MELISSA RODRIGUEZ
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This year’s Kleberg Bank College Classic will be held on Feb. 24-26, featuring University of Houston Cougars, University of Illinois Illini, University of Missouri Tigers and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders Baseball.

 
The 12th annual round-robin tournament will take place in Corpus Christi. All games will be played at Whataburger Field.

 
“Corpus is a baseball city,” said Scott Malone, head coach of Islanders Baseball. “So it’s a no brainer for this city to bring in some of the best [Division 1] baseball programs around.”

 
The Classic began in 2006, when the Islanders played against Rice, Arizona State and Texas Christian University. Every year since then, the Islanders and Corpus Christi Hooks partner up to organize this collegiate baseball tournament inviting different universities each year.

 
“The University of Houston makes its first-ever Whataburger Field appearance at this year’s Classic,” said Matt Rogers, senior director of communications for the Corpus Christi Hooks. “Illinois, from the Big Ten, is also a first-time entry and SEC member Missouri is back after a one-year hiatus where the Tigers won three games at the Classic in 2015.”

 
Malone, currently on his 10th season as head coach for Islanders baseball, has been a factor in the organization of the Classic for the past several years.

 
When asked what has made the Classic successful throughout the years, Rogers said, “Coach Malone has done a great job of scheduling teams over the last seven years, intersectional play is always exciting for fans and many [participating] teams have enjoyed success in the NCAA Tournament.”

 
As Islander Baseball begins the new season, the Kleberg Classic will be an opportunity for them to practice and showcase their skills. Although the tournament game swill not count towards their conference record, the outcomes will affect their overall season record.

 
“We’ve had some of our best nights as a program [due to] this tournament because we’ve had the chance to play against some big schools,” Malone said.

 
Islanders are set to play Feb. 24 at 6:00 p.m. vs Illinois, Feb.25 at 6:00 p.m. vs Missouri, and Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. vs Houston.

 
Tickets may be purchased by day or in bundle. Prices for daily tickets range from $5.41 to $10.83 for day passes. Classic packages range from $12.99 to $25.98 and includes one ticket to all three days of games.

 
Don’t forget to check out @IslandWavesToGo for more updates on Islander Baseball and other Islander Athletics.