ABILENE, Texas – The McMurry Esports program began the 2020-21 season on Sept. 29 and are three weeks into the new campaign.

Throughout this season, the McMurry University sports information department will periodically review the results from its Overwatch, Valorant, Rocket League and League of Legends teams via bi-weekly recaps. For this week's edition, we will review the first three weeks of the season.

"The team synergies are a million times better than last year, solely based on the fact that they have re-learned how to play these games as part of a team compared to just playing as an individual," said second year McMurry Esports Coach Matt Tarpley. "We now have the basics down of communicating as a team and learning to play with each other's strengths and weaknesses. These games change constantly, and it takes a different mindset to be able adapt and succeed. Our new Valorant team is a perfect example of how a team can synergize quickly with pre-existing experience and communication that they are bringing in from our other team environments." 
 

Valorant

McMurry's newest addition to the esports program, Valorant, has wasted no time making an impact. The team owns a perfect 3-0 record to open the season, boasting wins against East Central University, Texas A&M San Antonio and Wayland Baptist. McMurry is alone at the top of its five-team division standings.

Furthermore, the War Hawks have yet to lose a point, winning each of their three games by 2-0 sweeps. The debut match for the Valorant team was not easy, as McMurry fought off East Central with two clutch wins, 13-11 and 13-9.

This year's captains are Seven Wilber (SHADOW7) and Dustin Ledesma (INTØCABLE), who also double as commentators during the Rocket League and Overwatch matches for Twitch TV.

"It feels great, considering our expectations coming into the year were very low as a new team," said Ledesma. "Now that we have a chance to go 4-0 and win the division, we're even more high-spirited and are always thinking about what the next move is. We have faith in our team that we can compete with just about anyone."

Rocket League

The Rocket League team opened the season with a 3-0 win over Campbellsville University, as McMurry looks to make its second straight playoff appearance in 2020-21. Furthermore, the Rocket League War Hawks will begin competition in the Collegiate Star League (CSL) this upcoming week.

Despite the early win, the team has lost four straight and own a 1-4 record against tough competition. The team's most recent game came against the University of Missouri, who is a GrandMaster+ rated team. McMurry went toe-to-toe with Mizzou in the first two games, but were edged in close matches before falling victim to a 3-0 sweep.

This year's Rocket League roster returns two of its three players, team captain Logan Herring (PHOENIX^-^) and fellow junior Robert Samudio (RAINBOWSPRIMKLE), who were instrumental in the team's success last season. The third member of the team is junior Christian Bryant (DAFLAMESROCK), who plays men's soccer at McMurry and brings his soccer experience to the virtual world.

Overwatch

The Overwatch team has struggled out of the game with one official win so far, defeating Texas A&M San Antonio via forfeit. The Overwatch War Hawks are 1-4 in the standings.

Despite the record, the team has had some notable rounds, including three very close rounds in its last match against West Virginia University Tech. The team has been shorthanded at times and have had to change players in various roles throughout the season.

"We're playing against some teams with a lot of experience, but we're doing a lot better and growing as a team," said junior Gabriel Munoz (NECROSHADE). "A lot of our players are making a tough transition from console to PC, but we are practicing and working hard to get better. The NACE also presents a tougher environment compared to casual gaming, so that's been an adjustment. I think we still have a long way to go, but we're seeing the small victories and getting a little bit better each game. It's the little goals that will help us get to the big goals."

The Overwatch team is captained by junior Alexis Long (LEXOFRIVIA) and freshman Will Ash (VORTEX) and will have four regular season games remaining.

Up Next

The Valorant team will wrap up the regular season with one more contest, facing Blinn College on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. The team will have a bye week next week.

Rocket League will play two important double headers the next two weeks, beginning with University of the Cumberlands and Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., respectively. The team will also face Dallas Baptist and Wayland Baptist back-to-back on Oct. 27. The regular season ends Oct. 30 against Western Kentucky University.

Overwatch will have five matches remaining, beginning next week against Glennville State College on Oct. 19 and Newberry College on Oct. 22. The regular season ends with three matches the following week against Randolph-Macon College (Oct. 26), Saint Louis University (Oct. 29) and the University of North Texas at Dallas (Oct. 30).
 

Follow the McMurry Esports Program

Select matches will be available on McMurry's Twitch TV channel at www.twitch.tv/mcmurryesports. Commentary is also available during matches, voiced by various McMurry Esports students.

For more information on the McMurry Esports program, visit mcmurrysports.com and click on the esports tab.

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