The Western Nebraska Community College softball team will hold their Fall Classic this weekend with several high school traveling teams and college teams coming to Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

                Action in the Fall Classic begins Saturday at 9 a.m. with the final game slated for a 7:30 p.m. start. Sunday's action will feature five games beginning at 10 a.m. with WNCC taking on Air Force. The Cougars will have two more games on Sunday, facing Chadron State at 2:30 p.m. and Wyoming at 4 p.m.

                WNCC, who won the Region IX tournament last spring, opened up its fall season last weekend at a tournament in Utah against high school traveling teams and then wrapped up the 3-day trip with a doubleheader against Salt Lake Community College.

                The WNCC Fall Classic is a fundraising tournament to help with travel expenses in the spring. High school teams from Utah, along with North Platte Community College, Chadron State College, Air Force, and the University of Wyoming will be in town to play.

                Saturday's slate of games begin with Chadron State facing the Utah Sox at 9 a.m. followed by CSC taking on the Utah Avalanche at 10:30 a.m. North Platte will follow at noon taking on Avalanche followed by facing the Sox at 1:30 a.m. North Platte will then take on Chadron State at 3 p.m..

                The rest of Saturday's schedule will have the Utah Sox facing Air Force at 4:30 p.m., Avalanche taking on Air Force at 6 p.m., and North Platte and Air Force tangling at 7:30 p.m.

                Sunday's complete schedule pits WNCC and Air Force at 10 a.m., Air Force and Wyoming at 11:30 a.m., Chadron State and Wyoming at 1 p.m., Chadron State and WNCC at 2:30 p.m., and Wyoming and WNCC at 4 p.m.

                The WNCC softball team return seven players from last year's Region IX championship team that went a school record 56-14. The returners include Christian Bobian of Aurora, Colorado; Courtney Medina of Ft. Collins, Colorado; Kenzie Sawyer of Cedar City, Utah; Desirae Visser of Thornton, Colorado; Andy Hancock of Riverdale, Utah; Whitney Fields of Grantsville, Utah; and Jade Morton of Henderson, Utah.

                The newcomers to the team include Cassie Jones of Longmont, Colorado; Emily Selby of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Jasmine Wessel of Thornton, Colorado; Shelby Martinez and Shyanne Deville of Pueblo, Colorado; Hallie Weber of Longmont, Colorado; Bailey Anderson of Salt Lake City, Utah; Celyn Whitt of Bromfield, Colorado; Brittany Bigge of La Porte, Colorado; Lauren Oxford of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Payten Davies of West Jordan, Utah.