Published: March 25, 2009 09:50 pm      

No signs of slowing down

Area baseball teams continue busy stretch with weekend tourneys

Kyle Roberts knew his young Edmond Memorial squad would be in for some growing pains early in the season. And like many area teams, the ‘Dogs have had plenty of time to work things out this week. After just one day off, Memorial’s schedule only gets busier today when they head to Broken Arrow for the Tiger-Trojan Classic.

“It’s a really good test for us,” Memorial coach Kyle Roberts said. “We’re not playing real well right now, and it’s going to be a good opportunity to get back on track against some top quality teams in the state.”

Roberts said he’s not worried about a lack of talent, and believes a couple of wins this weekend could do wonders for the team.

“It’s hard to throw young kids in there and expect them to perform at the varsity level,” Roberts said. “ We’re in a slump and it could take a 2-1, 3-1 win to get rolling again.”

Memorial opens tournament play today against No. 19 Tulsa Memorial at 2:30 p.m. at Broken Arrow. The ‘Dogs will return to action Friday at Jenks, where they will face No. 8 Sand Springs at 5 p.m. and No. 16 Jenks at 7:30 p.m., weather permitting.

Joining the ‘Dogs in the tournament will be Santa Fe, which has enjoyed a strong start this season. The No. 2-ranked Wolves are coming off a few Edlam wins, and are in the midst of a six-game winning streak.

“We’re on a pretty good little streak of hitting the ball and winning some games, so that’s been pretty nice,” Santa Fe coach Lonny Cobble said.

Santa Fe kicks off the tournament tonight at Broken Arrow. They will take on Tulsa Memorial at at 5 p.m., and they will then tangle with No. 3 Broken Arrow at 7:30 p.m. The Wolves are then set to head to Jenks to take on the Trojans at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

All three Edmond teams will then head to AT&T Bricktown Ballpark on Sunday where they will battle the Moore schools for the Mayor’s Cup. Memorial and Moore will square off at 2 p.m., Santa Fe and Southmoore play at 4:30 p.m., and North and Westmoore will wrap things up at 7 p.m.

Pryor Tournament

The Deer Creek boys are also keeping a busy schedule as they head to the Pryor Tournament. The Antlers took the championship a year ago, which proved to be a major turning point for their state tournament run. And Deer Creek head coach Ron Moore is hoping for similar results this time around.

“When our kids go on the road we haven’t had to worry about them, they seem to come together a bit,” Moore said. “Last year, this tournament was kind of the first sign of what was possible for our team. We were still trying to figure out what kind of team we had and we went out and won it and came together and showed people what we’re capable of doing.”

The Antlers will get a look at several 5A teams on the east side of the state, including Skiatook and Miami, who they’ll face tonight, as well as Catoosa, Pryor, McAlester and Tahlequah.

Deer Creek will play Skiatook at 5 p.m. and close out the night with Miami at 7:30 p.m.

Christian Schools Round Robin Festival

The Oklahoma Christian School squad will make the trip to Mount St. Mary’s for the Christian Schools Round Robin Festival.

The Saints will play a pair of games on today, taking on Community Christian School at 12:30 p.m. and Mount St. Mary’s at 5:30 p.m. OCS is set to return Friday morning for a 10 a.m. game against Christian Heritage Academy.