The Texas Tech softball team will hit the road for the first time in over a month, as they’ll travel to Clearwater, Florida for the USF The Game Tournament. The 21st ranked Red Raiders will play six games over five days, beginning Thursday morning at 10 a.m. against Colorado State. Texas Tech enters this week’s action with the top offense in the Big 12 Conference as the Red Raiders have posted a .410 batting average so far. The University of Texas has the next highest average at .337.

Meanwhile the weekly accolades keep piling up for the Red Raider softball team as Sandy James became the third-consecutive Texas Tech player to be named the Big 12 Player of the Week, as the sophomore joins Logan Hall and Cydney Allen as weekly accolade honorees. Prior to this season only four Texas players had earned Player of the Week honors.

The final two games of the new 68-team NCAA tournament format will be played tonight in Dayton. Texas-San Antonio will take on Alabama State followed by Southern California against Virginia Commonwealth. You can catch both of those game right here on 1340 the Fan beginning at 5:30.

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz will be teeing it up in the Nationwide Tour’s South Georgia Classic on a sponsor’s exemption. The tournament will be played April 28th through May 1st as the Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia. Smoltz previously had tried to qualify for the U.S. Open, but was unsuccessful. Also earlier this week, Pro Football Hall of Fame member Jerry Rice announced he will compete again in the Fresh Express Classic, a Nationwide Tour event being held April 14th through the 17th in the San Francisco area.

In other PGA news Tiger Woods has said will play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week at Bay Hill. Woods is a six-time winner at Bay Hill, including one stretch where he claimed four straight victories. He last won in 2009 with a dramatic birdie on the final hole, but did not defend his title last year while coping with the crisis in his personal life.

The 22nd ranked Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals basketball team is making their eighth consecutive trip to the NAIA Division I Women’s National Championship tournament, which began today. The Lady Chaps entered the tournament with an at-large bid, and received a 6 seeding. They will play their first round game Thursday morning at 9 a.m. against the 3rd seeded Columbia College out of Missouri. The Lady Chaps enter the tournament with a 21-9 over-all record, and they completed Sooner Athletic Conference play in third place, going 17-5.

Columbia College will also be making their eighth appearance in tournament with all eight trips having come within the past ten years.  The Cougars, qualified for the tourney as winners out of the American Midwest Conference Postseason Tournament, going undefeated in their conference at 18 and 0, and 28 and 5 overall. They have won 19 consecutive games, with their last loss coming on New Years Day.  The Lady Chaps and Cougars have never met prior to tomorrow’s contest. You can catch that game right here on 1340 the Fan following the conclusion of Sportsline beginning at 9 a.m.

Over in the NBA the Dallas Mavericks are back in action tonight after falling to third place in the Western Conference. The Mavericks will look to bounce back and avoid a third consecutive loss, when they wrap up their two game road trip against the Golden State Warriors. Dallas enters the contest at 47 and 20 overall while Golden State comes in at 30 and 37. Tip-off is set to get underway beginning at 9:30.

The Houston Rockets are also in action tonight looking to climb back above 500 hundred on the season as the Charlotte Bobcats come to town looking for their first three-game winning streak since January. Tip-off between the 34 and 34 Rockets and 28 and 38 Bobcats is set for 7:30 from the Toyota Center.

In NFL news Chad Ochocino will attempt to play a different kind of football during the NFL lockout as the Bengals receiver is set for a four-day try out with Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City starting on Tuesday. The club said after the tryout it would determine whether to extend the trail period of not.

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