It is not like they were nomads last year. But the members of The University of Memphis softball team, a second-year program, did have to travel to another state to play their home games. Greenbrook Park in Southaven, Miss. housed the Lady Tigers for a season and a half until the team moved to its permanent residence at the Park Avenue Campus March 24.
In front of a capacity crowd, the Lady Tigers celebrated the ceremonial grand opening of the UM Softball Complex on Saturday as it played host to Tulsa. The facility cost $1.7 million but will not be fully completed until the end of the summer.
U of M President Dr. Shirley Raines was on hand to throw out the first pitch.
"It was funny to see her warm up," said Kara Ross, senior first baseman who leads the club in hitting with a .324 average. "She didn't do the windmill windup."
More importantly, Ross said it is nice to no longer have to leave Tennessee just to practice.
"It was so annoying," she said. "I couldn't stand it. You had to rush and leave 30 minutes before you had to be there just to make it on time."
The field and bleachers have been ready since Memphis played its first game in the complex against Houston on March 24. However, the scoreboard will be added to the park this week and work is still being done to the locker rooms and outside of the stadium.
"Just to have a place to call home is great," said Coach Windy Thees. "Having a place close to campus that is as beautiful as this place is wonderful. My favorite part is the synthetic dirt. It's waterproof so it won't get muddy when it rains. That can be a big help in Memphis during the rainy season."
In addition to the dirt and aesthetics, the new complex will also mean a great deal in terms of recruiting and helping the program grow, Thees said.
Memphis finished 2006 with a 28-26 overall record, missing the Conference USA tournament by half a game. This season the Lady Tigers are on the rise with a record of 23-15 but have struggled in league play at 3-8.
Fifth-place Tulsa swept a three game series from the Lady Tigers this weekend and spoiled the grand opening of the UM Softball Complex with an 8-5 win. Memphis ace Jenna Kubesch has a 2.89 ERA this season to go with a 14-7 record, but the senior allowed five runs on nine hits in two-and-a-third innings on the mound in the loss on Saturday.
In a double-header Friday, the Lady Tigers committed a combined six errors en route to dropping both games.
"They hit our pitchers very well," Ross said. "There were mental and physical errors in the field. We didn't get the job done and that includes myself. I hate the excuse of being a second-year program. The girls on our team are not second-year players. Most of us have 14 years or more of experience."
Memphis will need to regroup quickly as the team will face No. 1 ranked Tennessee (43-2 overall, 14-2 SEC) today in Knoxville. The Lady Vols finished third in the Women's College World Series two years ago.
"We're going out there like we have nothing to lose," Ross said. "We have no other choice. They've done things we want to do, but they're just another opponent. We don't consider them softball gods. They're our peers. We've played them before and did pretty well."
