouri champion (Aug. 1, Sedalia, Mo.) vs. Southwest Shockers of Lawton (Oklahoma champion), 9:30 a.m.
Game 2 — New Orleans Retif Oil (Louisiana champion) vs. Kansas champion (Aug. 2, McPherson, Kansas)
Game 3 — League City (Texas champion) vs. Bryant Black Sox (Arkansas champion), 4:30 p.m.
Game 4 — Tupelo 49ers (Mississippi champion) vs. Conway (host)
Thursday, Aug. 6
Game 5 — Game 1 loser vs. game 3 loser, 9:30 a.m.
Game 6 — Game 2 loser vs. game 4 loser
Game 7 — Game 1 winner vs. game 3 winner, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 2 winner vs. game 4 winner
Friday, Aug. 7
Game 9 — Game 6 winner vs. game 7 loser, 12 p.m.
Game 10 — Game 5 winner vs. game 8 loser, 3:30 p.m.
Game 11 — Game 7 winner vs. game 8 winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 8
Game 12 — Game 9 winner vs. game 11 loser, 2 p.m.*
Game 13 — Game 10 winner vs. game 11 winner, 6 p.m.*
Sunday, Aug. 9
Game 14 — Game 12 winner vs. game 13 winner, 2 p.m.**
Game 15 — if necessary***
*Pairings for Game 12 and 13 will not match previous opponents against each other unless absolutely necessary.
**If three teams remain after game 13, the winner of game 11 automatically draws a bye for game 14.
