Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team will begin defense of its 2008 American Southwest Conference championship when an expected class of more than 200 players reports to campus this weekend. A class of 135 newcomers will report to campus on Sunday morning, August 16th. They will then spend the rest of the day in physicals and meetings. The newcomers will have their first practice on Monday morning, August 17th at 8:45 AM while a group of 73 returners is reporting to campus. The returners will join the newcomers for the first full-team practice on Tuesday morning, August 18th, at 8:45 AM. The first workout in full pads will be Saturday, August 22nd at 8:45 AM. All of those practices will be held at the UMHB football practice fields at the Cru Sports Plex.
The Cru returns six offensive starters and six defensive starters from a team that went 12-2 overall and finished 8-0 in ASC play. UMHB advanced to the national semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater and the Cru finished the season ranked 3rd nationally in all three major polls last year. UMHB will open the 2009 season with a 6:00 PM road game against Southern Nazarene University on September 12th in Bethany, Oklahoma. The Cru will then open ASC play with a 6:00 PM road game against Texas Lutheran University the following week.
