ABILENE, Texas – Homecoming weekend was a memorable one for the McMurry Esports program.
On Oct. 17, the Rocket League team's 3-0 win over Concordia Texas was streamed live for students to watch on the videoboard at Wilford Moore Stadium – the first such event in school history.
"It was a really unique opportunity," said McMurry Esports Head Coach Matt Tarpley. "It's the unique circumstances of not having any other sports going, but we could still have Rocket League for Homecoming. It helped us expose our program to others and showed people that we actually exist by having the game in the football field with people in the stands."
Below are summaries from the last two weeks for the Rocket League, Overwatch and Valorant teams.
Rocket League
As the Rocket League team closed the NACE Fall Rocket League portion of the schedule on Oct. 30, the War Hawks are now exclusively playing Collegiate Star League competitions. McMurry team captain Logan Herring said he likes where the team stands heading into CSL play.
"So far going into CSL, we've been playing well and are coming off a really good year in that league," Herring said. "Last semester, we made the playoffs and are pretty confident, even though we have a new player (Christian Bryant). We've been coming in together really well."
The War Hawks' 3-0 win over Concordia Texas on Oct. 17 started the CSL season, which typically runs on Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m. Herring said having members of the McMurry student body watch this win on the videoboard meant a lot to the team.
"The exposure that we gained from getting to play in front of all the student out on the football field was awesome," he said. "It really made us turn up a level and it brought us together as a team. I think that we are able to perform better now knowing that we can trust each other to make big plays."
McMurry finished NACE play with a 1-8 record against tough competition. They currently stand at 2-0 in the CSL, including a 3-1 win last week against Blinn College, and will have seven more scheduled games through the end of January.
Overwatch
The Overwatch team earned its first sweep of the season on Oct. 19, defeating Glenville State College 3-0. In that session, players Jonah Bulls (G7LOLHELP) and Gabriel Munoz (Necroshade) were able to earn the play of the game in game two and in game three.
Despite this early win and valiant effort from the team, including noteworthy healing work by Elijah Munson (IAMMRSPACE), the momentum was cut short by losses against Newberry College, St. Lawrence University and University of North Texas at Dallas.
Valorant
Although the Valorant team's impressive three-game win streak came to an end on Oct. 28 against Blinn College, the War Hawks finished second place in the Group H standings with a 3-1 record. The War Hawks are now eligible for the postseason tournament in their first season of eligibility.
Up Next
The Rocket League team will continue into CSL play with three November matches against Towson (Nov. 7), UTSA (Nov. 14) and Tulsa (Nov. 21). All matches will be played at 2 p.m.
The Overwatch and Valorant regular seasons are over, but the Valorant team remains hopeful for one of 32 playoff seeds in the 2020 NACE Valorant Fall Cup. The War Hawks will learn their fate later in the week, with the Round of 32 set to begin Nov. 4.
For more information on the Valorant Postseason Tournament, click here.
Stay tuned on the @McMurryEsports Twitter page to find out when McMurry will compete.
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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