Sallisaw, Vian in Spring Break tournaments

The Sallisaw Black Diamonds and the Vian Wolverines are the two local baseball teams spending Spring Break Week in tournaments.

The Black Diamonds are halfway through their four-day, four-game stay in the 2025 Southeast Shootout. After playing games Monday in Hugo and Tuesday in Broken Bow, they will meet sub-host Valliant tonight and finish up with a Thursday afternoon game against Hartshorne in Battiest.

Believe it or not, the Wolverines will play in the three-day Ripley Tournament beginning Thursday with back-to-back games against the Ripley junior varsity at 3:45 p.m. and against Sterling at 6 p.m. in Ripley.

How they fare in those two pool-play games will determine who and when they will play the rest of the week in bracket play.

OTHER TOURNAMENTS ON THE HORIZON

Next week, there will be five key tournaments taking place at the end of next week, three of them being baseball ones.

The Sallisaw Black Diamonds will be in the Tiger/Zebra Classic, which will take place in both Pryor and Claremore beginning March 27.

Also taking place March 27-29 will be the remaining tournaments, three of which that will take place in our own backyards.

The Roland Wood Bat Tournament will be March 27-29.

If you want action at both the baseball and softball fields, and won’t have to park but in one location, then you will need to be at Eual Carter Sports Complex in Webbers Falls as both the Warriors’ and Lady Warriors’ three-day tournaments will be March 27-29.

I’ll publish all four tournament brackets/schedules in next Wednesday’s edition.

Also, the Central Lady Tigers will be in the Porum Festival on Monday and Tuesday. I’ll publish the schedule in Friday’s edition.

GORE PIRATES MEETING DEWEY ON THURSDAY NIGHT AT BRICKTOWN

Last month, the Arkansas Razorbacks played in the College Baseball Series at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas — the home of the Texas Rangers.

The Gore Pirates will be making such a journey on Thursday as they will meet the Dewey Bulldoggers at 7 p.m. at Oklahoma City’s Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

“I have a good friend of mine from Dewey that we played college baseball together, (Dewey baseball coach) Riley Allen,” Gore baseball coach Tyler Lewis said. “He got in contact with me and asked me if we would be interested (in playing his team at Bricktown). I got with some of the parents, players and administration, and they thought it would be a good idea. We got it scheduled.”

Getting to play at a facility where major professional baseball is played, as Bricktown Ballpark is the home of the Oklahoma City Comets, the Triple A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has got everyone excited.

“Our boys can’t wait,” Lewis said. “I think this is one of the big reasons we and our community wanted to do it, to give them the experience and something they will remember for as long as they’re alive.”

Still, it is a business trip as the goal for Class A’s Pirates is to knock off Class 3A’s Bulldoggers.

“We have a lot of hopes and goals this season,” Lewis said. “All those hopes and goals will depend on winning games. Everyone one of them counts. Even though the experience is big, winning the game is the reason we’re making the trip.”

SPRING SPORTS GUIDE PUBLISHING MARCH 28

The 2025 Spring Sports Guide, which will have the spring sports teams’ photographs, schedules and rosters, will publish March 28.

We will be needing help with these, or at least letting me know when I can come out for team photographs/headshots.

Monday will be the deadline to get the team photographs.

My contact information is listed at the end of this column.

WEEK 2 HITTING HIGHLIGHTS

Gore’s Tate Brooksher hit a grandslam home run in Thursday’s win over Barnsdall in the Dewar Baseball Festival.

Vian’s Draighton Fletcher hit two homers last week, one each against Wagoner on Thursday and Saturday against Gore in the Dewar Baseball Festival.

Sallisaw’s Brodie Cameron hit a two-run homer in the road win over Tulsa Metro Christian on March 11.

Central Lady Tiger Brenleigh Allen had six hits last week, which included a double.

Vian Lady Wolverine Halli Russell was 6-for-10 last week, with a double.

Webbers Falls Lady Warrior Bridgette Baer had eight hits last week, including a double and a triple.

SCHEDULE BASEBALL

TODAY

Sallisaw at Valliant, Southeast Shootout, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY

Sallisaw vs. Hartshorne, Southeast Shootout, at Battiest, 1:30 p.m.

Charleston, Ark., at Roland, 4:30 p.m.

Vian at Ripley Tournament, vs. Ripley JV, 3:45 p.m. and vs. Sterling, 6 p.m.

Gore vs. Dewey, at Oklahoma City’s Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

Muldrow at Siloam Springs, Ark., 5 p.m. Vian at Ripley Tournament, TBA.

SATURDAY

Vian at Ripley Tournament, TBA.

MONDAY

Sallisaw at Idabel, 3 p.m.

Webbers Falls at Gans, 4 p.m.

Warner at Vian, 4:30 p.m.

Red Oak at Gore, 4:30 p.m.

Muldrow at Stigler, 5 p.m.

Central at Cameron, 4 p.m.

TUESDAY

Idabel at Sallisaw, 3 p.m.

Stigler at Muldrow, 5 p.m.

Haskell at Vian, 4:30 p.m.

Roland at Cameron, 4 p.m.

Gore at Wilburton, 4:30 p.m.

Webbers Falls at Keota, 4 p.m.

SOFTBALL

MONDAY

Vian at Muldrow, 4:30 p.m.

Okay at Gore, 5:45 p.m.

Keota at Webbers Falls, 4:30 p.m.

Central at Porum Festival, TBA.

Gans at Cameron, 5:45 p.m.

TUESDAY

Oaks at Gans, 4:30 p.m.

Gore and Okay at Webbers Falls, 4 p.m. (Arkoma vs. Webbers Falls, 4 p.m.; Gore vs. Webbers Falls, 5:15 p.m.; Gore vs. Webbers Falls, 6:30 p.m.)

Central at Porum Festival, TBA.

Vian at Warner, 4:30 p.m.

Gore and McCurtain at Cameron, 5 p.m. (Gore vs. Cameron, 5 p.m.; Gore vs. McCurtain, 6:15 p.m.)