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The travel ball event season is getting closer and closer by the day, to where we can now accurately say: “the first major tournament weekend of the Summer softball season is next month!”
That’s right… the 3rd Annual Battle at The Rock will run for two and half days in Little Rock, Arkansas, over Memorial Day Weekend—from Friday, May 26 through Monday, May 29, 2023—and that means we’re less than eight weeks away from this kickoff event which, historically, has seen teams come from multiple states due to its easy-to-reach geographic location.
Here are the basics…
- Event Title: 3rd Annual Battle at The Rock
- Event Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
- Age Divisions: 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U
- Dates: May 26-29, 2023
- Event URL: 3rd Annual Battle At The Rock (click on link)
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Extra Inning Softball caught up with Cindy Cowart, the CEO & President of Cowart Sports Events, producers of the event to learn more…
What makes the 3rd Annual Battle at The Rock Key unique and one that teams/players will enjoy attending?
We believe we offer the only truly competitive format as ALL our games require a winner.
The tournament itself is an all-competitive 5-game guarantee played in our signature CSE Power Bracket and all teams will be offered one non-binding optional exhibition game on Friday, May 26th with bracket play beginning Saturday May 27, 2023.
Who are some of the top teams to watch this year?
We once again have strong teams from top organizations like the Texas Glory, Texas Bombers, Texas Blaze, Tulsa Elite, Proformance Select, Arkansas FleX, Louisiana Bombers, USA Glory and many more.
What else about the format, facilities or other ingredients makes it attractive?
All games are regulation time and require a winner. Our signature Power Bracket is a 4-game guarantee format that contains NO POOL GAMES. It keeps equal competition together through “power” based matchups and future matchups.
This gives all teams the ability to come and compete at whatever experience level they play.
We also finish 12 teams per age group; therefore, on Sunday afternoon we have three championship games (per age group) battling it out for hardware.
Also, the facilities are top-notch, maintained well and we’ll have plenty of them allowing for a large number of teams to compete in and enjoy this tournament!
What are some fun things to do in the area when players are enjoying down time?
There’s a ton of great options for things to do with the family in Little Rock.
You’ll find traditional favorites like the Little Rock Zoo, mini-golf, bowling, splash pads and playgrounds alongside more modern favorites like escape rooms, gaming lounges and much more.
Nothing defines a city quite like its food, and Little Rock’s expansive menu of Southern cuisine, local restaurants, craft breweries, bars and cafés is what makes us the dining capital of Arkansas!
Along with the unique format, what else are you proud of that Battle at The Rock offers?
We at Cowart Sports Events (CSE) believe in family friendly pricing and stay away from Stay-to-Play.
Our one-of-a-kind format offers teams great value for their money and, additionally, this tournament will play by NCAA rules with some peripheral modifications.
Finally, tell us about the wonderful scholarship program you’re providing again this year…
We believe very strongly in not only in the production of high-quality events serving all types of athletes but feel the obligation to support the sport and the athletes who play it, which has given all of us so much and infinitely impacted our lives.
In that spirit, we are so proud to continue our CSE “Fastpitch Forever” College Scholarship.
We are choosing to earmark a portion of each entry fee to fund our scholarship program. All current or incoming high school seniors are encouraged to apply and— for the second year, $20 of each and every entry fee will go to support and create these financial gifts for the athletes that play this game.
Last season we were able to award four $2,000 scholarships to help these young women chase their dreams!
The beauty of this is the more teams that play with us each year, the more scholarships we can fund! We will award this year’s recipients at our 11th Annual Texas State Championship Event in College Station, Texas.
Our goal is to pay forward the life harvest of blessings that we have all been fortunate enough to reap and we are proud to be able to give back to the game that has given so much to all of us and to have the privilege of paying it forward to the next generation to perpetuate the future of fastpitch softball!