Triple Crown in Oklahoma City features Texas Travelers

From May 29th to June 1st softball in Oklahoma and the world for that matter doesn’t get any better.  The College World Series is taking place during that time, but the Triple Crown OKC will also feature some of the top teams around the United States as well.

In addition to the 2015 ASA/USA National Championship Texas representative, Texas Travelers; Texas Heat 04 (Kingwood, Texas), Corinth Lady Tigers (Corinth, Mississippi), Twister’s Gold (Lee’s Summit, Missouri), Waco Heat (Waco, Texas), Texas Bombers (San Antonio, Texas), Texas Elite (McKinney, Texas), Heartland Havoc 04 (Milan, Illinois), Texas Stealth 04 (Pasadena, Texas), Oklahoma Steele (Stillwater, Oklahoma), Impact Gold (Brownfield, Texas), OC Batbusters (La Habra, California), Fury 04 (Ringgold, Georgia), Diamond Sports Hotshots Gold (Montgomery, Texas) and Texas Chaos (Texas City, Texas) will be competing in this prestigious tournament.  Most of these teams are preparing for their World Series or National Tournaments for the end of their year as the Texas Travelers are utilizing the tournament as they get ready to compete in the National Championships in Normal, Illinois.

The Texas Travelers will have their newest team member with them in Oklahoma City.  Coach Jordan Strickland, Baylor Bear softball legend and 2014 Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team selection will be making her coaching debut this weekend.  “I could not be more pleased to have Jordan join our coaching staff. She is a remarkable young woman with a great career, and an excellent role model for all of our girls to imitate” states, Head Coach of the Texas Travelers, Kyle Bennett.

The Texas Travelers will face the Heartland Havoc Saturday at 11:30 am and then the Texas Stealth at 1:15 pm both at Reeves Park in Norman, Oklahoma.  On Sunday they will face Oklahoma Steele at 8 am and then Impact Gold at 11:30 am.  Depending how the Travelers compete those two days will determine who and when they will play on Monday in single elimination bracket play.  Bracket play starts at 8 am with the championship game scheduled for 4:45 pm deciding who will be the Triple Crown OKC Champions.

The competition will be fierce, but the Texas Travelers support will be strong.  Good luck to all of the girls competing.

For more information on the Texas Travelers, players, coaches, or schedules visit the Texas Travelers News Network or follow the team on Facebook.  The Texas Travelers take pride in competing at the highest level possible for select softball.  They have earned the right to represent Texas in the 2015 ASA/USA National Championships in Normal, Illinois.

About ASA:

The Amateur Softball Association (ASA), a volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, OK, was founded in 1933 and has evolved into the strongest softball organization in the country. The growth and development of the association led the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to name the ASA the National Governing Body of Softball, pursuant to the Amateur Sports Act of 1978.

The ASA has many important responsibilities as the national governing body of softball in the United States, including regulating competition to insure fairness and equal opportunity to the millions of player who annually play the sport.  When the ASA entered the softball picture in 1933, the sport was in a state of confusion with no unified set of playing rules and no national governing body to provide guidance and stability. The ASA changed all that by adopting softball's first universally accepted rules of play and by organizing consistent and fair competition across the nation.

From this beginning, the ASA has become one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 74 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 200,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than four million.

Jordan Strickland helps coach the Texas Travelers Softball Team

College graduation for many graduates means looking for a job and making career decisions that better your lot in life.  It has been ingrained that we should graduate and find that company that will start helping us financially for the future.  There are a few, however, that understand they were blessed with a gift and look to share their fortunes and experience with others.

Jordan Strickland is one of those rare individuals who is looking to give back to others.  In fact, the Baylor Bear softball legend is giving her time and softball knowledge to a group of young, up-and-coming softball players by helping the 04 Texas Travelers as they are competing to become the 2015 ASA/USA National Champions when they play the tournament in Normal, Illinois.

Strickland’s softball accomplishments through her junior year at Baylor include the 2014 Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team, 2014 Second Team All-Big 12, 2014 First Team Academic All-Big 12, 2013 First Team Academic All-Big 12, Seven-Time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll Selection, and Two-time Baylor Dean’s List Selection.

As a junior, the 5’8” shortstop played in all 65 games and started 64 of them.  Her batting average was .291 and led the team in home runs with 14 while tying for the team lead with Linsey Hays at 49 RBI’s.  Her 14 home runs her junior season were tied for the fifth-best single-season total in school history.  In addition to having power at the plate, she only struck out 17 times which was the fewest among the Bears who had at least 161 at bats.  Jordan scored 30 runs, hit 10 doubles and stole three bases.  She posted a fielding percentage of .921 and was second on the team with 73 assist being named Big 12 Player of the Week twice.  The Baylor Bear inspirational team leader tied a Women’s College World Series record by hitting two home runs in a win over Florida State and finished the postseason with nine RBI’s, three home runs and hitting .413.  She is Baylor’s all-time leader in postseason hits and batting average.

Shortstop is often considered to be the most important position on a softball field.  They are expected to cover more ground and make more split second plays than arguably any other position on the softball diamond.  For four years, Jordan Strickland has lived up to these expectations.  “I’ve always felt the shortstop is the position of leadership,” Strickland said. “If you’re not a leader in other aspects of the team, it’s very important for me to be a leader out there and lead the infield and be a voice. I want to give all I have and show leadership by example.”

“I could not be more pleased to have Jordan join our coaching staff.  She is a remarkable young woman with a great career, and an excellent role model for all of our girls to imitate” states, Head Coach of the Texas Travelers, Kyle Bennett.  Jordan will be working with the infielders primarily, but more importantly sharing her experiences on and off the field with the impressionable young softball players.

She will make her coaching debut with the Texas Travelers during the Triple Crown Series held in Oklahoma ironically during the same time the College World Series will be taking place.  “I am happy to be part of the Texas Travelers organization.  They are a select softball team with a rich tradition.  They don’t just care about winning.  Winning is nice, but the organization is looking at helping these girls prepare for the game of life.  In addition to helping the girls play for their varsity teams in high school and even at the college level when the time comes; they are teaching girls important life lessons which will carry them much further after softball is over” adds Strickland.

Jordan’s season came to an unceremonious end this season as Louisiana-Lafayette beat the Baylor Bears in 6 innings of a two-game series.  The Lady Bears had to win three games Sunday, May 17th, and after beating Mississippi State in game one, Louisiana-Lafayette in game two, but fell short falling the last game to the Regional host.  It wasn’t how Jordan planned to finish her career at Baylor, but don’t worry about her.  Great things will continue to happen, and starting with the Texas Travelers; she will be helping a lot of young girls on her new path.

For more information about the Texas Travelers, Jordan Strickland, or any of the players and game updates visit The Texas Travelers News Network Site or follow the 04 Texas Travelers on Facebook.