The Blinn College esports Overwatch and Call of Duty teams were both victorious Tuesday.
In a National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) matchup against Dallas Baptist University, Blinn Overwatch earned a 3-0 sweep in a best-of-five series. The Buccaneer Call of
Duty team picked up a big NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) victory over No. 2 University of South Carolina-Sumter, also by way of a 3-0 sweep.
Blinn Overwatch finishes the regular season with a 6-1 record in the NACE West-Central 2 Conference, and did so with the help of competitors Haluk Tanriseven, Andrew Dugas, Donnivan Straight, Matthew Hutchings, and Javier Amezcua.
(Pictured: The Blinn Overwatch team of, front row from left, Donnivan Straight, Andrew Dugas, and Javier Amezcua, and back row from left, Matthew Hutchins and Haluk Tanriseven)
“This was a solid win where we just showed how good of a team we have become over the course of the semester,” said Blinn assistant coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto. “We did not let Dallas Baptist gain any ground at all, and really dominated the entirety of the series. I am proud of the results we have achieved so far but we still have a lot of matches to play.”
Up next for the Bucs is the NACE Overwatch conference playoffs, where Blinn will begin play as the second seed. Matchups have yet to be determined. Should the Bucs advance past the conference playoffs, they will enter the NACE Overwatch national tournament.
The Buccaneer Call of Duty team also had a big day provided by Logan Rivera, Landon Campos, David Rodriguez, and Wesley King. Blinn is 5-1 in NJCAAe Premier Series standings with one regular-season match remaining.
“I couldn’t be happier with how today’s match went,” said Blinn assistant coach Ryan Lucich, who also oversees the Call of Duty squad. “We came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. Our gunplay, communication, rotations, and teamwork were all on point and I think we showed just how scary this team can be when everything is working together.
Hopefully we can keep this up as we get closer to the playoffs. If we play like we did today, I can’t imagine any team beating us.”
Blinn Call of Duty battles the University of North Texas-Dallas in NACE play at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
