HOUSTON, TX - The Astros will host the eighth annual Houston Winter Invitational this weekend at Minute Maid Park. Tickets for the tournament can be purchased at Astros.com/Invitational. The tournament will feature six NCAA Division II universities, squaring off in nine games across the three days.

The tournament field features the University of Central Missouri, which co-hosts the tournament with the Astros, Arkansas Tech, Arkansas Monticello, the Colorado School of Mines, Flagler College (FL) and Millersville University (PA). This field includes four ranked programs, according to Collegiate Baseball’s 2020 Pre-Season NCAA Div. 2 Poll: Central Missouri (#4), Millersville (#19), Colorado School of Mines (#23) and Arkansas Monticello (#24).

Central Missouri, which has co-hosted the tournament since its inception, is the alma-mater of Astros Owner and Chairman Jim Crane, who was a standout baseball player in his college career. He played for the Mules from 1973-76, posting a 21-8 record with a career 2.42 ERA. Crane still ranks atop the Central Missouri career leaderboards in complete games (23) and shutouts (7) and ranks third in strikeouts (215). He still holds the Mules single-game strikeout record of 18, which is also a DII College World Series record. Crane was inducted into the University of Central Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997, and earned an induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame last year.

Crane contributes to Central Missouri annually to provide athletic scholarships for Mules baseball. Additionally, Crane was the primary underwriter of a $1.2 million renovation in 1998 of the old Mules Field on the University of Central Missouri campus, which has since been renamed the James R. Crane Stadium. In 2016, Crane and the UCM Foundation upgraded the university’s baseball facility with a new synthetic turf playing surface in a continuing effort to make the Central Missouri baseball program one of the best in the country.

For more information on the tournament or to purchase tickets, please visit Astros.com/Invitational.

*2020 Houston Winter Invitational Schedule**

Friday, Jan. 31
Arkansas Monticello vs. Colorado School of Mines 10 a.m.
Arkansas Tech vs. Millersville 1:30 p.m.
Flagler vs. Central Missouri 5 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 1
Arkansas Tech vs. Colorado School of Mines 10 a.m.
Millersville vs. Central Missouri 1:30 p.m.
Flagler vs. Arkansas Monticello 5 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 2
Arkansas Tech vs. Flagler 10 a.m.
Colorado School of Mines vs. Central Missouri 1:30 p.m.
Arkansas Monticello vs. Millersville 5 p.m.

(home teams listed second)

* - times subject to change; games after 10 a.m. could begin up to 30 minutes prior to scheduled start time