LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF
BY SPORTS EDITOR MITCH LUCAS
BASEBALL

Coaches, parents meet Thursday

Kilgore High School baseball coaches and parents will meet Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the field house beside Driller Park. All parents who are able are asked to attend.

The Diamond 'Dogs will begin the 2008 season, the second under head coach Jeff Blackstone, on Monday at Wills Point, a 6 p.m. first-pitch. The Bulldogs will head to Tyler to take part in the Rose City Classic next weekend, and the first home game here at Driller Park will be Tuesday, Feb. 26, against Bullard.

The Oil Belt Tournament will be played in its entirety here at Driller, and is set for Feb. 28 to March 1.

If you'd like to see KHS in one final tune-up before the season begins, you can come out to Driller on Friday afternoon for their scrimmage against Carthage, a 5 p.m. start.

The Bulldogs' junior varsity scrimmages at Carthage on Friday at 5, and opens its season at home Monday against Tyler Lee.

KBBA registration begins Saturday

Sign up for the 2008 season of the Kilgore Boys Baseball Association (KBBA) will begin Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the KBBA fields on Harris Street.

Registration is $75 per player. Children must be five years old before April 30, and should bring birth certificates to registration. Ages range from five through 14. It will be on Feb. 22 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., on the 23rd from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., and tryouts will be there on March 1, the time to be announced.

For more information on KBBA, call the KBBA office at (903) 984-4170, or e-mail kilgorebaseball@yahoo.com.

SOFTBALL

Lady 'Dogs in Lufkin Hudson tourney

The tournament at Lufkin Hudson is normally plagued by weather, and rain is in the forecast for the weekend. For the moment, though, coach Cassie Newell's Kilgore High School softball team is scheduled to take part in the tournament, which will begin Thursday with pool play.

Kilgore (0-1) plays at 11 a.m. Thursday morning against Kirbyville, and at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Hudson. The Lady 'Dogs will be back in action Friday morning at 9:45 a.m. against Corrigan, and if weather allows, will continue Friday afternoon and on Saturday.

KYSA registration begins Feb. 23

Registration for the spring season of the Kilgore Youth Softball Association (KYSA) will begin Saturday, Feb. 23, and will be held several days throughout the first portion of March.

Registration will be held at the sports complex on Highway 135 (that's also where games are played) at the red building. There is a registration fee of $75 per player, with discounts after registering two players from the same household.

The first registration day is Saturday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the sports complex. There are two more Saturday registration days: March 1 and March 8, from 10 until 6.

There are also a pair of mid-week registration days: Tuesday, Feb. 26 (from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.) and Tuesday, March 4 (from 4 p.m. until 6). There will be no late registration this year.

For more information on KYSA, contact Evelyn Stokes at (903) 984-8704, or see the KYSA website at kysakilgore.org.