Sunday wrapped up the Texas Bombers Exposure Weekend with plenty of pool games for all the participating teams. Games started at 8:00 AM Sunday morning and ran until 5:00 PM. FloSoftball streamed 35 games today, and all the games will be archived this week for FloPRO members to log in and watch!



Watching the competitiveness of the Sunday games, you wouldn’t know that these are just pool play games in a showcase. The players and coaches competed, strategized, and played to win even without there being a championship on the line. One umpire mistakingly tried to call a game five minutes before the time limit and a coach made sure to let him know that his team was going to play until the end! 



With almost 50 coaches from colleges all over the country, the Texas Bombers Exposure Weekend was where you wanted to be if you’re an uncommitted player. It seemed as though everywhere you turned there was a group of college coaches, sharing notes and insights into players. Other than the players and the event, the big discussion among college coaches was recruiting. The subject surfaced at the coaches social last Saturday night and continued throughout the day Sunday. 

Many coaches expressed concern with the increasingly popular trend of verbally committing at a young age, sometimes as young as 13! One coach from a well-known program described the recruiting process as an “arms race,” while another found it to be a catch 22 — they don’t necessarily want to offer to an eighth-grader, but if they don’t someone else will. I was speaking with two other coaches who were discussing possible solutions, and one coach offered a suggestion made by a baseball coach friend of his, “If a player decommits, she loses that year of eligibility, and if a coach retracts an offer, the program loses that scholarship.” Who knows if that solution would ever even be considered by the NCAA but it could alleviate some of the concerns many coaches have about the current recruiting landscape. 

Other than the pool play games, the highlight of Sunday was the ceremony the Texas Bombers had for their fallen soldiers program. The Bombers organization, including 50 teams in Texas, Arizona, and Louisiana, had partnered with “4 the Fallen” a foundation out of Washington for wounded soldiers. From that partnership came the Bombers’ “Jersey Awareness” program, which entails players choosing soldiers from their hometown who were killed in battle and donning the soldier’s name on the back of their jersey. Once the season concludes, players present the jerseys to the soldiers loved one, sometimes doing so at a formal ceremony. The Bombers as an organization have already dedicated over 1,000 jerseys. 


Several Texas Bombers teams line the field during the "4 the Heroes" ceremony Sunday at the Texas Bombers Exposure Weekend

As the head of the Bombers organization, Scott Smith, explained, “the Bombers decided they wanted to do something more, something bigger to honor fallen and wounded soldiers.” So during today’s ceremony, Smith and the Bombers announced the beginning of their own foundation, known as “4 the heroes.” Before the 9:30 AM games, the Bombers invited all teams onto the field to honor PFC. William L. Edwards, presenting his parents with his jersey worn by Texas Bomber Kelbi Fortenberry (2016, Texas A&M). Smith, an Army veteran himself, explained the three layers to the new “4 the Heroes” foundation.


Kelbi Fortenberry honored PFC William L Edwards this past season and presented his jersey to his parents at the "4 the Heroes" ceremony Sunday

 “The first layer is the Jersey Awareness program that we started with ‘4 the Fallen.’ We’ll continue that as well as begin our ‘Woods and Water’ program,” Smith said. “You know all of us Texans like to hunt and fish, so with ’Woods and Water’ we’ll take wounded veterans on hunting or fishing trips. We already have more trips scheduled than we know what to do with, and we’re hoping to bring in professional athletes or local country artists to be a part of it.” The last piece to the Bombers “4 the Heroes” foundation is what Smith called the “Veterans Awareness” fund that serves to raise money for the families of soldiers killed in combat. 


Scott Smith and the Bombers organization announced their new foundation "4 the Heroes" Sunday at the Texas Bombers Exposure Weekend

The Texas Bombers Exposure Weekend is more than just a recruiting event — though it may be one of the best and most unique showcases out there for both the players and the coaches. This weekend is about players, parents, and coaches bonding around the sport they love while honoring those who have given their lives in service to their country. It is a truly unique and uplifting event that FloSoftball has been proud to be a part of and wishes continued success.