Los Lunas — One of the surprise hits of 2023 returns to Los Lunas in the new year.
Southwest Regional Softball Showcase, with an expanded field of NCAA Division II schools, will be back Feb. 2-4.
News-Bulletin file photo
NCAA Division II softball teams will be on the Los Lunas diamonds in early February as the Southwest Regional Softball Showcase returns for a second year.
The Showcase moved to Los Lunas Sports Complex last year.
“They were very happy with the sports complex, the fields, the amount of people that came,” said Jorge Venegas, village of Los Lunas sports coordinator.
Eight teams from Colorado, Texas, Canada and New Mexico, including host Western New Mexico University, competed on two fields.
Venegas says that with the addition of a third field, two more schools are being added to the event.
Eastern New Mexico University and CSU Colorado Springs will join New Mexico Highlands, CSU Pueblo, Fort Lewis College, Adams State, University of Texas-Permian Basin, West Texas A&M, WNMU and Simon Fraser University from British Columbia, Canada.
News-Bulletin file photo
Venegas says the schools appreciate the central location in Los Lunas, which helps keep their costs down. The village doesn’t charge for the use of the fields and staff takes care of maintenance at the complex.
“It’s nice for them to be able to just show up and play,” Venegas says.
It’s also a win for local businesses and fans of fast pitch softball.
“We had great support from the locals who wanted to check out some NCAA Division II softball,” Venegas said.
Mike Powers spent more than 40 years as a television news and sports anchor, mostly in the Albuquerque market. He has won numerous awards including New Mexico Sportscaster of the Year. He covers a wide range of sports, including the Valencia County prep scene.
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April 25, 2024
