Australian softball fans have been curious about the team from Texas who have made their way to Adelaide as part of their university's mission experience.

During an interview on the live stream of the Under 23 Women's National Championships at West Beach, East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) Athletic Director Ryan Erwin detailed a little bit about the university. Approximately 1700 students attend the campus with 40% of the student population included in the athletic program.

As part of the Tigers Athletic Mission Experience (TAME) every athlete across the ETBU's program gets the chance to go on an international trip. This year's softball TAME to Australia includes a squad of 30, with 8 support staff also making the journey. Trips are organised where the university can find healthy competition, and teams across the 27 sports supported by ETBU have travelled to China, Serbia, Nicaragua, Japan, the UK and more.

The NCAA Division III university was recently ranked in the top 20 softball colleges in the United States, and ETBU - located two hours east of Dallas - has been selected to host the NCAA 2023 Division III National Championship, a big honour and opportunity.

The Tigers first NCAA Championship came in 2010, and their team visiting Australia includes All-American team selections, shortstop Tristen Maddox and utility Delanie Loya.

ETBU have provided some fantastic competition for our U23 Women's Nationals teams, and remain undefeated in the tournament so far. They play their final game on Saturday against Victoria at 12:30PM ACDT and will then exit the tournament prior to finals.

You can follow the Tigers and their experience in Australia at the ETBU website or through the Tigers Softball Facebook Page.