Collegiate baseball and softball teams will descend on Tucson over the first two weeks of March as the Tucson Invitational Games return to Kino Sports Complex and Lincoln Regional Park.

More than 50 college and academy baseball and softball programs, many from colder climates, are scheduled to compete, using the event to open their seasons before conference play begins.

Baseball games will be played at Kino Sports Complex, while Lincoln Regional Park will host the softball games.

“It's actually part of their regular season,” said baseball director Matt Tiggas.

The format mirrors the structure on the softball side of the event.

“We do mimic each other in the event that they're just coming in to start their season,” said softball director Kandice Tiggas. “A lot of these teams are from the Midwest that we call cold country … get on the dirt before they hit their conference season.”

Among the 52 teams scheduled to attend are 20 softball programs from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, seven junior college baseball programs, 11 Division III schools, one Division II school, two additional National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics baseball programs, nine academy schools, one junior varsity team and one school from the National Christian College Athletic Association.

The broad mix of programs also creates opportunities beyond regular-season play.

“We will have some scouts that come out,” Tiggas said.

The Tiggas are former collegiate athletes and have been involved with TIG since its inception.

Matt Tiggas played at Southwest Minnesota State and has been involved with TIG since it began in 2002 alongside his father.

“My father was living down in Tucson after I graduated high school and he would come to Florida for our spring training games,” Matt Tiggas said. “He's like, ‘I think we can do this in Tucson.’”

Kandice Tiggas got involved with TIG in 2004 after playing softball at Bowling Green State University.

A sports marketing major, Kandice Tiggas was looking for a job after graduation when she heard that professional softball was potentially coming to Tucson.

“I had heard that Tucson was going to have a professional softball team, and so I wanted to find out about it,” Kandice Tiggas said. “It was actually Matt and his dad Jim. Not only did they start and run the Tucson Invitational Games, but they also owned and operated the Arizona Heat, which was the professional softball team.”

The Arizona Heat played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch from 2004 through 2006. The team played home games at Hi Corbett Field before ceasing operations in 2007.

“It's what I wanted to do. It was my major,” Kandice Tiggas said. “They hired me in 2004. I just kind of jumped right in and here we are.”

The Tiggas have been growing TIG ever since.

The series does not feature any Division I baseball or softball teams, despite the University of Arizona’s baseball and softball programs both competing at the Division I level.

“Kino is definitely nice enough for Division I games, but we really haven't dived into it,” Matt Tiggas said.

Another reason TIG has not included Division I schools is that their schedules are often set years in advance for nonconference play.

Division I baseball and softball programs are also hosting or participating in their own invitationals as the seasons get underway.

Grand Canyon University recently participated in the MLB Desert Invitational, which took place Friday, Feb. 13, through Monday, Feb. 16.

The invitational also featured Penn State (Big Ten), Nebraska (Big Ten), Kansas State (Big 12), Iowa (Big Ten), Air Force (Mountain West), Connecticut (Big East) and Northeastern (Coastal Athletic Association).

TIG baseball games will kick off Sunday, March 1, at Kino Sports Complex, and softball games begin Monday, March 2, at Lincoln Regional Park.

Baseball concludes Wednesday, March 18, while softball concludes Monday, March 16.

Daily and event passes are available for purchase at the event sites.

Ticket prices, game schedules and participating teams can be found at www.tigsports.com.

Patrick Moore is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and an intern with Tucson Spotlight. Contact him at patrickcmoore@arizona.edu.

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